August 2013 Stats & September Goals

Starting weight : 161.8 lb

Ending weight : 154.8 lb

Change : 7 lb lost (average 1.65lb lost per week)

This time last year : 171.8 lb (13 weeks pregnant)


This has easily been the biggest month of weight loss since Izzie was born (excluding March when she was born).  7lbs in one month is crazy and certainly not something I can expect all the time.  I'm sure some of it was rebound from getting back in the gym and working out after the beach and also after the funeral.  Nothing works better for weight loss than getting off track for a few days then getting back on.  Most weight loss plans have a "cheat day" and that's exactly why.

With only 6.6lbs til pre-Germany weight and four months to get there, I think it's time to scale back the monthly goals.  I will only be breastfeeding part time when we start solids in a week, so the weight is sure to come of more slowly after that.  I'm not even going to shoot for a pound per week this month.  There are four weigh-ins for September and I'd like to lose 3lbs.

Something that helps you along the way is taking pictures along with measurements.  I took the top set 6 weeks after Izzie on my first day back in the gym (179.4lbs).  The middle set was 16 weeks after Izzie when I had reached below pre-pregnancy weight (167lbs).  The bottom set was last night at 26 weeks after Izzie and back at Lifetime weight (154.8lbs).  It's hard to see a change in the day to day, but looking at it like this helps reaffirm that changes are happening.

Weigh-in for 8/30/2013 ~ Back at Lifetime Weight!!!

Last weigh-in (8/24/2013) : 155.6 lb

This weigh-in (8/30/2013) : 154.8 lb

Change : 0.8 lb lost

Germany weight loss : 13.2lb of 19.8lb gained

Total weight loss since Izzie : 45.6 lbs


I expected a smaller loss this week due to the huge month I've been having.  It's simply not sustainable to keep losing weight at the rate I have been.  This week is special because I made it back to lifetime weight!  My set goal is 155lbs and I'm finally below that again for the first time since February 2012.  My goal was to get here by the time Izzie was 6 months old and here we are just three days shy of when she turns 6 months.  I wasn't even at 40lbs lost by the time Brady was 6 months old.  I'm so close to pre-Germany weight that I can taste it!

Weigh-in for 8/24/2013

Last weigh-in (8/10/2013) : 159.0 lb

This weigh-in (8/24/2013) : 155.6 lb

Change : 3.4 lb lost

Germany weight loss : 12.4lb of 19.8lb gained

Amount needed to get back to WW lifetime weight : 0.6 lbs


I was so excited when I checked my weight this morning, that I jumped in the shower, got dressed, and ran to Weight Watchers to do an official weigh-in!  I almost couldn't believe it.  It's been two weeks since I last posted a weight, so it's 3.4lbs over those two weeks, but still I am excited!  I was able to get my free etools voucher for the first time since January 2011!  This is huge for me. 

I'm finally starting to get more comfortable and confident in my appearance.  It's a mental game as well as a physical one.  It's unbelievable to think that I spent five and a half years trying to get to goal before I got there, constantly going up and down in an effort to reach it.  Less than six months after having a baby (starting 3lbs up from when I walked in the door in 2006), I am less than a pound from it.  Granted, I had a bigger motivation this time, knowing what I was missing out on.  Hitting the gym on average 2-3 times per week played a huge roll and although I hate it going in, I can't deny that I love the results at the end of the day.

Izzie will start solids two weeks from today, so I have two weeks left of my breastfeeding powers.  I shouldn't really give breastfeeding all the credit.  Whenever I get compliments on my weight loss and Andy is within earshot, he goes, "Well, she loses it all because she breastfeeds."  I get very annoyed when he says that because he gives the breastfeeding sole credit.  I won't say that it doesn't give a very helpful boost, but I want some of the credit for busting my butt in the gym and watching what I eat.  There are plenty of women who breastfeed and have a very hard time losing weight because they don't know how much to eat and how to compensate for exercise.  It's a fine line I walk, and one that has been learned from experience.  I was certainly not down almost 45lbs with Brady at this point.  I've learned from past mistakes and used that to my advantage.  My goal of hitting my pre-Germany weight is so close and attainable that I can almost taste it.  I have 16 weigh-ins before Christmas and 7.4lbs to go, which means if I lose half a pound per weigh-in, I've got it.  I think the best Christmas gift I could give myself would be to get below that weight and push towards a new lowest weight!

August 2013 Measurements

 Hips

•  Last month (7/13/2013) - 43.25 inches
•  This month (8/17/2013) - 42.5 inches

Waist

•  Last month (7/13/2013) - 32 inches
•  This month (8/17/2013) - 31.5 inches 

 
Thighs

•   Last month (7/13/2013) - 22.75 inches each
•   This month (8/17/2013) - 21.75 inches each 

Arms

• Last month (7/13/2013) - 11 inches each
• This month (8/17/2013) - 10.5 inches each

No weigh-in this week because we had to leave town unexpectedly and I want to get a few gym sessions in before I step on the scale.  Two weeks left to lose 2lbs!  Since measurements don't change drastically in one week, I decided to do those this week to give me an idea of how things are progressing since last month.  I've lost 4lbs since the last set of measurements five weeks ago and I was pretty pleased with the results, considering two of those weeks were spent either on vacation or out of town.  In the back of my mind, I always wonder what they would be like if I'd been in the gym the whole five weeks, but I can't dwell on that.  I can only look forward.

My hip measurements are now exactly in line with the weight from two years ago.  I usually focus my workouts on the lower half of my body, so I'm very glad to see the hard work paying off.  The waist measurement is still from over 10lbs ago (last time), but Brady was just turning one, so it's definitely coming off faster this time around.  I was most pleased with the thigh measurements this month.  I was just about 150lbs when my thighs were last this size.  This is the first time the measurements have been better now than at a lower weight and that's exciting because I know when I get to that weight again, the measurements will be even better!  I can definitely tell a difference in the way clothes are fitting.  Two months ago, we attended a funeral and I was wearing size 14 dress pants and they weren't exactly comfortable to sit down in.  We attended another funeral this week and I was wearing size 13 dress pants and they were extremely comfortable.  Those who have worn both know that juniors and womens pants are cut very differently, so I was happy to be in a junior cut as well.  It was also nice that several people who had seen me only seven weeks ago (and 8lbs up) noticed and complemented me on my loss in such a short time.  I sometimes don't even see that much change (since I see myself in the mirror every day), so it's really nice when other people notice.  Once I get to lifetime weight again, I won't be fretting as much about the week to week weigh-ins, but will be focusing on the measurements more as they are what control the clothing sizes.

Weigh-in for 8/10/2013 ~ Back in the 150s!!!

Last weigh-in (8/3/2013) : 161.6 lb

This weigh-in (8/10/2013) : 159.0 lb

Change : 2.6 lb lost

Germany weight loss : 9lb of 19.8lb gained

Amount needed to get back to WW lifetime weight : 4 lbs


Last week was a small number, due to a week on vacation and getting back on track.  This week, I was on track all week and went to the gym three times.  I even decided to put in a little variation on my workout to make sure my body wasn't getting to used to it.  It all seems to have worked!  I haven't been under 160 since the middle of Germany, about 17 months ago.  Knowing I have three weeks to lose the 2lbs needed to get back to lifetime and not paying is so reassuring, because that's something I know I can achieve.  I went to the doctor yesterday and even while wearing a frumpy exam gown, she took one look at my face and asked if I'd lost weight.  That made me feel so good because she couldn't even see the change in the rest of my body, just my face.  Only about 10lbs left to get to where I was before Germany!  I feel like if I keep working, I'll hit it way before my goal of Christmas.

Weigh-in for 8/3/2013

Last weigh-in (7/19/2013) : 161.8 lb

This weigh-in (8/3/2013) : 161.6 lb

Change : 0.2lb lost

Germany weight loss : 6.4lb of 19.8lb gained

Amount needed to get back to WW lifetime weight : 6.6 lbs


I'm not shocked about such a small loss over the span of two weeks.  The previous weigh-in was one day before we went on vacation for a week and I ate what I wanted.  When I got back and stepped on the scale, I was only up 1lb (a miracle that give full credit to breastfeeding).  I spent two days in the gym making sure I took it off.  I would've been happy with a complete maintain but happy that I even got a tiny loss.  Now that we're back home, I can focus on my workouts and tracking so that I reach my goal of getting back to the lifetime weight by the end of the month.  My clothes have been getting looser and others fitting better, so I will be excited to take my measurements in two weeks.