Katie: Week 12

Now for the numbers...

Current weight: 148 pounds
Last week's weight: 149 pounds
Total weight loss: 22 pounds

I thought since this wasn't a week for update pictures I'd give you a peek at what my daily walks look like.    Cute, huh?  This picture was taken on our walk yesterday.  That's my daughter Olivia in the little hat on the left and Sarah's daughter Elsie on the right.  Let's jut say we're all pretty happy that we don't have to bundle the girls up in snow suits for our walks anymore.  And maybe someday we'll get a picture of Sarah and me too.


Anyway, on to the weekly recap...

My rules:
1. No Sweets!
Absolutely NO sugar sweets/junk/desserts/candy/etc. for three months (i.e. until April 1, 2010).  At that point I'll reassess and see if I can allow myself small things here and there or if I need to keep up the no sweets rule.  I will allow myself the occasional healthy dessert, but it will count as a processed snack (see below).

So far so good.  Although I still occasionally have dreams that I ate sweets on accident.  But it doesn't happen in real life.

2. Fast Food in Moderation
I still hope to not eat out more than once or twice a month, but I'm going to occasionally allow myself to eat out.  I think this will be okay because I am getting better at regulating what I eat at restaurants so that I don't overeat or order something super unhealthy.  And, on the off chance that I'm just totally craving something that's not as healthy as I would usually eat, I think I'll still be okay since the majority of what I bring into my body is good for it.  In other words, I'm not going to freak out and feel guilty over a hamburger and fries once in a blue moon.



Well, sadly, I ate more fast food in the past week or so than I have in probably a whole month combined, but I don't feel guilty about it.  We were super busy last week and it was kind of a necessary evil.  But it's certainly not like I plan to do it all the time or anything.  Just thought I should come clean.

3. Healthy Meals and Snacks!
Eat three healthy meals each day along with healthy snacks in moderation.  Non-sugary granola bar type snacks are okay so long as I am also eating fresh fruits and veggies.

I think I've been doing pretty well.  And I have slowly begun to add in some healthier processed snacks.  Because, first of all, I miss them and, second of all, I think it's unrealistic to think I'm never going to eat another granola bar in my life.  But I have been careful about processed snacks that I allow to join my regular diet.  (And by "diet" I mean the foods I eat, not a bogus weight loss plan.)  One of the things I've added in are Kids Cliff Z Bars--both the blueberry and the chocolate brownie flavors.  Especially the chocolate brownie flavor.  I was talking to a friend about my weight loss and different foods and she suggested I try these.  And I'm so glad she did!  They're all organic, and they don't have any "bad" ingredients.  I still don't eat more than one a day since I should really be eating fruit and veggies instead, but they're a much better alternative to regular granola bars (in my opinion).  Also, they're smaller than regular Cliff bars, which means less calories.

4. Fresh Foods!
Trade out cravings/impulses to eat granola bars and other processed snacks with fresh fruits and veggies.

A cup of carrot juice, a half cup of raw spinach or lettuce on my sandwich, and six cherry tomatoes on the side at lunch.  Every day.  And apples for snacks the past few days.  Things are going well.

5. Keep Track!
Write down everything I eat in my food journal (a little notebook I can carry around and keep with me).

Yep.  Still writing it all down.

6. Exercise 30 Minutes!
Exercise in some way for at least 30 minutes every day and write down what I did to exercise in my food journal.

As I said before, this past week was crazy, so a couple of days were missed, but overall I did my best to keep to my regular routine.  And it's paying off!
 
7. Drink 80 Fluid Ounces!
Drink at least 80 fluid ounces of water every day and write down how much I drank in my food journal.

I have not been doing as well with drinking 80 oz of water each day.  I need to make a more conscious effort again.

8. Balance Food Intake As Needed
In the event that I fail to lose weight during a given week or on the off chance that I happen to gain weight during a given week, I will enter the foods I ate each day that week into the Menu Planner on MyPyramid in order to see if I can figure out a problem.  Otherwise, I think I know well enough now what foods are good and what foods are bad and when I'm getting enough and when I'm not. 

Well, I'm relieved that I'm still continuing to lose weight because that means I don't have to enter everything I eat into the MenuPlanner!  It really is a great way to start, but it's nice to be more independent from it now.


9. Don't Be A Total Lazy Bum
No sitting at the computer/TV forever.  Get up and be active.

I've been working on some new things for my other blog a lot lately and it has totally taken over my down time at home lately, but yesterday when I felt myself melting into the couch I made the conscious decision to take a break for a while and go outside.  So I put on Olivia's jacket and we headed out to play with the other moms and kids out on the playground.  And it was so beautiful outside!  I'm glad it's getting nicer (sort of) here again.  It's great not to be cooped up all day.

10. Get Rid of The Pudge!

Thank you for all of your great tips and suggestions in this area last week!  I really appreciate that so many of you took the time to leave such helpful comments for me.  In an effort to try and talk to an "expert" about this, I brought it up with my trainer that I see twice a week for the BYU postpartum study I'm participating in.  The trainer I see has a bachelors in Exercise Science (or something like that) and is currently at BYU working on a masters in a similar field (I forget exactly what it's called).  So I figured he knew his stuff.  And since everybody wants to know how to get rid of their belly fat these days, I figured he'd have an answer ready.  Which he did.  And although I was secretly hoping he'd have some magical secret exercise for getting rid of my belly fat, it was reassuring to hear in his answer that I really am already doing the right things.  He said what we've all heard before, that we lose body fat all over our body and not just in one place.  However, he did tell me that lifting weights is usually a good way to maintain a healthy weight, but that if I want to burn calories and lose weight that I should include some cardio.  So, nothing super new, but it was a good reminder that maybe I shouldn't neglect Tighter Assets quite so much.  Still, I really do hate to be so sweaty and with a hot summer on its way, I think for now I'm going to stick with my daily walks since they do raise my heart rate and, most importantly, I actually enjoy them and don't feel burned out afterward.  So, I've decided to do away with rule number 10 for now.  If I think of something else to fill this spot with later I'll let you know.

It feels great to still be progressing!  Even if it's slow and steady, I'm glad to not just be stuck.

Have a great week everybody!