Saturday, January 30, 2010

Third Time is A Charm

How I got into this mess!

My pre-pregnancy weight was very nominal-- (I am about four/five pounds heavier than that now).  It wasn't my thinnest, and it wasn't my heaviest.  But it was heavier than I prefer.  I had, unfortunately, suffered a miscarriage in April of 2008 at 13 weeks pregnant.  It was absolutely awful and my heart goes out to any other women out there who know the pain-- both physically and emotionally.   I am not sure what the deal was, but my hormones and body just always seemed a little off for several months-- which I believe did influence my weight.  I got pregnant with Dekker in July, and I consider my pre-pregnancy weight what I weighted at my 8 week appt.  So it was reasonable, but I don't think had ever really balanced out from the miscarriage.

I was super active during my pregnancy.  I LOVED being pregnant.  I walked our dog all the time, even went to the gym.  We had a beautiful summer and fall, and even a moderate winter.  I walked so much, and gained a beautiful 30 lbs.  By the time I left the hospital, I weighed about what I weigh now.

I nursed Dekker.  But here is where it got tricky. 

Friday, January 29, 2010

Take Two

Hello to my at least one blog reader :)

Well I am thrilled to say that I have continued on my WW plan,  with zero bonus points used Thursday, which wasn't easy people!  I made a bang up enchilada for some friends-- with chicken, salsa, red bell pepper, scallions, chili powder, cumin and cheese wrapped in whole wheat tortilla.  Still, that tortilla alone was worth 4 points.  PLEASE!  I think cooking for a crowd is one of the harder things with WW, second only to eating out.  So I basically gave myself permission to be "close" in my points counting.  I figured out how much cheese, for example, I used on the entire dish and then divided it by the number of enchiladas.  3 points each, if you're wondering.  Everything else was basically free except for the chicken, which is super lean protein and I averaged about one point per enchilada for that.  I misspelled enchilada every time I have typed it in the above paragraph.  God Bless Spell Check.

Anyway, I took said enchiladas to some friends, Jason and Susan, who recently had a sweet sweet baby boy, Owen.  The name Owen is very close to my heart, and it was lovely to cuddle him and love on him.   Our friends Dan and Angela came up, and it was great to see them and their kids-- who grew up overnight if you ask me.  In other news, the entire time we were there I was suddenly aware of Dekker's HACKING cough.  I had visions of him spreading RSV to the new baby and his doctor of a mom.  I kept asking her if she was worried-- not that I expected her to say "Yes, and please leave," -- but she assured me that he's not running a temp and that Owen made it through the holidays without any major calamities.  And so it is.  I'll be watching her facebook status updates like a stalker, to make sure she suddenly doesn't ask for prayer for her sick boy.  Ug!

Finally, last week was a hard week at work.  Partly because I didn't eat lunch on Thursday (stupid, stupid, stupid).  I knew the night would be "heavy points" but I don't know what made me think water and a Kashi bar would do the trick. 

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

The Inaugural Post

I think the hardest part of starting anything new is doing whatever it is the first time. And so it is with this blog, and several other things in my life to be honest.  My dear sweet hubby set this blog up several months ago, and though I love writing, I have for some reason procrastinated.   So here we go.

I decided to start writing on Monday.  This Monday, like almost every Monday for the last FOUR YEARS, my kind mother in law made dinner for herself, my father in law, my husband, and me.  We got there before the meal was ready and were playing around with the baby on the floor when my father in law announced, "He needs a little sister."  And honest to goodness, the first thought that went across my mind was "not before I lose this weight."  You see, I don't have a lot of weight to lose, but enough to know I shouldn't go setting out to gain another 25-35 on top of it (not to mention the 400 other reasons I shouldn't have another kid right now-- but that is for another day).  I've tried to "make healthy choices" and have even been working out regularly (two to three times a week) since mid-November, and yet I have only lost 5 lbs.  I am thrilled with 5 lbs (especially considering the holidays), but have proven again that I need more structure.  Apparently I don't "watch what I eat," even when I think I am.

I am a professional at Weight Watchers.  This is not a badge I wear with honor.  But I embarked again on my weight loss journey and plan to take you with me.  I think weight loss can be so hard-- just a pound or two at a time-- but I remember that it adds up-- my goal is 10 lbs and I would be thrilled with 10+.  Oh, those last 10 lbs.   If you've never done WW yourself-- it is basically a weight loss program based on "points."  You get an amount of points based on your current weight, gender, and lifestyle.  I get 21.  Then, every food is assigned a certain amount of "points."  Like a bank account, you can put points in (exercise) and take points out until, at the end of the day, you have a daily balance-- and hope it's positive.  In addition, you get 35 "freebie" points to use as you wish throughout the week (all at once or "little by little").

So here is what my week has looked like in case you are curious: