Weigh-in for 4/12/2014

Last weigh-in (3/22/2014) : 142.4 lb

This weigh-in (4/12/2014) : 142.8 lb

Change : 0.4 lb gained
 
Total weight loss since Izzie : 57.6 lb


It's been about three weeks since my last weigh-in and some weeks have been better than others in that time.  We've been to a record five birthday parties in the last eight weeks and another two weekends in there were my kids' birthdays.  It's hard to say no to cake every single week.  I didn't every time, but when you are tempted week after week, you give in.  The kids got sick . . . again, taking me out of the gym for a week, which never helps.  Even though my number seems to be hovering between 142-145lbs, my body fat percentage has decreased from 26.2% to 25.2% so at least some of the weight has become muscle rather than fat and I am happy enough with that.

I plan to do measurements to commemorate my one year gymiversary this weekend and I'm sure there will be changes there as well.  I can tell because the clothes sizes are going down in number.  I wore my size 8 bermudas the other day and they were super comfy and had me thinking I could get into a size 6, but they might be a bit restricting.  I bought a few new dresses for summer in general, a wedding, and my brother's college graduation.  I had been in the department stores and not seen anything I liked, so I looked online and saw one that might be nice, but I debated on which size to buy.  I settled on a size 10 because I really had never worn a dress in a size smaller than that.  A few days later, I saw the same dress in the store, in a size 8 and $20 cheaper.  I tried it on and it was perfect!

It's definitely not my normal style which is something that has a more flowing skirt to hide my hips, but I have been feeling more confident in how I look and decided to try something new.

I was heading out of the changing room when another dress caught my eye.  It was also on sale, but when I looked at the ones in stock, there was a size 6 and a size 10.  I figured the size 10 would be too big since I'd just gotten comfortably into a size 8.  I grabbed the 6 and headed back into the changing room, but not really expecting anything.

This is more my typical style, with a band right under the bust and flowing skirt.  To my complete surprise, the size 6 fit perfectly!  A size 6 has been the magic number in my head since I started losing weight almost eight years ago.  I still can't believe I did it!

There's still plenty of work to be done, in terms of body shape, even if the weight and clothing sizes stay relatively the same.  My goal is to have my ultimate body by the time I turn 30 (which is now 23 months away).  I plan to have another baby in that time, but now see that as an aid rather than an impediment to my weight loss.  I just have to keep working hard and keeping up a positive attitude.  I know now to appreciate what I have now instead of being down on myself for not being better.

Weigh-in for 3/22/2014

Last weigh-in (2/28/2014) : 144.2 lb

This weigh-in (3/22/2014) : 142.4 lb

Change : 1.8 lb lost
 

Total weight loss since Izzie : 58 lb


I've finally done what I've said I was going to do at the start of the month - gotten back on track.  In less than a calendar month, we have Valentine's Day, both kids' birthdays, their parties, and then my birthday.  That's a lot of chocolate, cake, and eating out.  It gets me every year, and now that the last party (of ours at least) is over, I am gearing up to drop the few pounds I've gained and get back into fighting shape for summer!

This week is when I finally buckled down.  Seeing the number on the scale get up to 145.4lbs a week ago scared me and gave me anxiety, thinking back to Germany.  Granted, this time I gained 5lbs in a two month period, whereas I was gaining 5lbs a month in Germany.  I am down to one nursing session with Izzie now, so my daily points target is back to the lowest that anyone can have at 26.  It took careful planning and tracking to hit that each day, but I chose more filling options, making me less inclined to go looking for a little something sweet after I'd already eaten a meal.

We are down to 8 weeks until California and the day we get back home is the first weekend of the pool being open, so this is the home stretch before "summer." I say it like that because there's still snow on the ground and below freezing temps, so who knows when of if summer will get here this year.  My goal was to be under 140lbs by then and I am confident that I can do that now that my mind is in the right place.  I would need less than 0.5lb per week to reach that goal.  I've been stocking up on clothes for the kids and Andy for the trip and am dying to dive in and splurge on new clothes for me since I have almost none for me at this size and the ones I do still have tags on them.  Summer is by far my favorite for clothes and I'm going to have a blast!  I finally look like I always thought I did in my head and I'm going to enjoy it :)

Weigh-in for 2/28/2014 ~ Starting a Household Challenge

Last weigh-in (2/1/2014) : 141.0 lb

This weigh-in (2/28/2014) : 144.2 lb

Change : 3.2 lb gained
 

Total weight loss since Izzie : 56.2 lb


It's been a rough month.  Historically, February is a rough month for me and weight loss.  There has only been one of the eight Februarys I've been on Weight Watchers that I've lost instead of gained.  I don't know what it is, maybe that winter starts to get to me at that point, combined with Valentine's Day and the past four years, Brady's birthday.  The only February I lost weight, we were living in South Carolina and it was so warm I was sunbathing daily, so there seems to be a correlation with weather and weight loss (something I've noticed from past patterns as well).  It is harder for me to maintain or lose in February than it over Christmas.  

This February, I had gym access, but of course, Izzie has had a runny nose for three straight weeks and can't go to the day care like that.  That means I only make it on the weekends, so in addition to the eating which hasn't been the greatest, I didn't have the workouts to help battle it and keep it in check a little more than I did.  I tend to get to a point once I'm off track, where I let go and start eating things I normally wouldn't because I know I won't eat them when I get back on track.  That only makes it worse.  We had Brady's party, Valentine's Day, and a trip out of town in the span of two weeks and the eating out got to me as well as the cake.

In terms of upswings, it's not that bad.  4lbs gained in the course of 6 weeks.  I've had upswings that have lasted several months and been as much as 15-20lbs.  I am choosing to kick myself out of it immediately.  Even if I can't go to the gym during the day, I will make myself go when Andy gets home from work.  I have to start tracking religiously again (something I haven't done in months, maybe before Thanksgiving).  This will become very important now that I'm weaning Izzie and will be completely done breastfeeding by the end of March.

Andy and I are both unhappy, so we decided to buckle down together.  Andy is in a wedding in early May, and we leave for our 11 day California vacation in mid-May.  We want to look and feel good when we get there.  We have committed to weekly weigh-ins (going into WW for me every week to keep me honest and on track, rather than once a month).  We have 11 weeks until Cali and have set goals.  Andy wants to lose 20lbs (putting him at 200lbs) and I want to get under 140lbs (4.4lbs away).  We have both laid out rewards for if we reach our goals and I think we'll have to consider a punishment if we don't so we have even more incentive.  Wish us luck!

2013 Year-End Stats

Starting weight : 189.0 lb

Ending weight : 142.2 lb

Change : 46.8 lb lost (average 3.9 lb lost per month)


Going from the start of 2013 to the end with weight doesn't accurately reflect the loss for the year, since I was still pregnant at the start and the numbers went up for the first two months of the year, up to 200.4lbs.  The total loss when looking at the weight that was shed would be 58.2lbs and that was all lost in the last 10 months of the year, which made the monthly average when it came to weight lost 5.82lbs lost per month.  

This year has been absolutely phenomenal when it comes to weight loss.  I really had no idea that I could lose almost 60lbs in 10 months while caring for two young children.  In the 10 months following Brady being born, I only lost 44.2lbs and weighed almost 30lbs more than I do today.  I am at my lowest ever on program and also the lowest I've been since middle school.  I'm in clothes sizes I would've never dreamed of being in.  I look better than I did the day I graduated high school and also the day I got married.  Sometimes I really can't believe how far I've come in the last 7.5 years on Weight Watchers, it's truly changed my life.  I know my kids will be healthier because I'm healthier and that's more than I could ever ask for.

This year was huge in terms of weight loss and obviously I'm at a point where there's not much left to reach my ultimate goal.  I have 12.2lbs I still want to lose before I'm ready to stop with weight loss (but the journey to maintain is just as hard).  I would like to do that before my 10-year high school reunion in July, but would be happy to see it before we ring in 2015.  That's an average of 1lb per month, which I can see being totally achievable.  My biggest benchmarks will now be seeing the inches go down rather than the pounds.  I'm at a very healthy weight, so if that doesn't change and the inches still come off, I won't obsess about the number on the scale.  Here's to a happy and healthy 2014!

October 2013 Stats & November Goals

Starting weight : 149.8 lb

Ending weight : 145.2 lb

Change : 4.6 lb lost (average 1.05lb lost per week)

This time last year : 178 lb (21 weeks pregnant)


My goal for October was to get to pre-Germany weight (148.2lbs) and I certainly achieved that and more.  I write weight changes on my calendar hanging in the kitchen and Andy saw the start and end weight for the month and couldn't believe how much I'd lost in a month, especially being in a healthy weight range already.  I know that it's not going to keep up like this and the weekly numbers most week have tapered off.

I have 15.2 lbs to go before I reach my ultimate goal of 130 lbs.  I know I set that for early July, but we head to California in mid-May and I'd love to be there by the time we head out there.  That's six and a half months away and that means I need to average about 2.3lbs per month to get there.  There will be four weigh-ins this month, so I will shoot for an average of 0.6lb per week and a total of 2.4lbs.  I'd love to be at the 140lb mark by Christmas and that will get me halfway there.

Setting My Final Goal

Well, I've made it to pre-Germany weight and have even dipped below it.  That was the goal I set for myself to reach before Christmas, so now it's time to set my new, and final, goal for myself.  The healthy weight range for my height (5'6") is anywhere between 124lbs and 155lbs.  The ultimate number I want to reach is 130lbs, and I would like to reach that by the time I get to my 10 year high school reunion in early July.  I want to look so good that people don't even recognize me.  I have just under  nine months to lose 16.8lbs, which means I need to lose less than half a pound per week in order to reach this final goal.

130lbs has been a number in my head for a long time, since I was a teenager.  The last time I was 130lbs was when I was 14 and at that age, I was just over five feet tall, so it wasn't a healthy weight for me at that time.  I was huge into Friends and I would read articles about how Jennifer Aniston was having a hard time getting her big break because she was overweight.  Even having a father in the business wasn't enough to get her the jobs she wanted.  She was 5'6" like I am and weighed 160lbs.  She went out and lost 30lbs and then landed her huge gig on Friends.

A 30lb difference from 160lbs to 130lbs (although I'm pretty sure there have been many times when she's gone lower than that).

Although Jennifer Aniston's story is what got the number in my head, there was a bigger inspiration that lead to the body that I would like to have.  I have watched Days of Our Lives since I was Brady's age or even younger.  Alison Sweeney has been on the show for over 20 years and I used to watch when she was just a chubby teenager.  She went on to lose a ton of weight and eventually landed herself as the host of The Biggest Loser.  She's well endowed like myself and has also had two kids.

Just about a month ago, she was on the cover of Shape magazine and my mom brought it to my notice while we were getting our hair done.  She looks amazing!  She's 36, so nine years older than myself, and I can only hope that I look that good by the time that I'm 36.

My butt has been a huge sticking point in my weight loss and something I've heard criticism about my whole life from multiple sources.  Andy decided to catch a shot of me from behind last night and made a point of showing it to me to show me how small he thought it was looking.  Of course, it's not small in comparison to most, but it's small for me.  It's hard to ever see yourself from behind, so I'm glad Andy was able to show me that my hard work is making a difference.  I've already bought my bikini's for next summer on clearance and I have this image in my head of how I'll look in them at my final goal and this is when it's really going to happen.

Weigh-in for 10/5/2013

Last weigh-in (9/27/2013) : 149.8 lb

This weigh-in (10/5/2013) : 149.0 lb

Change : 0.8 lb lost

Germany weight loss : 19lb of 19.8lb gained
Total weight loss since Izzie : 51.4 lbs


Less than 1lb to go before reaching pre-Germany weight!  I almost can't believe I'm almost back there.  I thought back in April when I set this goal for myself (at that point it required a 1lb per week loss average) that perhaps it was setting my sights a bit too high.  I have made it six straight months in the gym without taking more than a week off for travel or unforeseen incidents like the kids getting sick.  I've never made it more than two or three consecutive months before now and the results are astounding.  My dad always thought he was so smart saying the way to lose weight was "eat less, exercise more" and after all these years, I've finally come to the conclusion that you need both of those things and I'm glad I figured it out sooner rather than later.

September 2013 Stats & October Goals

Starting weight : 154.8 lb

Ending weight : 149.8 lb

Change : 5 lb lost (average 1.2lb lost per week)

This time last year : 172.5 lb (17 weeks pregnant)


My goal for September was to lose 3lbs and I was more than happy to have lost more than that and break back into the 140s for the first time since December 2011.  We took family portraits earlier in the month and it was the lowest weight (154lbs) that I'd ever been when taking them since Brady was born.  Not traveling most of the month was very helpful in the weight loss for the month as there was more time for the gym and less time eating bad food.

October is here and I have one goal - to reach my pre-Germany weight of 148.2lbs, which is only 1.6lbs from where I am currently.  That would require only 0.4lb loss per week for the full month.  I set this goal for myself shortly after Izzie was born and I wanted to reach it by Christmas.  The weight has come off much faster (with a lot more hard work this time around) than it did after Brady.  I am down 50.6lbs since Izzie was born 7 months ago and that took me 15 months to do after Brady was born.  Once I break through that number, I will have to set a new goal for myself as I will be in uncharted territory.  I can't wait to get back there in the next few weeks and look forward to a new number.  It's only one step closer to getting to a point where I stop trying to lose weight and start to maintain, which has never happened in the over seven years of being on Weight Watchers.

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!

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.

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.

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 7/6/2013

Last weigh-in (6/29/2013) : 167 lb

This weigh-in (7/6/2013) : 165.8 lb

Change : 1.2lb lost

Germany weight loss : 2.2lb of 19.8lb gained

Amount needed to get back to WW lifetime weight : 10.8 lbs


I got my butt into the gym three times this week and it paid off.  We had guests over on Sunday night, so we made things that aren't necessarily the best and ate out on Tuesday, but working out (while eating well the remaining days) did the trick.  The Fourth of July was this week, which usually means eating bad at family gatherings, but we stayed home this year, so it was a day in the gym and eating healthy.  To hit my goal for the rest of the month, the next two weeks I need to lose 1.4lb average per week.

June 2013 Stats & July Goals

Starting weight : 172.4 lb

Ending weight : 167 lb

Change : 5.4 lb lost (average 1.2lb lost per week)

This time last year : 168 lb (4 weeks pregnant)


This is the first time in a long time where my ending month weight is lower than the prior year (at least 18 months), and that's very exciting.  This month was great.  I hit the 5lb goal that I set for myself and went below my pre-pregnancy weight.  Doing that in less than four months is a huge boost to my self-esteem as it took four times as long after Brady.

July is vacation month for us, which means I will only have three weigh-ins.  I want to be back at the buffer of lifetime (157) by the end of August so I took the weight (10lbs) and averaged it over the number of weigh-ins until then (8).  It came out to 1.25lbs per weigh-in.  That's just around the average per week for the last two months, so it seems doable.  So for July, the goal is 4lbs.

Weigh-in for 6/20/2013 ~ Below Izzie's Pre-Pregnancy Weight!!!

Last weigh-in (6/11/2013) : 168.8 lb

This weigh-in (6/20/2013) : 167 lb

Change : 1.8lb lost

Total loss postpartum : 32.4lb of 32.4lb gained 

Germany weight loss : 1lb of 19.8lb gained

Amount needed to get back to WW lifetime weight : 12 lbs



I am beyond thrilled to be rid of all of Izzie's pregnancy weight and knowing that I am now chipping into the damage from Germany.  It took nine months to gain 32.4lbs (3.6lb per month average gain) and only five months to put on 19.8lbs (4lb per month average gain).  I did better pregnant than I did living abroad.  Before leaving for Germany, I was in the best shape of my life, despite being a mom.  I felt really good about myself and had a closet full of clothes that I never had to worry from one day to the next if they would fit.  The day I left, I was 148.2lbs, and as you can see from the revised chart above, that's where I'd like to be this Christmas.  That will require a 0.7lb average loss per week until then.  I only have 10 more weeks of exclusively breastfeeding, so I plan to make the most of those, so that I'm not left with too much to conquer.  Here's looking forward to another great week!

May 2013 Stats & June Goals

Starting weight : 177.8 lb

Ending weight : 172.4 lb

Change : 5.4 lb lost (average 1.2lb lost per week)

This time last year : 166 lb


The goal for May was to lose 5lbs and I surpassed that with a lot of hours in the gym.  Each week had at least a 1lb loss and most weeks it was more than that.  I know that I won't be exclusively breastfeeding forever and once Izzie starts solids in three months, I'll lose a good amount of points plus per day from my daily target in addition to burning less calories from it per day.  That means I have to take advantage of every moment I'm still breastfeeding as it speeds up the weight loss.  I knew I could eat more and get away with it after Brady so I played around and didn't buckle down like I am now.

June will have five Saturdays and I want to average 1lb per week and have a total of 5lbs yet again.  That would put me below my pre-pregnancy weight with Izzie, which was 168lbs.  That would be a major accomplishment as she's just about to turn three months old and Brady was 16 months old when I got all of his pregnancy weight off. 

The major goal is get back to my lowest by Christmas and to do that, I need to average 0.8lbs per week.  It's very doable and I feel my clothes getting looser all the time.  Just the other day I tried on a pair of size 12 bermuda shorts that I had tried on three weeks prior and couldn't get zipped up.  Not only could I get them zipped up, but I had no muffin top.  They were still a little snug so I need to lose some more before I start wearing them again, but I know that before summer is over they'll be on again and comfortable.

April 2013 Stats & May Goals

Starting weight : 181.6 lb

Ending weight : 177.8 lb

Change : 3.8 lb lost (average 0.9lb lost per week)

This time last year : 164.6 lb


My goal for April was to lose about 1lb per week.  I came pretty darn close to that, so I'm happy with the progress that I've made.  I'm less than 10lbs away from pre-pregnancy weight, so that's pretty great in my mind.  Since I've been back in the gym for the last two weeks and will be the entire month of May, I will have a slightly higher goal.  I'm going to aim for 5lbs during the whole month, so about 1.2lbs lost each week average.

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.
 

Back from Hiatus

Well, it's been a long time since I've written a post here.  Almost exactly nine months to be exact.  The reason it's been so long is that I found out about a week after we returned from Germany that we were expecting our second child.  I was a little bummed that I was starting out that pregnancy a whole five pounds heavier than where I had started with Brady.  I was determined not to gain as much as I had with him (52lbs) so that it didn't take as long to take it back off (16 months).

I was 168lbs when I started the pregnancy and my goal was to try and stay under 200lbs, but at the very least gain no more than the upper range of the recommended weight gain, which is 35lbs (which would put me at 203lbs).  I lost my appetite during the first trimester (no nausea or morning sickness), so the weight gain was easy to control at that point.  This is how it broke down by trimester and I'll show the comparison with Brady :

1st trimester    : gained 3.5lbs (Brady was 3.2lb gain)
2nd trimester   : gained 11.75lbs (Brady was 25.2lb gain)
3rd trimester    : gained 17.2lbs (Brady was 23.6lb gain)

Totals :  Brady 52lbs gained
               Izzie B 32.4lbs gained

If you couldn't guess, this time I had a little girl, named Izzie B (her nickname) on March 2.  I was fortunate that she came a week early as that meant I was pregnant for two full weeks less than I was with Brady who came a week late.  In addition to gaining almost exactly 20lbs less than with Brady, my belly was significantly smaller.  She was born only about a half pound less than Brady, weighing in at 7lbs 14oz at birth.  She will be exactly one week old tomorrow.

With Brady, I was down 30lbs in the first three months after he was born, so I am really hoping for similar results.  I am currently breastfeeding more than I was with him, so that means I'm burning more calories.  Although I gained 20lbs less, I ended at 15lbs less than my end weight with Brady due to the 5lb starting difference.  So, I have less to lose to get to pre-pregnancy weight, but I have to lose an additional 20lbs to get where I was before Europe (148.2lbs).  So in a way, it evens out to the same.

I want to set a few goals for myself right out of the gate to get my mind in a weight loss place again.  Since I expect to lost 30lbs by 3 months (June 2), I want to be at Brady's pre-pregnancy weight of 163lbs (35lbs down) by our beach vacation on July 20 (4.5 months).  I have a ticker at the top of the page to show my progress and I have it currently set to be at pre-pregnancy weight by the beach, but will adjust when (not if, but when) I get below pre-pregnancy weight before then.

My big goal (and I am hesitant to set it because if you set a goal that isn't attainable and you don't reach it, you get discouraged) is to be back at my lowest by this Christmas, which will be almost 10 months postpartum.  That would mean 52lbs in 10 months instead of 16 months last time.  I would have to average about 5lbs per month.

With all that said, it's been six days since Izzie B was born and I've weighed myself twice since then.  At three days postpartum I was at 188.2lbs (down 12.2lbs) and today at six days postpartum, I was at 185.8lbs (down 14.6lbs).  It will of course slow down as the initial weight loss is the baby and other items that come out at delivery.  I'm excited to get back into things and feel the rush of weight loss again!