1 week down, 8 to go!

It was a crazy week, but I did it. I completed the first week of C25K. I knew it was a good sign when I did it last Monday, but the fact that I managed to do all three runs this week is amazing for me -- I've started this program in my head (and on this blog!) more than a few times but never followed through. With this first hurdle done, I'm feeling confident that its going to be different this time.

On an eating front I was a rock star Monday through Thursday. I kept track of what I was eating and stayed within my Weight Watcher points. Things were looking good. And then the weekend came and I ate non-stop. It wasn't even anything good. I just couldn't stop snacking. I need to come up with a better plan for dealing with the weekends.

All and all I feel good. I'm thrilled that I finished the first week and I'm looking forward to doing Day 1 of Week 2 tonight even though I know it's going to be harder. There is no lose on the scale this week, which is a shame because on Friday morning there was, but apparently my non-stop snacking this weekend had some collateral damage.

I did this week on the treadmill because my husband was traveling, but would like to venture outdoors this week. If anyone finds their selves here that is doing it on a treadmill I'd be curious as what speed you are doing the walk vs. run. I'm intentionally doing the running a bit on the slow side because I want to make sure I stick with it and I think keeping it manageable will be key.

Have a good week!

C25K or bust!

Today's the day. And I'm ready. Well almost ready -- there have a been a few wrenches thrown my way, but I'm determined to make this happen.

Quick recap: I have a beautiful baby boy. He turned one on October 1st and he loves chocolate cake -- who doesn't, right?
And I want to be healthier for him and losing some weight and getting in shape plays a big role in that.

I started McFatty Monday late January and lost some weight, but put some of it back on the past few weeks. But luckily just when my motivation was running a bit low, the C25K challenge came out. I've always wanted to be able to run. I'm convinced that if I ever started running it would be the key to maintaining my weight. I've tried C25K before, and gave up somewhere around week 2 or 3, but I'm hoping that doing it with a bunch of virtual friends from McFatty Monday that I'll find the inspiration to keep with it this time.

I seemed to have gone off track from my quick recap. I'm about 12lbs less than my pre-pregnancy weight which is great, but that was higher than I would have liked. I'm 12.4 lbs off from my goal weight, but I'm really just going to focus on making it through the program and toning up. I've even taken my measurements! ::gasp!::

And to prove that I mean business this time I'm doing the unthinkable. I'm posting a "before" picture ::double gasp!::



Hello there ! And note to self, get some new workout clothes.

My plan is to start today and do a weekly check-in on how I'm doing. The program is nine weeks so I'm also planning on posting a progress picture after completing 3 and then 6 weeks to see how I'm doing.

And now that the child is sleeping, I'm going to go for a run.

Have a great week!

McFatty Monday - Starting Over...

So I lost motivation... I fit back into most of my clothes. I was under pre-baby weight. Maybe I hadn't lost all that I wanted to, but I was doing ok. I was feeling good and for the most part I was maintaining my weight. And then I did what I always do. I started eating. And I'm talking non-stop. If it's bad for you, I ate it. Sure I had good excuses -- a vacation with the family, work was busy so we needed to order take out, 4 birthday parties in 3 weekends -- but the truth is I just wanted to eat delicious junk food. So I did. Pizza, buffalo wings, chips, ice cream....

Normally I would have caught this after a couple of weeks, but my safety net wasn't there. For some strange reason, during a cleaning frenzy (which in itself was strange!) my husband decided to put my scale in the basement. When I asked him why, he said he didn't think I used it. Didn't use it?!?! I use it all-the-time. I know you should only weigh yourself once a week, but I weigh myself a few times a week. Sometimes daily. Sometimes a couple of times in a single day. I know this isn't healthy so I thought that I would try life without a scale. Big mistake. Strike that. HUGE Mistake.

Now I'm starting to feel my stomach when I sit. My clothes are not fitting as well. And most importantly I'm not feeling as good as I used to.

How much damage did I do during my downward eating spiral? No clue. I'm afraid to step on the scale. It's still in the basement. But I need to get back into control. I'm recommitting to McFatty Monday. I'm starting today/this week with focusing on eating. Next week I'm start with exercise.

Some of the ladies (and maybe gentlemen? not sure) on McFatty are going to be starting C25K. I've always wanted to do this. I've even said in past weeks here that I was going to start it as my exercise program but never did. But I'm going to this time. If we start next Monday we'll complete the program (9 weeks I think) right before Christmas and I think being able to do a 5K is a very good gift to myself and what a great way to close out the year.

Not having a scale didn't work well for me, but I think I'm going to try measuring success a bit differently this time around. I'm going to put more emphasis on getting through each of the weeks and not the number on the scale and I'm also going to take my measurements. Like many others I'm hoping some regular cardio will help tone and firm things that haven't been firm and tone in quite a while!

Things to do by next Monday (I do like a good list!): buy a measuring tape, get the scale out of the basement, download the C25K app from iTunes (there are a couple, any recommendations on which one is best?) and go shopping for new sports bras.

Have a good week!

So things I'm going to do to prepare for next weekUntil next week.... Enjoy!

Stay-cation: Days 1- 4 -- FAIL!

We're allowed to take two weeks off from daycare without paying as long as they are in the months of July and August. We took a week off at the beginning of July and used the time to do a road-trip to visit family and decided to take the week of August 30th and just stay at home and be a family. Sounds great, right?

Today is day four and amount of family time so far? Zero. Well at least zero with the three of us.

Right after we picked the week we get an email from MIL asking if she come for a visit that first weekend. Not quite the way I wanted to kick off my vacation, but fine. She doesn't get to see the baby that often and it's important they spend time together. She arrives, everything is going great and then my husband gets a call Friday night that he has to leave the next morning for a last minute business trip. Fan-freaking-tastic. Don't get me wrong, I get along with my MIL, but I hadn't planned on hosting the visit by myself. Plus I had plans to get together with my sister on Sunday for a bit and had to cancel... Bleh!

Monday, my MIL leaves and I get the great news that my husband was able to cut the trip short and would be home late that night. Perfect! Until Tuesday morning that is. During breakfast the phone rings and he has to go into the office today. Fan-freaking-tastic again!

So here I am on day four and nothing has gone the way I've wanted it to. On top of that I needed to get one project done before leaving work last week and I didn't get it done. I had hoped to get it done over the weekend while my husband entertained my MIL and baby, but because of his trip I haven't been able to find time to do it. Urgh!

On the brightside, I have been able to have the past two days alone with my son and that has been wonderful. I'm just annoyed that my husband is missing it and I have no faith that the next few days will be any different.

I know that this is just a whining mess, but I needed to get it out. Ok. Whining over. Time to work on my project while the little one naps so I can enjoy my alone time with him the rest of the afternoon.

And crossing my fingers that we can salvage the rest of the week...

McFatty Monday Week 32: No loss, but doing better

So two weeks ago I had a little breakdown and got some wonderful, supportive comments. While I don't want anyone to feel so... how should I say it... tired, overwhelmed, mediocre, behind at life -- pick any or all of them really! -- it was great to know I wasn't alone. So a big thank you to everyone!

A lot of the suggestions were to take it slow and make some small changes. And I sort-of listened. I made some small changes, and the amount of changes were probably more than I should of taken on at once , but it's been going ok. I've focused on getting in my water which has also helped with my dwindling breast-milk supply (bonus!) and I've also tried to get more exercise in. I managed to walk the dog three times last week and we spent some nice family time this weekend walking around the zoo.


And I also made an effort to get out from under the backlog of work that I've let piled up. I figured this would help with feeling so overwhelmed, and while there is still a lot to do with that one, but at least I made a dent which is a good start. These are all good things. But I also decided to start training for a 5K at the end of October, but then promptly did nothing about it. I'd still like to do the race, so maybe I'll start training for it this week. And I had planned to start eating better and I didn't... So a lot a good and some stuff that still need work...

I didn't lose any weight these past two weeks, but I also didn't gain. I'm 8lbs away from my end goal.

Our very honest and open McFatty leader Blair asked about our summer vacations and if they were everything we dreamed them to be. I was lucky enough to have two so far this summer and one more planned for next week. The first was a trip to the "House of the Mouse" or WDW where I had a wonder week with my family and my sister and her family. Since the little man was only 8 months, we only went to the parks one day, but it was a busy one! He got to see the Magic Kingdom, Epcot and ride the monorail. The rest of the week was spent playing with his cousins and splashing around in the pool with his dad. Doesn't get much better than that!
The next vacation week was we spent mostly in the car. We did a week-long road-trip to visit family. My sister and her family in CT for one night, three nights in Gettysburg to visit my husband's family and then two nights in Ocean City, MD to introduce my son to his Great-Gram. This trip was mixed. Some of it was miserable, some of it was great, but the time at the ocean spending it to my son was fantastic! He loves the beach and I loved showing it to him and just spending the time with him.

The vacation next week is the one I'm looking forward to the most. We're doing nothing! Well we may do some day trips, but it's just going to be the four of us. Me, my husband, the boy and the dog. My brother-in-law has been living with us for the summer and just went back to college, so we'll have the house to ourselves and it's going to be fabulous!

Have a great week!

McFatty Monday Week 30: Lacking motivation...

I wasn't going to post. It's been three weeks since my last McFatty post or any type of blog entry and I was going to skip it. Again. And then I read Blair's entry and she makes me want to be motivated. I want to take control of my eating. I want to be healthy. I want to want to be in pictures with my son and not cringe at how I look at them. And yet I don't control my eating. I don't exercise. I drink beer on weekends. I need to do better. I want to do better. And yet I still have a hard time motivating myself past a couple of hours, maybe a day. I think I just get overwhelmed by everything.

I marvel at how some women seem to balance it all. Time just isn't my friend these days. It seems to evaporate before my eyes. I go non-stop all day long and yet accomplish little. This is both at work and at home. I'm behind at work. My house is dirty. My dog rarely gets walked. And could someone tell me how did my son become 10 1/2 months? I'm not sure how people fit in nutritious meals and make time for exercise (I can't even fathom how people find time to get to the gym!). How do you do it, because I'm tired! I'm tired and my child sleeps through the night! I can't even imagine what it would be like if he didn't.

But I'm going to try and motivate myself to do this because it's important.

I'm 9lbs above my goal weight (wedding weight) and I'm not going to lose it by my4th anniversary this coming Thursday which was my goal. And that will have to be ok. Instead I'm just going to commit to losing it. How long it takes is how long it takes. I will goal myself on moving more this week and drinking water. Maybe I'll get my self a pedometer. Gadgets make me happy.

I look forward to some of the fun, small challenges coming our way through McFatty Monday. I can use all the motivation I can get!

Have a great week!

McFatty Monday Week 27: Body Image

Wow! Has it really been 4 weeks since I checked in? Yikes! The good news is that after two vacations, a week of cookie craziness and enjoying summertime libations, I've managed to get back to my birthday goal weight and am now only 6 lbs away from my final goal of Wedding weight! I only have 3 1/2 weeks to do it which may or may not be doable. When you are that close to goal 2lbs a week is a long shot, but I'm going to try for it!

So I'm close. And right now I'm at a number that I can usually maintain pretty easily while fitting into clothes. But I'm not happy. Even though all the baby weight is gone and I've lost all of the pre-baby weight I had put on for various reasons, I'm not happy. I should be ecstatic, but I'm not. I don't think I look good. In fact, I don't see a whole lot of difference than I did pre-baby even though I'm somewhere between 15 and 18 less than I was there. I've been saying I was going to post before and after pictures and I'm going to once I take them. Maybe that will help. But right now I just feel doughy. That's probably because I am doughy, but that's besides the point. I don't think I've ever been happy with how I looked. Maybe, and that's a big maybe, about 8 years ago, but it was seriously for like two months. I've just never had a good body image.

I know I should exercise, but truthfully I'm not sure that even if I wasn't doughy I'd have a better body image. Maybe that's my excuse for not exercising - I hiding behind finding the truth that I'll just never be happy with myself. This may sound awful, but sometimes I'm happy I didn't have a girl because I'm afraid I would pass along my unease with myself/body. While it can still be an issue with boys I don't think it's as prevalent. Maybe I'm wrong about that though so I'd love to hear thoughts.

Last week people posted pictures of themselves in bathing suits. I thought to myself that never in a millions years would I do that, but maybe it could be my first step. I don't even know what it would be a first step to. Exercising? Feeling better about myself? I don't know. But it's a picture of my little family having a good time at my son's first trip to the beach. I want to look at that picture and remember how much fun we had and not that I think I look terrible. (I seriously had no idea how droopy my boobs looked! - I'm blaming it on the fact that the suit was a size too big. See! There I go fixating on it again!) . So here it is, straight from the beach in Ocean City, MD.

Have a good week!