A Bit of an Update and some goals

Just wanted to say, "I'm still here!"
I have completely neglected this blog the last several months. I knew my weight was going to keep going up, but when it was going up too fast I just was too chicken to blog about it. I just checked a pregnancy weight gain chart and realized I have already gained more than I should for the entire pregnancy, even though I am only 34 weeks. My doctor however, does say my weight gain is acceptable. I have gained 29 pounds. I guess it could be worse.
My walks are non existent. And will continue to be non existent seeing as the snow has finally arrived and I don't want to risk falling at 34 weeks pregnant. The balance board no longer works (we just tried it with new batteries). I am addicted to chocolate and peanut butter, preferably ice cream. And I have to eat before bed, depending upon how late I stay up.
I am trying to eat my salads again. At the beginning of the pregnancy and until recently I just couldn't down more than a little bit, not even a side salad size. And I had been used to eat a big plate full of salad before I got pregnant! For some reason I have no problem scarfing down starchy foods though. I have 4.5 weeks to improve my eating habits, to get out of this rut, so that after the baby is born on Feb 17 I can flow straight back into the good habits I had 9 months ago. I will not be able to exercise for a while. I am having a c-section. But I will try my hardest to limit the sugary snacks.
I was thrilled to find out Plus Size Bloggers is starting a new challenge a few days after I give birth. Perfect timing. Not sure how it will work, but I will make it my goal to do all I can.

My Tracking Goals for the week.

Okay, I have GOT to do a better job recording what I put past these lips of mine this week.  I think I will also include my exercise on my tracking post so if I forget to get on the silly Wii, the exercise will still be recorded.  I'm still sticking to walking and stepping to movies/shows this week.  Maybe one of these days I will add in the Wii Fit again.  Oh, wait, I have to get working batteries first.  Unfortunately that is not high on my priority list when I can get exercise in by walking around town. Perhaps I will make it my goal this week to increase my walks by 2 minutes each day and my stepping by 5 minutes for this week (not 5 minutes each time, just 35 minutes instead of 30) and see if I can increase it another 5 next week.
I really am not sure what my calorie goal should be with nursing.  I realize I am not exclusively nursing as Hannah is over a year old.  But I really don't think 1200 to 1400 calories is enough.  Maybe I am wrong.  I'm not trying to look for an excuse to eat more calories, I just want to know I am eating right.  I do think the fact that I am eating healthier calories than I was half a year ago is better for Hannah anyway. The other problem I have is trying to figure out the calories.  I have been writing down what I've been eating.  But how do you figure out the calories in the quiche I made last week or a casserole.  I am trying to focus more on the amounts, knowing I am eating 1/2 cup of rice for example.  I need to find my First Place book.  In the old program I was doing (I don't believe they teach this anymore) we were to count exchanges.  I did pretty good knowing I had to eat so many veggies, fruits, grains, milk products and protein foods.  That is what I think will work best for me.  Instead of having to figure out the calories in everything I eat.  Of course not knowing the healthy calorie limit isn't helping.  I think the most important thing for me is to stop the snacking and make sure I write everything down accurately.  I was doing great at the beginning of the year and I wasn't tracking.  But I know it is a requirement for the Slimmer this Summer challenge.
The water intake is easy enough to remember usually. Two glasses before each meal and 1 between each meal and before bed.
Let's see if I can make this work.

Slimmer This Summer and Bye Bye Booties Starting Info and Goals

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. I'm so excited that the summer challenges are about to start up.  Monday is the official start day.  It's going to be a summer of healthy choices, getting more active, eating healthy and motivating others.  


I have already refocused and started following my plan that I was supposed to be following all along this year.  Though I had fallen way short of my goals in April and May, I am determined to stay on track these next 12 weeks.  Yes, the plan is to stay on track for the rest of my life, but right now we are focusing on this new challenge.  I loved reading Debbi's reasons for starting this Slimmer this Summer challenge.  She has re-motivated me, not just to lose weight, but to look at the primary reason behind why I want to lose weight.  I need to put the Lord first.  I know this.  I just have failed miserably I am ashamed to say.  But I am thrilled that I have a forgiving Lord, a God who longs to draw me back under His wings.


"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just, to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9


I have participated in a program called First Place in the past.  I need to focus on the verse from that program:


"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Matthew 6:33


I do believe that my life is a witness and, as I saw stated in the comments on Debbi's blog post linked to above, being overweight is a poor witness as it shows that food is my desire instead of the Lord.  I do not want food to be an idol in my life anymore.  


Here are my goals for the next 12 weeks.  They haven't really changed much.


*I would like to lose 15 pounds or more.  That is the goal for the Plus Size Bloggers challenge, so I will keep it as my goal, if I exceed it, so much the better.


*Debbi has suggested 10 cups of water a day.  I am going to attempt 9 cups plus the 1 cup of green tea.  That will be one more cup than I had been drinking. (I will attempt to drink two cups before each meal, but I won't be so strict this time)


*I will record the foods I am eating and my water intake.


*I will take an evening walk or step while watching a show in the evening.  I will increase the intensity of the stepping and the lengths of the walks as able.  


*I will not eat after supper


*I will limit myself to one sweet a day, preferably during lunch.


*During the last Plus Size Bloggers challenge I lost 14 3/4 inches overall in one month.  During the last 2 months I only lost 6.  When I take into account I didn't lose much weight I would say that was still pretty good.  I would love to lose another 15 inches by the time the 12 weeks are through. 


                                Feb 28, 2011            March 31, 2011        June 4, 2011

• Neck:                      14 1/2                      14                     14
• Upper Arm Left:        18 1/4                       17 3/4               17 1/2
• Upper Arm Right:         18                          17                     17
• Chest:                     47 1/2                      46                     45 1/4
• Waist:                       46                          43                     42 1/2
• Abdomen:                   43                         41 1/2                41
• Buttocks:                   55                          53 1/2                52
• Upper Thigh left:       30 1/2                       30                     29 1/4
• Upper Thigh right:     30 3/4                        29                     29 1/2
• Calf left:                 18 1/4                         18                    17 1/2                            
• Calf right:               18 1/2                         17 3/4               17 1/2
• Upper Knee left:       20 1/2                         19 1/2               18 1/2
• Upper Knee right:        20                            19                    18 1/2
• Total Inches:           380.75                       366                       360

*I am also going to have my morning devotions using the Our Daily Bread, which I haven't done in ages.  

*I will also be praying for my fellow weight loss challengers.

Also linking to

Over at A Hippo With a Headband

May Your Way: Check in May 4th

Well, we started this challenge just a few short days ago and it is already time to check in.  Can you believe I already messed up my goals for the month?  Maybe I was a little too ambitious?  I just wanted to get back on track to what worked for me in Jan, Feb and March.  Doesn't help that this week officially started on May 1st, but I had a baby shower to go to on Saturday.  I know, I know.  I could have opted to eat just the healthy foods, of which there were plenty.  But Steven, Krystal and I made the cake and I could not help myself.  And of course I "sampled" the frosting Friday night when it was being made.  This didn't affect the goals, but I think it may have affected the weight.

Here are my goals I listed on May 1st:

*I will drink 2 glasses of water before each meal. I have forgotten a few times.
*I will drink 1 cup of green tea each day. Check
*I will not snack between meals or while cooking/preparing meals. I have nibbled a bit while preparing meals.
*I will not eat after supper. Check
*I will not eat any candy, cake, frosting, ice cream, "sweet" cereals (Frosted mini wheats do not count), etc.  I am committing to this on a weekly basis. I really thought I would do better with this.  Unfortunately I decided to help myself to some of the Jello, Cool whip and marshmallows from the girls' April Showers Bring May Flowers dessert tray on Monday.  I couldn't decide if I was counting these as "sugar/sweets."  And because I had already messed up I gave in to 2 fingerfuls of leftover frosting.  And you know what, it wasn't even what I wanted, didn't taste that great.
*I will exercise for at least a half an hour every day.  Hope to get the Wii fit routine in at least 3 days and the Aerobics DVD in at least 2 days.  Other days I am hoping to walk or at the very least step for 1/2 hour. I actually didn't get to exercise the first day of the challenge (Sunday).  But I did exercise the following three days, getting in my routine, plus today I got in the Aerobics DVD.

After rethinking my goals I have decided they are all going to stay the same, except one.  I will allow myself one day this week to have one sweet, but it has to be at lunch time.  

I am looking forward to participating in another SisterChat on Monday.  I will have to say it moved really fast.  It was really hard for me to keep up with the conversation.  I don't have a lot of practice "chatting."  On the other hand, I completely forgot about the #tworkout last night.  Of course, Hannah was refusing to go to bed, so that complicated matters all the way around.  And I am still a little unsure how that works anyway.  I was hoping to find out yesterday.  Guess there is next week.

I was looking forward to seeing what the Sisterhood Says Challenge would be for this week.  I think I will be able to do this one.  We are supposed to drink 64 oz of water each day this week.  With my 1 cup of water while I exercise and 2 before each meal, and the one I drink before bed, I've got this! Now, I just have to remember to drink.  It sure was easier when I used to work and take two 32 oz bottles of water along with me.  I knew I was (or wasn't) finishing the water.  At least with my above schedule I won't lose count.

I am also hoping that participating in the 31 Days to Clean Challenge this month will help me with the weight loss as I will be up and cleaning each day.  

Anyhow, here are this week's results:

Today's weight

Starting weight:

This week's exercise:

Though once again I forgot to add the DVD to the log.

I had Tabitha take this picture, so it is from a different angle as usual and it doesn't really look like I lost weight from last month:

Previous Weight: 224

Today's Weight: 223.1

Weight loss from last week: .9

Total weight loss for May Your Way: .9

Total Loss since weight loss journey got serious on December 13th 2010: 38.8

If you would like some encouragement on your weight loss journey I invite you over to Tots and Me (my main/homeschooling blog) to enter my giveaway for Chicken Soup for the Soul: Shaping Up the New You.  I even have some extra entries for anyone who is on a weight loss journey or who is participating in May Your Way.  Come check it out!!!

I am also linking up to:

Weekly Weigh In- New You, Power of One

This week was a pretty good week for me.  I got up every morning to exercise.  Even though some of those days were frustrating because Hannah wouldn't go back to sleep after she nursed, so I had to bring her downstairs with me and couldn't work out as long as I would have liked.  

Until Saturday I was still abstaining from sweets.  This week I have tried to limit myself to one sweet a day at dinner time.  The other day I had to take Tabitha to the doctor because of an ear infection.  We didn't get home til late so I did end up having some gummies.  And dinner was late.  We've been trying to eat by 6:00 at the latest and that day the schedule was really messed up.  But it seems that the exercising has been helping me greatly, as has eating salad (though not the one salad a day as planned), because I still lost weight this week.  I had two days of no loss, but for the week I lost 3.3 lbs.  I am down to 250.9!

Some of my other goals have been harder to keep.  When Hannah stays up in the morning I don't get my Bible read.  There were other days when I felt rushed through my Bible reading.  And as of right now the Blogging to Bible Study adult version is on hold I guess.  As you can see by the post time, I also have been having trouble getting to bed by 11:00.  It has been 1:00 at times.  Which is still better than 3:00 or 4:00 which is about what time I was getting to bed a while back.  Tonight I am aiming for midnight.  

New Year, New Start 2011 Here I GO!!!

Okay, I am really excited about this coming year.  I have been down in a slump because of the weight gain, knowing it is all my fault.  Laziness and over eating have done me in.  But it is not just that.  I have lost my focus on what is the most important thing.  My relationship with Christ.  I had to ask myself, "When was I doing my best at weight loss and feeling good about myself?"  I know the answer is that I was doing best when I was involved in my Bible Study/Weight Loss group.  Yes, accountability was a big factor.  But when I started the group it was because they were doing a study from First Place, which is a "program" I had tried on my own several years earlier with some success.  I had read the book, and even though Carole Lewis, the author encouraged becoming part of a group, I was unable to where I live (small town, nowheresville).  When I realized a group at a local church was starting a Bible Study from the First Place group I jumped at the chance.  And though we did do other studies, they were always Bible based.

So...2011 is not just a new start on the weight loss story for me.  I am recommitting my life to Christ, my Lord and my Saviour.  In addition to my two weight loss challenges (one of which I am still researching) I am also participating in Blogging to Bible Study.  The button is on my right sidebar if you are interested in learning more.  This blog will not only track my weight loss, but also my spiritual growth.  I will be posting my challenges for Blogging to Bible study here every week in addition to my weight (hopefully losses).

The plan this year is to:

• Go to bed by 11pm
• Wake up and read the Old Testament reading from The NIV Daily Bible
• Use the Wii Fit Plus (my routine is currently 20 minutes of Yoga and Strength and 30-40 minutes of Aerobics, depending upon the children of course)
• Be more active with the children (dancing, chasing around, park in the spring, walks when it warms up)
• Read my New Testament and Psalms/Proverbs readings from The NIV Daily Bible at nap time, plus my Blogging to Bible Study challenge.
• Possibly get some exercise in during nap time (but I will use this time for blogging too). Probably my Aerobics DVD, or a walk in good weather.  Hoping to get a Step DVD with taxes.
• Eat at least one salad a day.
• Cut way back on sweets (this week I am abstaining completely for our church's fast during the Week of Prayer, seeing as I can't fast because I am nursing).
• Get up and clean or walk or something while I wait for the slow computer to load, instead of twiddling my thumbs.
• I am looking into the 16 Week Challenge in my book by the First Place author Carole Lewis titled Back on Track. 
• No food after dinner, I will allow myself a dessert occasionally, but it has to by at dinner time.
• No late night snacking.
• Drink lots of water, including 2 glasses full before each meal.

My goal is to lose at least 60 pounds by the end of 2011.

My short term goal is to lose 10 pounds by the end of the Power of One Challenge on February 23rd.

Re-Starting Out

I was so upset when the Wii Balance board decided to stop working back in August when I planned on starting this weight loss/get healthy/turn my life around journey.  Getting out to walk was just not always possible.  And when I have to take the girls by myself, Tabitha needs to walk so I can't go as fast as I need to go to get a decent workout. Imagine my delight when we realized the rechargeable batteries were failing to get a full charge and that is why they were not working in the board anymore.

The other day Steven and then Harold used the Balance Board (with brand new batteries) to work out.  The next day I tried to use it and the batteries were dead.  Yes I was royally ticked off, to put it mildly.  It seemed like everything was working against me to try to lose weight.  Long story short, we charged the batteries and for the last two days I have been waking up in morning and exercising for about 45 minutes.  Just that little bit makes me feel like I am accomplishing something.  And I feel better physically.  Not as stiff because I am stretching and not on my behind all day.

I was so pleased today when I checked my weights from the past year and realized I am only 2 pounds more than I was a year ago (granted I was 4 months pregnant at the time).  I was also surprised to realize I have only gained 5 pounds since my weigh in after the baby was born in April.  No weight gain would be best, but that was definitely reassuring that it wasn't more.  Granted I have gained since my last post.  Sitting on the computer, no exercise, snacking during the day and while preparing meals, eating after dinner still and ice cream cones galore (though we have gotten better about that, we had been eating one a day. It became less of a treat and more of a routine.) have been the major contributors.

So I am going to re-start out at a weight of 253.8 starting yesterday.  Let's see what I can accomplish with the Lord's help.  I would like to lose 5 pounds in a month, hopefully more, but I want to see what I can do, before making too high of a goal and regretting it.

Starting Out

It starts innocent enough.  A bite of a cookie, a handful of chips, a sip of soda.  But the result can leave me feeling quite guilty.  One snack leads to another, one more bite turns into many more bites.  It tastes so good, why would I have to stop?  I'm sure there are others out there with the same problem, but I need to do something about me.

Yes, I had to gain weight.  I was pregnant, the growing baby needed nourishment.  Granted not all the food choices I made were the best for the baby. It's hard when only certain foods are appealing.  I also got into the habit of snacking before bed.  If I didn't I would wake up weak and nauseous because I was hungry.  Poor hubby, I got him into eating soft pretzels with muenster cheese before bed.  Now the only problem is, I am having a hard time getting out of the habit of snacking before bedtime.  Snacks, my downfall.

Unfortunately, blogging is another downfall.  Our computer is so slow, I am constantly sitting here taking double or triple the amount of time it should take to post a blog or visit other's blogs.  (A big reason I can't get  to everyone I would like to on linky's).

I had lost a decent amount of weight after Hannah was born.  Unfortunately I have gained it back in the last few months (Hannah will be 4 months old this week).  I have finally decided I have to do something about this weight problem.  I need to have energy to keep up with the children.  I want to be here for them for a long time.  So I started with a few easy to keep changes to improve my health.

1- No snacking after dinner (though I do allow myself dessert)
2- If I plan to get on the internet sometime during the day, I need to exercise for at least half an hour.
3- I need to get better sleep.

And of course, after I make up my mind to do something, something goes wrong to impede my progress.
The no snacking after dinner is going well.  Though I do still snack between meals.
We have had the Wii Balance Board with the Wii Fit, and then Wii Fit Plus when it became available, for a year and a half.  Two days ago it started acting funny.  And today it won't even turn on.  A little bit of a bummer when I was going to do my exercise routine on the Wii Fit.  I was really down at first, thinking how unfair it was.  That was Monday, when the board was still working intermittently.  So, I decided I wasn't going to let it defeat me.  I started my routine and wrote down everything I was doing and how long each exercise should take.  Today, when it wouldn't even turn on, I exercised anyway.  Now the only problem I have is not knowing for sure how I will weigh in.

Well, we will cross that bridge when we come to it.  For now, I need to record my embarrassing starting weight.  The most I have ever weighed.  When I started my weight loss journey several years ago, I started out in the 230's.  I had gotten down in the 170's.  Now, after getting remarried and having 3 more children (for a total of 6) I am starting this new weight loss journey at 253.5. Ouch.  I still need to decide what my goal is.  I know I have over a hundred pounds to lose, I never planned on gaining back all I had lost before, and now I am even heavier than before, without a weight loss/Bible Study group to be accountable to.  That is why I decided to take a closer look at Kris's blog: Eclipsed and her weekly weigh in.

So, here goes my journey, to turn my life around.

Hoping I never look like this again.