Conservative Hippie
Ravenclaw
- Joined
- Apr 26, 2006
- Messages
- 6,467
Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter
Well I can't do this by myself, so I'm going to have to tell my story so I can get some encouragement and accountability.
I was, not really thin, but I looked good before I got pregnant with my first baby (in 2007). I gained 38 lbs with her, lost 10 when she was born and immediately gained it back. A year and a half later (doing Weight Watchers), I had lost 10 lbs. My doctor ran glucose tests, thyroid tests, everything and nothing is wrong with me. He concluded that breastfeeding was making me gain weight. I got pregnant with my second baby (my son Judah) while I was still nursing her, and gained a total of 35 lbs. After he was born I lost 20 lbs and have managed to keep it off. In January 2011 I started using caloriecount.com and I was determined to get down to my "pre-Judah" weight before our first cruise in May 2011. Well I made it!! I lost 13 lbs in four months And then over the course of July-August gained it all back plus one.
I spent August, September, October, November feeling defeated and disgusted with myself. It was so hard to force myself to go to the gym when I felt like it was useless. I just kept telling myself how much more weight would I be gaining if I wasn't working out? Then over Thanksgiving weekend, we found a great deal on a cruise at the end of January and booked it! Rather than feeling defeated, I started feeling like this was another opportunity to work towards a goal. I decided to lose 13 lbs in the 8 weeks I have left before the cruise. That will put me just 2 lbs above my "pre-Judah" weight, and I think it's a doable goal. Once I get there I will have 25 left to get all the way back down to my "pre-Katherine" weight, but I am not even considering that right now. It might never happen.
My plan: I have four nights a week I can go to the gym. I do 45-60 minutes of cardio, either on the treadmill or on the elliptical. Last week I went three times. I've decided I can miss 2 days without feeling like I've completely screwed up, but I have to go at least twice. Drink plenty of water - I now drink 16 oz of water first thing in the morning before I am allowed to have a cup of coffee or tea. I have replaced my morning coffee with tea (no creamer = less calories). When I lost weight the first time, I cut way back on the creamer. I measured it out and discovered I was eating about 600 calories a day just in Coffeemate! I cut it back so I was consuming about 200 cals a day in Coffeemate. That was one of the most discouraging things when I gained all my weight back, because I was still measuring out my creamer and being very careful about it. But now, tea instead of coffee at home. And if I do get a coffee at Starbucks (because I am a Starbucks addict!), talls instead of grandes. Continue to use caloriecount.com. Last week I missed logging my food on Friday and on Sunday. I can miss 2 days a week and not feel like I've completely screwed up.
As you can see, I've lost 3 lbs in the last week (actually 2.8 lbs). I know a big loss to begin with is not uncommon and I will probably see a smaller loss next week. But it's great to see my efforts paying off again. I will post my progress during the week and weigh in on Mondays. Encouragement is very much appreciated!!!
Edit: I was doing some weird rounding before, but I've decided to round up instead of down. I had exactly 12.8 lbs to lose when I started, so I'm saying 13. So far I have lost 2.8 but the ticker only goes by whole pounds.
