Body After Baby: Week Five

Wow, it's hard to believe I'm now onto week five! Here is my summary from week 4:

1. Work out 3x for 30 minutes or more.

If I thought I sucked last week, this week was just as bad in the workout department. I only got in a half hour of walking and a couple days of crunches that hardly totaled 30 minutes. The weather has been rainy, which makes it impossible to do my favorite outdoor activities. I need to find a way to motivate myself indoors on those days instead of sitting in front of the computer or TV.

2. Eat 2 servings of fruit and 4 servings of veggies per day, and limit carb intake.

I did a little better on fruits this week since I bought some bananas and fruit cocktail. Veggies, as usual, I rocked. I did so-so on carbs but indulged a little, like last night when I had a generous helping of cornbread with my chili. Bad girl!

3. No eating past 10pm.

As in past weeks, there was one night that I had a handful of Reese Cups after 10pm but other than that fallback, I was able to quell the beast. YAY! This is a particularly successful one for me because our house is loaded with Halloween candy and I've been resisting temptation for the most part.

4. Go to sleep before midnight each night.

I'm happy to report that I only went to bed at 1am once this week. Six out of seven isn't bad! Right?!

5. Drink 6 or more glasses of water per day.

I am sad to say but I fell behind in the water department this week. I still averaged about 4 glasses a day but I started drinking more juice and root beer that my hubby picked up at the store. Sure, blame the hubbs on this one! ;)

Last week's mini-challenge was to do 50 crunches a day. I only managed to do this two days this past week. I'm not sure what my problem is. Maybe I need more face-to-face interaction? Maybe I need more cheerleading? A personal trainer to whip my butt? I just keep finding excuses as to why I can't fit it in when I know I could if I really had a more determined mindset.

My progress thus far:

Weekly weigh-in: 141.5 lbs. (Net weight gain/loss: +1 lbs) A loss of .5 pound since last week but still a hearty disappointment since the beginning of the program. I should have at least lost something by now!

Total points: 21 (from week 1) + 12 (week 2) + 15 (week 3) + 100 (week 4) = 148

How I feel: I am beyond feeling frustrated with myself. Each week, I tell myself to step it up and I do okay for a few days. But then I give in a little here and there and before I know it, I spiral downward into my bad habits. I'll admit I've been tempted to just throw in the towel and start over again on my own terms, on my own timeline. But I remind myself the challenge isn't over yet and if I do anything, I'm going to stick it out to the end. Even if I wind up gaining weight. At least I persevered.

I've already told my husband I want a Wii Fit Plus for Christmas so I can exercise indoors this winter season, in a fun way.

This week's goals: Work out 3 times this week for 30 minutes or more - indoors or outdoors. Continue eating well and drinking a minimum of 6 glasses of water (8 oz.) per day. No eating past 10pm. Sleep before midnight.

This week's mini-challenge: There isn't one this week! But I think I'm going to stick with last weeks' challenge to prove to myself that I can do this! I will lose at least 1 pound before this is all said and done!

Body After Baby: Week Four

Well, I'm officially onto week 4, which means I am already halfway through the challenge. Yikes! Time is definitely flying! Here is my summary from week 3:

1. Work out 4x for 30 minutes or more.

I'm sad to say this was my worst workout week thus far. I only walked once this week for 30 minutes since it rained just about everyday last week. And even though I had opportunities to exercise indoors, I only took advantage of one 15-minute period to do some crunches. What can I say? I really sucked it up this week in this department.

2. Eat 2 servings of fruit and 4 servings of veggies per day, and limit carb intake.

I fell behind a bit in the fruit department this week and only ate an average of 1 serving per day. However, I was easily able to meet my veggie requirement. I love my greens! It was still a challenge to limit my carbs but I did make more of a conscious effort this week. I only indulged in dessert three times this week, which is a vast improvement from other weeks.

3. No eating past 10pm.

There was one evening that my husband got home from work late so we wound up eating dinner right around 10pm. Other than that one evening, I was able to fight the temptation of late-night snacking. Woohoo!

4. Go to sleep before midnight each night.

I made a BIG mistake by drinking coffee Sunday evening and I was so buzzed, I didn't hit the sack until 2am! Of course, I woke up exhausted on Monday morning. I also didn't go to sleep last night until 1am since I was working on a blog post and didn't want to leave it unfinished. Determination is a good quality, I suppose. So long as it does not become a habit, since adequate sleep is essential to my physical and mental well-being. I get quite grumpy when I am tired.

5. Drink 6 or more glasses of water per day.

I am happy to report that, thanks to my new PUR Flavor Options Pitcher, I was able to meet this goal! There were some days I even surpassed it! I am so proud of myself. I haven't been drinking nearly as much soda or tea and feel completely satisfied with my flavor-enhanced water. Woohoo! (Want one for yourself? Be sure to enter my giveaway!)

Last week's mini-challenge was to eat at least three healthy meals per day. I averaged two healthy meals a day, with a total of 15 last week. Breakfast and dinner are typically easy for me but for lunch, I'm often on the go and eat a lot of processed or fast food. I'm working on substituting easy, healthy dishes like dill tuna salad sandwich on wheat bread, PB&J or low-salt tomato soup.

My progress thus far:

Weekly weigh-in: 142 lbs. (Net weight gain/loss: +1.5 lbs) BOO! I choose to blame this gain on the impending visit from my Aunt and lovely water weight.

Total points: 21 (from week 1) + 12 (week 2) + 15 (week 3) = 48

How I feel: I am a little frustrated with my progress. I have been trying but not quite hard enough. I really need to step it up and get my act together if I want to see results. Otherwise, the next 4 weeks are going to pass me by and I will still be stuck in the same position, with the same lousy 5-10 extra lbs.

This week's goals: Work out 4 times this week for 30 minutes or more - indoors or outdoors. Continue with at least 2 fruit servings and 4 veggie servings each day. Drink 6 glasses of water (8 oz.) per day. No eating past 10pm. Sleep before midnight.

This week's mini-challenge: Perform a minimum 50 crunches per day.

Thanks for cheering me on - I'm gonna keep on keepin' on!

Body After Baby: Week Three

Well, week number two is toast and I did manage to do a little better than last week. I still didn't meet all of my goals (darn!) but here is this week's summary:

1. Work out 5x for 30 minutes or more.

Honestly, I only worked out 3x this week. I know, I can hear the crickets chirping too. All three days, I went walking with Nate for about an hour. But I didn't manage to squeeze in any other workouts. I was hoping to do some crunches to blast my tummy flab but it wasn't meant to be. *blah* I was consistent with last week's results so it wasn't a total fail but I didn't improve. It's as if I've plateaued.

2. Eat 2 servings of fruit and 4 servings of veggies per day, and limit carb intake.

I am pleased to report that I met this goal! Woot! Some days I fell short in one area or another but would make up for it the next day. I heart my vegetables so eating greens was fairly easy for me. The fruit was a bit more of a challenge. I had eaten much our fruit supply last week so it was hard to find something appealing. My mom came to the rescue and bought me these little delights called kiwi berries, fuzz-free versions of kiwis that are the size of a grape. They added a bit of variety between the usual suspects of banana, strawberry or apple.

I also have to give myself a pat on the back for limiting my carbohydrates this week! No more nightly pumpkin pie rendezvous. I did indulge in dessert one or two evenings but other than that, I was a good girl.

3. No eating past 10pm.

There was one night I fell victim to late-night eating but other than that mishap, I was able to stay true to this goal. Yes!

4. Go to sleep before midnight each night.

I am happy to say that there was only one night that I went to bed after midnight - Saturday night. Thursday night, I actually retired upstairs at 10pm! Man, I feel old even admitting that. But getting a good night's sleep is so vital and makes me feel so refreshed in the morning. As long as Nate sleeps through.

5. Drink 4 or more glasses of water per day.

I almost met this goal - I was so close! But in the end, I still fell a tad short. I drank 25 glasses of water this past week, which amounts to 3 and a half glasses per day. Getting there slowly but surely. If I could lay off the sweet tea a little, I think I could easily meet this goal.

Last week's mini-challenge was to walk 30 minutes or more each day. As I noted above, I walked a total of 3 hours over 3 days. This is good but I was hoping to do better.

My progress thus far:

Weekly weigh-in: 140.5 lbs. (Net weight gain/loss: -.5 lbs) It's something!

Total points: 21 (from week 1) + 12 (week 2) = 33

How I feel: I'm feeling more confident than last week but I know I still have a lot of work to do if I want see results. The weather has turned chilly (it is mid-October, after all) so I know it will be easy to talk myself out of outdoor activities. I need to be proactive and find other ways to get in my exercise.

This week's goals: Work out 4 times this week for 30 minutes or more. Continue with at least 2 fruit servings and 4 veggie servings each day. Drink 6 glasses of water (8 oz.) per day. No eating past 10pm. Sleep before midnight.

This week's mini-challenge: Eat at least 3 healthy meals. Healthy meaning containing at least 2 food groups. No fast food! 1 meal = 1 point. (3 points per day max)

Let's carry the momentum into next week!

Body After Baby: Week Two

Well, I've officially completed week one of the Body After Baby challenge. And I'm sad to say that it was pretty much a big, fat FAIL. I should clarify - I did in fact meet some of my goals. But for most, I fell short of my expectations. As a refresher, here were last week's goals:

1. Walk or jog 4x for 2 miles or more.

I only managed to walk 3 times this past week for 2 miles. I tried to walk a fourth time but Nate was cranky so I cut it short. Considering, I was barely getting out of the house twice a week prior to this challenge, I was happy with this outcome - even if I didn't technically meet my goal.

2. Eat at least 2 servings of fruit per day and limit carb intake.

I stocked up on strawberries, bananas and blackberries so I was able to meet this goal. YAY! There was one day I ate only one serving but I did make up for it the next day. As for limiting the carb intake - not so much. I think I actually ate more carbs than usual. My mom brought me a homemade pumpkin pie that I couldn't resist so I would have a slice every night for dessert. In doing so, I basically negated all of my hard work. I'm very disappointed in my lack of willpower.

3. No eating past 10pm.

Aside from one slip-up where I just HAD to have a late night snack (we had an early dinner that day), I was able to resist the temptation for the other six evenings. Score!

4. Go to sleep before midnight each night.

I was able to get to bed by 11pm all but two nights out of the week. On the weekend, I just wanted to stay up and enjoy my alone time. I regretted it the following mornings when Nate woke up at 6am and I had only had 4-5 hours of sleep. I need at least 7 to function. Lesson learned.

Last week's mini-challenge was to drink four or more glasses of water per day. I should be drinking eight glasses a day but I thought that four would be achievable. I only drank 21 glasses of pure water this past week, which amounted to just three glasses per day. Another letdown. But on the bright side, it's still better than soda or juice!

My progress thus far:

Weekly weigh-in: 141.5 lbs. (Net weight gain/loss: +.5 lbs) BOO!

Total points: 21

How I feel: I'm embarrassed and disappointed in myself. Actually typing this out makes me want to throw in the towel and go bury my head in the sand. But I won't. I know I can do this and I just have to get motivated. No more pumpkin pie. I had my fun. Now I have to get serious.

This week's goals: Work out 5 times this week for 30 minutes or more. Mainly walking but if the weather is chilly or rainy, I can stay indoors and do sit-ups, push-ups, crunches, yoga or step aerobics. Continue to eat at least 2 servings of fruit each day and limit carbohydrate intake. But I also want to step it up and eat at least 4 servings of veggies each day this week. Continue with no eating past 10pm. And also continue to go to sleep before midnight each night.

This week's mini-challenge: Walk 30 minutes or more each day. 15 minutes = 1 point.

Let's hope next week's update is more cheerful!

Body After Baby: Week One

Yes, it's been over a year since I've given birth. And I've been at my pre-pregnancy weight for some time now. But there are still about 5-10 pounds of sloppy fertility treatment weight that refuses to budge. It doesn't help that I want to stuff my face with junk food every night in front of the television. So, when I found out about the Body After Baby Challenge over at Mama Notes, I decided it was time to get motivated and rid myself of that muffin top and those love handles. Also, since the hubby and I have decided to TTC #2, it's a way to make sure that any new baby who comes into the picture has the best start possible.

Body After Baby is an 8-week challenge to lose weight, eat healthier and feel better. All of the participants join together as a community to support one another with their goals. It's an online buddy system! While shedding weight may be our motivation, Body After Baby is really more about gaining confidence in our new bodies since having babies, getting healthy and setting a positive example for others.

After all, not everybody can bounce back from childbirth like Heidi Klum! The key is to set realistic expectations for myself - things I can achieve with some sweat...and maybe some tears along the way. Dropping from a size 6-8 to a size 2 in 8 weeks is unrealistic, not to mention unhealthy. But exercising and eating better meals is a step in the right direction. I may never get to a size 2 again but at least I can feel good in my new, curvier shape.

There will be weekly mini-challenges to earn points toward a grand prize. There will also be giveaways each week to keep us motivated. At the end of the 8 weeks, we will post our before and after photos. Whoever is nominated "Most Drastic Transformation" by the voting public will win the grand prize.

Now I am still breastfeeding so I can't officially "diet". I have to consume a higher amount of calories to maintain my supply. But I can definitely choose my meals more wisely, which will benefit not only myself but my son since technically, he eats what I eat.

Every Wednesday, I will be posting my weekly weigh-in and my progress with the challenge. This way, you and I both can hold me accountable!

Starting weight: 141 lbs. (BMI = 23.5)

How I feel: I've been feeling exhausted lately but I am eager to get started and gain some energy! I want to get myself a sexy new water bottle just for the occasion.

This week's goals: Walk or jog 4 times this week for 2 miles or more. Eat at least 2 servings of fruit each day and limit carbohydrate intake. No eating past 10pm. Go to sleep before midnight each night.

This week's mini-challenge: Drink four or more glasses of water each day. 1 glass of water = 1 point.

Wish me luck!