November 2013 Measurements

Hips

•  Last month (10/19/2013) - 39.25 inches
•  This month (11/16/2013) - 38.75 inches

Waist

•  Last month (10/19/2013) - 29.5 inches
•  This month (11/16/2013) - 28.5 inches  

 
Bust

•  Last month (10/19/2013) - 36.5 inches
•  This month (11/16/2013) - 36 inches

Thighs

•   Last month (10/19/2013) - 20.5 inches each
•   This month (11/16/2013) - 20 inches each 

Arms

• Last month (10/19/2013) - 10 inches each
• This month (11/16/2013) - 9.75 inches each

The last month hasn't yielded too much lost on the scale (less than 2lbs), but the inches are still coming off and that's what matters when it comes to clothes fitting better and seeing changes in yourself.  While I've set a weight goal for myself, as long as the physical changes are still happening, I won't stress too much if the weight comes off more slowly from this point forward.  I probably won't post arms or bust unless there's a major change from this point as well as they are getting to the point where there isn't much more to lose in those areas.

Izzie started taking swim lessons a few weeks ago and that meant I was back into my bathing suits (and more specifically my bikinis) for the first time since August.  I had taken a selfie the first time I wore it during the summer, which was in the middle of July at 163lbs.  Since then, I've had to tighten the straps on the top and moved to a smaller bottom size, in addition to being down about 20lbs, so I decided to take another shot to compare the difference.  It's hard for me to notice other than clothing sizes changing, so this was pretty shocking even for me to see.  I'm not super model skinny, but man have I made a difference.  Four months saw 20lbs gone, in addition to 2.75 inches from each thigh, 3 inches from my bust, 3.5 inches from my waist, and a whopping 4.5 inches from my hips.  I am currently at my lowest hip and waist measurements since starting Weight Watchers 7.5 years ago (and who knows how long before that).  I hope to make even greater changes before the summer!

July 2013 Stats & August Goals

Starting weight : 167 lb

Ending weight : 161.8 lb

Change : 5.2 lb lost (average 1.2lb lost per week)

This time last year : 168 lb (8 weeks pregnant)


This month was great and I surpassed my goal of 4lbs lost.  I'm back where I was almost exactly two years ago when I was on my biggest downswing and on the road to becoming a lifetime member.  If I was able to get to 148.2 lbs by Christmas then while not exercising as intensely and breastfeeding, I should be able to get there no problem if I stick to it. 

There are 20 weeks til Christmas and 13.6lbs to lose to make it to that goal.  That means an average of 0.7lb loss per week until then.  Going by that, I should be trying to reach a 3.4lb loss for the month of August.  Ideally, I want to be back at the upper level of my lifetime goal (157), so I'm going to shoot for that at 4.8lbs this month.  If I don't get there, I won't beat myself up since I've been doing so well and eventually the weight won't come off as fast.  If I get somewhere in between the two numbers I will be happy.

I was looking back at some old beach pics and wish I'd found this one yesterday before blogging about bikinis.  The one on the left with my brothers is from 2008 before I had either kid.  I feel way better about how I look now, considering my belly was worse before it was stretched out by two kids.  My goal is to look better at 30 (yikes, but still several years away) than I did at 16, 18, or even 20.

Taking the Bikini Plunge

A week before leaving for the beach, I had said that I wasn't going to wear my bikini at the beach.  I was at a lower weight than I'd worn them before, but didn't feel so great about myself.  I took them with me just in case.  A few kind words about my parents about how good I was looking (fully clothed of course) and I decided to take the plunge.  I only have one where the bottom was big enough so I did still wear my tankini as well.  Above is a shot of me lounging in that.

I know it's not great, but I take comfort in the fact that I've seen people who are quite a bit heavier than me wearing them and if they have the confidence, I sure can too.  My legs have never been great, and for only being four and a half months after having a baby my belly could be a whole lot worse.

 Two years ago, I weighed almost the exact same weight (down to 0.2lbs difference) and I was way more comfortable in my own skin.  It was, however, 17 months after Brady was born and all the skin had shrunk back into place.

I feel a whole lot better about things when I compare what I looked like after having Brady to now.  I wouldn't have even considered donning a bikini four months after he was born.  I was even wearing an XL tankini top.  On the left I was 183lbs four months after Brady at the beach, and the left is now at just under 162lbs.  Even though I started heavier this time, I made sure not to let the gain get out of control and have been working hard since being cleared for the gym.  I can be proud of myself for that.  Next year, I would like to be down 20lbs more than this year, which should be totally attainable if I hit my goal of 148lbs by Christmas.  I want to not have to be self-conscious and wondering what other people are thinking of me.  I've been obese and I should be proud that I can show off my transformation in progress.

July 2013 Measurements

Hips

•  Last month (6/18/2013) - 45 inches
•  This month (7/13/2013) - 43.25 inches

Waist

•  Last month (6/18/2013) - 33 inches
•  This month (7/13/2013) - 32 inches 

 
Thighs

•   Last month (6/18/2013) - 23 inches each
•   This month (7/13/2013) - 22.75 inches each 

Arms

• Last month (6/18/2013) - 11.5 inches each
• This month (7/13/2013) - 11 inches each

I think my favorite measurement to watch go down is the hips, which has always been my problem area.  The lowest I have ever gotten my hips was 40.5 inches, so hoping to push through that when I get back to pre-Germany weight.  Although I love watching the hips go down, it's likely the waist that's what will keep me from donning my bikinis at the beach in a week.  They fit and I have worn them at higher weights before, but the "mommy belly" is still shrinking back to normal.  It's not bad when I'm standing or laying down, but sitting down, there's some pooch and I'm a bit self conscious about it.  Maybe next year.  A small victory was that I was finally able to wear those size 12 bermuda jean shorts comfortably.  That was a goal I set for my self to do before the beach and I did it!  

I'm finally starting to get to a point where my measurements are lining up with the weight.  The last time I was at these hip measurements I was 163.4lbs (163 now), but the waist measurements are still off as I was 174.4lbs.  I'm starting to look at it another way, though.  That was when Brady was 9 months old, so my belly and waistline are shrinking much faster, no doubt a testament to my hitting the gym on a regular basis for the last three months.  It does a lot for my self esteem to be getting into a more comfortable weight range and wearing some of my clothes again.  I really hated wearing bigger clothes after Brady, I just didn't feel like myself.

Weigh-in for 6/1/2013

Last weigh-in (5/23/2013) : 172.4 lb

This weigh-in (6/1/2013) : 170.6 lb

Change : 1.8lb lost

Total loss postpartum : 29.8lb of 32.4lb gained 

Amount needed to get back to WW lifetime weight : 15.6 lbs


I won't lie, I'm truly shocked with how great of a number I got this week.  We were home for four full days with an event almost every single day.  There was eating out, ice cream, cake, and many other sweets.  I only got to the gym once in the short week at home.  I'm slowly inching closer and closer to pre-pregnancy weight and that's so exciting with Izzie turning three months old tomorrow.

The last time I took a look at a comparison between postpartum weight loss with Izzie and Brady, Izzie was two months old and I was the same weight as when Brady was six months old (a four month difference).  Now that she's about to turn three months old, I took a look to see when I got to this weight after Brady.  I was this weight the day he turned 1!  That's now a nine month difference.  Seeing that sure makes me feel better about the Europe weight gain because soon I'll be tackling that instead of pregnancy weight.

Although it feels great to have clothes getting looser, there are things where my mind and my body differ.  I was at 175lbs when I bought my first bikini and felt like I looked great.  I was trying on bathing suits a few days ago because the pools are open and I was ready to take the kids, but didn't know which suits would work.  I was able to get on many of the tankinis I wore when Brady took swim lessons as a baby and also the one I wore last summer.  I knew my bikini bottoms wouldn't fit, but I had larger ones from when I first started wearing them.  I tried one on and thought that maybe I could be comfortable wearing them at the beach in about seven weeks if the weight keeps coming off at this rate.  Later that day, I wore one of the tankinis to the pool and felt terrible about how I looked in it, so the thought of putting the bikinis back on this year got pushed to next year.  We'll see how I look and feel in seven weeks.

April 2013 Measurements

Hips

•  Last month (3/23/2013) - 48 inches
•  This month (4/13/2013) - 47 inches

Waist

•  Last month (3/23/2013) - 37.5 inches
•  This month (4/13/2013) - 36 inches 

 
Thighs

•   This month (4/13/2013) - 24.5 inches each

Taking measurements is just as important as weighing yourself because results tend to show differently based on activity level and diet.  In my mind, the measurements matter more than the weight because I'd rather fit in smaller clothes than see a super low number.

I've often mentioned that measurements and weight don't go hand in hand as you can put on weight differently each time you gain.  I am seeing this with my most recent gains via Germany and pregnancy.  The last time I was at these measurements was when I weighed 189.6lbs, almost exactly 10lbs higher than where I am now.  The last time I was at my current weight (179.4), my hips were 45.5 inches and my waist was 34 inches. 

Since my hope is to be below pre-pregnancy weight before the beach (where I was also comfortable in my bikinis), I not only have to hit the weight but the inches to be completely comfortable.  The summer I was at that weight and wearing my bikinis, my hips were 42.5 inches and my waist was 30.5 inches.  In order to get to those stats, I need to lose 4.5 inches off my hips and 5.5 inches off my waist in the next three months.  Hopefully, being back in the gym will help me meet that goal.
 

Bathing Suits

There is no time when a person is more vulnerable than when they're wearing a bathing suit. Even the most conservative bathing suit shows more skin than most people show on a daily basis. For me, as a child, wearing a bathing suit was second nature and I never thought anything of it. I was a swimmer through middle school and wore my racing suits with pride. With those suits, it was the tighter the better.

When I reached high school, things changed. I was done swimming competitively, and tankinis were the newest thing in bathing suits. I was too self-conscious to wear a two-piece before, but the tankini was the perfect medium, since I could now get different sizes for the top and bottom. Back then the bottom was bigger than the top for me and now it has been reversed.

A whole year after my weight loss journey began, I felt confident enough to bare my stomach. My weight had always been more towards my legs than my stomach, but you have to feel good about yourself to put yourself out there. There are still always times when I look at skinnier people than me and think that I shouldn't be wearing it. The summer right after I had Brady, I was still up 20lbs and still had the baby belly, so when we went to Myrtle Beach, I was back in the tankinis.

I knew we were going to the beach this year and even at the beginning of April, I was up 10lbs from where I am now. I knew that I had to get drastic if I wanted to get back in the bikinis. If I didn't, I'd have to buy new suits, because my post-Brady tankinis were made to fit me when I was breastfeeding. Fortunately, my efforts paid off and I got back into my suits, but I was still self-conscious. I would go to the pool and see skinnier women who were all covered up and I could just hear them thinking that I had nerve. Plus, after a baby, my stomach has never been the same, even if I'm below the weight I was before I got pregnant.

It's not so bad standing . . .

Or from the back . . .

But sitting, it's not so good.