Look Great in 2008 Weight Loss Challenge

SCROLL DOWN FOR WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Weight loss since my last weigh in- 1 pound
Weight loss since start of challenge- 2 pounds
Weight loss since Hailey was born- 32 pounds

I have not really made any major changes so far. I'm trying to watch what I eat and do less snacking. My goals for this week are:
1. Start walking 5 days each week.
2. Have a light snack around 3pm so I am not starving when I make dinner.
3. Drink more water.

Check out the other participants (or join yourself!) at Tales From The Scales.

23 pounds to go!

Look Great in 2008 Weight Loss Challenge

Weight loss since my last weigh in- 1 pound

It took me two weeks to lose one pound.

This could take awhile.

Check out the other participants who have hopefully been more successful than me at Tales From The Scales.

24 pounds to go!

Look Great in 2008 Weight Loss Challenge

SCROLL DOWN FOR WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

And so begins a new challenge. Actually it started last week, but I was too sick to care about losing weight last week. Well, that's not true- I always care about losing weight. I was too sick to care about eating healthy and doing exercise is actually the truth.

I participated in the May Day Weight Loss Challenge and did not have much success. Truth be told- I gained 3 pounds. There were some weeks where I tried really hard and had some good results. But, most of the time I was too busy worrying about eating my Chips Ahoy Chocolate Chip cookies to be really serious about losing weight.

One of the mistakes I think I made was that I was trying to lose weight for the wrong reasons. First I wanted to reach my goal weight before my brother's wedding. Then I was hoping to lose all the weight before my cousin's wedding. Then I thought- if I could just lose this weight before we go on vacation I will be skinny in our pictures. Each time I would realize that it just wasn't possible to reach my goal by the time the event would be here. Then I would give up. So, this time- I am going to lose this weight so that I will be healthy. Not so that I can be skinny and look better for special occasions. Although that will be nice too, it is not my main reason for trying to lose weight.

So, my goal is to lose 25 pounds. If I want to reach my pre-pregnancy weight I will have to lose 30 pounds. But, for now that sounds too overwhelming to me. So, my goal is to lose 25 pounds.

In order to reach my goal I am going to start walking everyday again. I will do it at least 5 days a week. I am going to work on keeping myself busy so that I am not tempted to snack every time I feel the slightest bit bored. I will also drink more water.

I am going to add a weight loss ticker to my side bar to track my losses. (I used to keep it hidden at the bottom of my blog, hoping no one would notice it) I'm also going to add a little reward box on my side bar with the rewards I plan to give myself for each 5 pounds that I lose. These will both be for my benefit and to help me stay motivated- but you are welcome to look too.

See you next week for my first weigh-in! Check out the other participants (or join yourself!) at Tales from the Scales.

Fun Monday #2

This weeks fun Monday is being hosted by Beckie at Give It A Try. These were her instructions:
"I want to know a little bit more about you, not about your house. I want to know what your favorite treat is. Is it sweet or sour? Is it plain or salty? Is it candy or chocolate? Is it homemade or store bought? For instance, if your favorite is chocolate, tell us what kind specifically - sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes not so much. I have heard a lot of talk about Junior Mints, but is it your favorite or just a tasty treat? It can be anything, popcorn, peanuts, ice cream or chips, maybe you have more than one favorite - that is ok, just show us your favorite(s) and tell us why you like it so much. C’mon, what gets you all juiced up?"

Well, if you've been reading my blog for any length of time you probably know the treat I can not resist is Chocolate Chip cookies. Not the homemade kind. Although I love homemade chocolate chip cookies, I absolutely can not resist Chips Ahoy! But, not the soft ones- I do not like those.

Don't be fooled by the plate. I only did that for you all. Normally- I eat straight from the cookie container. The cookies just don't have time to make it to the plate when they are in such a rush to get to my mouth. And, also that way I don't have an extra plate to wash.

Now, I started out with only four cookies on the plate because I try to eat only four at a time. But, four cookies made the plate look so empty and sad. So, I added four more (I must always eat in fours, it's part of my OCD) and I think eight cookies looks much better than four. I had intended to take the picture, put four cookies back into the container and then eat the remaining four cookies. Well, I guess you know what happened. I ate all eight of them.

And, how can you have cookies without milk? I actually do not like milk, but add a little chocolate to it and I'll drink it right down.

And, now that I am posting this, looking at those cookies is making my mouth water and I am considering going and getting four eight more.

So, now I am off to Give It A Try so that I can visit the rest of the Fun Monday participants.

Oh, and I'm pretty sure that after checking out everyone's favorite treats today that I won't be weighing-in tomorrow at the May Day Weight Loss Challenge.

May Day Weight Loss Challenge- Weigh-in #12

Weight lost since my last weigh in- -1.5lbs
Weight lost since the start of the challenge- 3lbs
Total weight loss since Hailey was born- 36 lbs

I lost pounds and inches this week. Hooray!

Time to go check in at Tales From The Scales.

19 pounds to go

May Day Weight Loss Challenge- Weigh-in #11

Weight lost since my last weigh in- +1.5lbs
Weight lost since the start of the challenge- 1.5lbs
Total weight loss since Hailey was born- 34.5 lbs

I gained 1 1/2 pounds last week, but I lost inches. Go figure.

Time to go check in at Tales From The Scales.

21.5 pounds to go

May Day Weight Loss Challenge- Weigh-in #10

I'm "Back In The Saddle Again"

Weight lost since my last weigh in- 3.5lbs
Weight lost since the start of the challenge- 3lbs
Total weight loss since Hailey was born- 36 lbs

The last time I weighed in 2 weeks ago things were not good. I didn't weigh-in last Tuesday because actually things were even worse than the week before and I had gained another 1/2 pound. I didn't want to tell you, so I just didn't post.

Then two things happened last week. First I threatened myself that if I did not start losing weight that I was going to post my actual weight, right here on my blog. I really didn't want that to happen so that helped me to get motivated. But, what really got me motivated is that we decided that we are going to go on vacation in September. I want to be skinny in time for our vacation. So every time I want to snack on something I shouldn't eat I remind myself that I want to be skinny for our vacation. (While you're here, if you have any advice for a good place to go on vacation with an 11 month old, stop by my post here and let me know your idea.)

My goals for this week are to continue walking everyday, keep up the healthy eating, and as always- drink more water.

Time to go check in at Tales from the Scales.

19 pounds to go!

May Day Weight Loss Challenge- Weigh-in # 9

I have been off of my diet for 2 weeks and I didn't weigh in last week. The news is not good.

Weight lost since my last weigh in- +3.5lbs
Weight lost since the start of the challenge- +.5lbs
Total weight loss since Hailey was born- 32.5 lbs

So, now I actually weigh a 1/2 pound more than I did when I started the challenge. I also took my measurements and I have gained back the inches I lost too. I wasn't going to post my results today because I am so unhappy with myself. But, this challenge is supposed to help me stay accountable and motivated. It can't work if I don't check in.

Rather than sit around whining about this, it's time to get serious. Here's what I am going to do:

• Write down everything I eat.
• Use Weight Watchers to keep track of my points.
• Drink 8 glasses of water everyday.
• When I eat, I will only eat. I won't be blogging or reading the newspaper while I am eating. I end up eating more than I realize when I am doing something else at the same time.
• The other day Jan did a posting over at Tales from the Scales and she said, "When I have a craving, that if I am hungry for something that I know is going to be wrong for me, I get out a can of veggies or some fresh fruit. If I am not hungry for that healthy snack, then I know that I am just craving, not really hungry. When I am hungry enough to go for fruit or canned veggies, then I am really hungry." I love this idea and I am going to do that also.
• Exercise everyday.

Time to go check in at Tales from the Scales.

22.5 pounds to go.

May Day Weight Loss Challenge- Weigh-in # 7

Weight lost this week- .5 lbs
Weight lost since the start of the challenge- 3 lbs
Total weight loss since Hailey was born- 36 lbs

It was another bad week filled with too much snacking and so I only lost half of a pound. I don't know why I do it. I don't even enjoy the snacks because I feel guilty about what I am eating.

So, it's a new week.

1. I will eat only healthy snacks.
2. I will continue walking everyday.
3. I will drink more water.

Time to go check in at Tales From the Scales.

19 pounds to go!

May Day Weight Loss Challenge- Weigh-in # 6

Weight lost this week- +3 lbs

Weight lost since the start of the challenge- 2.5 lbs

Total weight loss since Hailey was born- 35.5 lbs

I was not happy to see the scales today and they were not happy to see me. If there was a window in my bathroom I would have thrown the scales right out onto the ground below.

There is one word needed to tell you why last week did not go well- snacking.

Last Tuesday, after my successful weigh-in, I decided that since I had an entire week before I had to weigh in again that I would indulge and eat just 2 Chips Ahoy cookies. Then of course, just 2 more. And then 2 more. Before I knew it I had eaten half of the box of the cookies. Wednesday I ate the other half. Thursday was good because, well, there weren't any cookies left. Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday I found many other things to snack on, none of them healthy. I have been a bit stressed this week, but that is no excuse. Just because I feel stressed does not mean I should stuff my face. Most of the time I was snacking I was not even hungry.

The good news is that I still walked everyday. I really enjoy my walks with Hailey, so it's not even hard for me to get that done.

It's so discouraging that it took me so long to lose that weight and in one week I gained 3 pounds back. I thought about just giving up, but then I looked at one of my pre-pregnancy skinny pictures and I know that I felt so much better when I was that size. So, here I am ready to get back on the wagon. I'll continue my exercise, make better food choices, and drink more water.

Time to go check in a Tales From The Scales.

19.5 pounds to go!

May Day Weight Loss Challenge- Weigh-in # 5

Weight lost this week- 1.5 lbs
Weight lost since the start of the challenge- 5.5 lbs
Total weight loss since Hailey was born- 38.5 lbs

I had a really good week. I exercised everyday. My food choices were pretty healthy. I have finally reached that 5 pound loss which means I can get my button. WooHoo!!

Once again I did not drink enough water, I really struggle with that. So, again for this week my goal is going to be to drink more water- at least 8 glasses each day.

Time to go check in at Tales From the Scales.

16.5 pounds to go!

May Day Weight Loss Challenge- Weigh-in # 4

Weight lost this week- 1 lb
Weight lost since the start of the challenge- 4 lbs
Total weight loss since Hailey was born- 37 lbs

I did really good this last week.

I got lots of exercise. I took Hailey for a 2 mile neighborhood walk everyday except for one. We also shopped walked at the mall 3 different days. I walked on the treadmill most days too. So, I did plenty of walking. I'm afraid I may have overdone it though. My knee has been hurting the last couple of days and last night I noticed it was quite swollen. So, I hope it will not bother me so that I can continue with my exercise.

I also did pretty good with my eating. I had some junk food snacks that I probably should have skipped. But, I didn't overdo it.

I need to work on my water drinking. I did not drink nearly enough. So, that is what I will focus on this next week. Drink at least 8 glasses of water everyday.

So, why didn't I lose more pounds this week? I don't know!! I lost inches, and I know that is what matters. It is just frustrating to see the scale moving so slowly.

Time to go check in at Tales From The Scales.

18 pounds to go!

May Day Weight Loss Challenge- Week #3

Weight lost this week- +.5 lbs

Weight lost since the start of the challenge- 3lbs

Total weight loss since Hailey was born- 36lbs

Well, this was not a good week. Since I did so well the week before I decided that I could buy some snacks. No, not the healthy kind. I was planning to eat the snacks slowly. You know, not all in one day. That went well. For the first hour. Apparently I have no willpower. Chips Ahoy Chocolate Chip cookies are my biggest weakness. The thing is that I did not even enjoy the cookies because the whole time I was eating them I was thinking, "I should not be eating these." So, I felt bad while eating them and then I felt guilty afterwards.

The other bad thing is that I have not been exercising like I should. I only walked on my treadmill a couple of days. Not to make excuses, but Hailey's naps are so unpredictable that it is hard to do it. Usually once I get myself ready and start to walk I hear a little voice calling me through the baby monitor. We also did not take many of our neighborhood walks this week because we had a stagnant air advisory on several days. So, we stayed inside.

I need to get back on track. So, here are my goals for this week

1. No more buying the unhealthy snacks. I just don't have the willpower yet to eat them in moderation.

2. Drink more water.

3. Walk on the treadmill in the evening when Rich is home to watch Hailey.

4. Take our neighborhood walk on the days we are able to. On the other days, go to the mall to shop walk.

Time to go check in over at Tales From The Scales.

19 pounds to go.

May Day Weight Loss Challenge- Week #2

The results are in!

I met most of my goals from last week:

-I drank lots of water.

-I planned healthy snacks so that I did not get hungry.

-I exercised almost everyday.

My goals for next week:

-Continue to drink lots of water.

-Exercise every day except for Sunday. In addition to my regular exercise (using the treadmill and taking Hailey for a walk), I have taken Angel up on her Don't Take The Easy Road Challenge . I'll do things like park at the back of the parking lot and make extra trips up and down my steps. Every extra step helps! Plus if you enter the challenge you get entered to win a weight loss journal made especially by Angel! And, who doesn't love a prize?

-Continue the healthy eating.

At last weeks check-in I felt a little discouraged because the scale had not moved, but I was encouraged because I lost inches. So, this week I am extra excited because I lost inches and pounds! I lost 3.5 pounds! Woo Hoo!!! Now I am off to go check in at Tales from the Scales.

18.5 pounds to go!

May Day Weight Loss Challenge- Week #1

The results are in....

I won't keep you in suspense with any commercial breaks! My first week went okay. There were a couple of days that I did do some unhealthy snacking. The unhealthy snacks are really gone now, so I can't do it anymore even if I want to. And yes, they are gone because I ate them. Oh, were we supposed to count calories on Mother's Day? We were? Oops.
Anywho, I did exercise everyday, except Sunday. I walked on the treadmill and took Hailey for a walk around our neighborhood everyday. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually enjoyed the exercise.
I didn't lose as much as I had hoped to lose. Because actually I lost nothing. I didn't gain anything either though, so that's a positive. I would be totally discouraged, but thankfully I took my measurements and my pictures. My measurements prove that my work paid off because I lost inches everywhere I measured. And, I can actually see a difference in the pictures.

So, although I was hoping to lose some pounds, I guess all in all it wasn't too bad for my first week.

My goals for this week:
1. Continue to exercise everyday (except Sunday).
2. Drink 8 glasses of water each day.
3. Plan healthy snacks, so that I do not get hungry and feel the need to start eating everything I can find.

Time to go check in over at Tales from the Scales.

22 pounds to go!

May Day Weight Loss Challenge

Today is the beginning of the May Day Weight Loss Challenge and I am excited! I have not been doing very well on my own with reaching my goal. I was supposed to have lost all of my weight by May 19th....... I still have 22 pounds to go and I don't think I'm gonna make it!

My story goes like this: I was tiny when I was young. My hubby tells me I was too skinny as a teenager- but I think he's just trying to be nice. After I went off to college I started slowly putting on weight. Then I got married in 2000 and continued to slowly put on weight. Before I knew it I was 65 pounds overweight. In March of 2004 I decided it was time for a change. My diet was simple- I ate less and exercised more. One year later in March of 2005 I had reached my goal weight. I maintained my new weight for a year and it felt GREAT. Then I got pregnant.

You can read the details of my weight gain here if you want. But, the short story is that I gained 55 pounds. I have since lost 33 pounds and still need to lose another 22 pounds. I have been stuck right around this same weight for several months now and I have been getting quite discouraged.

I have some goals for myself.
1. Follow my previously made rules.
2. Stop all the unhealthy snacking.
3. Start exercising. I'm always so busy while Hailey is taking her nap working on blogging and snack eating cleaning my house that I don't take time to exercise. I will start walking on the treadmill that has been gathering dust everyday. Not everyday I feel like it, but EVERYDAY. Well, everyday except for Sunday. Sunday is my day off.
4. Drink lots of water! At least 8 glasses a day. Since I am still breastfeeding I'm sure I should be drinking even more than that.
5. I will write down everything that I eat. Everything. Yes Melanie, you will write down everything.
6. I will check in every Tuesday to keep myself motivated and hopefully get some encouragement from my fellow bloggers and my other readers.

My plan is to lose 22 pounds by July 24th. That is at a rate of 2 pounds per week, which is a healthy amount to lose. For every 5 pounds I lose I will get an awesome button from Tales from the Scales to put up on my blog and I will be recognized on their blog with a gold star. And, since I like rewards so much I will be giving myself rewards as well. Once I lose my first 5 pounds I am rewarding myself with a haircut. It has been over a year far too long since I have had my hair cut.

So for the last week I have been preparing for this weight loss challenge. I ate got rid of all the junk food in our house and I bought healthy food. I have taken my measurements. Hopefully the weeks I do not lose any weight I will still be able to see progress in my measurements from all the muscle I will be creating! I have also taken my picture and will do that each week so I can visually see my progress. You may be wondering if I will be posting those pictures and the answer to that is good gracious NO! I will happily post my "after" pictures on July 24th!

So, I'm off to get started on my new weight loss plan. More importantly, I am making a permanent change in my eating habits so that I can keep the weight off!

Weight Loss Update

The other day I was checking out one of my favorite blogs, It Coulda' Been Worse and this was the post I found. Since I have been struggling with my weight loss I have decided to join the May Day Weight Loss Challenge I read about on her blog. Weekly weigh-ins and updates will take place on Tuesdays. So, all of you who have been on the edge of your seats waiting for my Friday updates- mark your calendars and remember to check on Tuesdays now! If you're interested in joining, get some more information here:

Weight Loss Update

Well, I'm sure you're wondering where I've been with my weight loss updates. Since I've had 2 weeks to work towards my goal you are probably expecting great results. My excuse for not posting last week was that it was Brooke and Dottie's birthdays and I had lots of pictures up for that special day. I was going to skip this week too, once I stepped on the scale this morning and saw what had happened. I gained 2 3 pounds. But, then I remembered that this is supposed to help me to stay accountable and motivated. If I do not force myself to post each week it will not help me to stay accountable and motivated.

I was feeling discouraged about my weight gain and talking to Rich about how I was feeling. Trying to be helpful Rich said, "Well, what have you been doing to try to reach your goal?" I thought about it for a minute and said "Hoping." Rich knew better than to say anything. So, instead of sitting around eating snacks and hoping the pounds will miraculously melt off, I need to get to work! I've got to get back on track and eat healthy. I need to start following my rules. And of course I have to start exercising. I know I can do it, this week will be much better.

21 22 pounds to go!

Weight Loss Update

It's amazing that I did not gain 10 pounds this week, but I managed to stay the same. I am sad that I did not lose any weight, but very glad that I didn't gain any. Tuesday and Wednesday I snacked. All day long. I was in the living room playing with Hailey and I heard someone calling "Melanie" from the kitchen. I went to see who was calling me. It was the Chips Ahoy Chocolate Chip cookies. So, I ate some (honestly, I ate like 8 of them.... or maybe it was 12). Then I went off to do something downstairs and again I heard someone calling "Melanie" from the kitchen. This time it was the Goldfish Crackers. So, I ate some (a rather large bowl of them). I went to fold some laundry and again I heard someone calling "Melanie" from the kitchen. This time it was the Oatmeal. Now, Oatmeal might sound healthy and indeed it could have been. Until I added 1/2 cup of brown sugar to it. Then I ate it. Of course, there was also the Easter candy. The Whoppers Robins Eggs called my name continuously. I ate those until they made me feel sick to my stomach. And then since there weren't very many left I finished them off. I think you get the idea. Next week will be better, it has to be.

19 pounds to go!

Weight Loss Update

This week went better. I tried to follow all of my new rules, but I will admit to breaking them a little bit. I ended up losing 1 pound, so I am back to where I was 2 weeks ago. I still have not started exercising. Hailey has decided that she likes to be awake ALL NIGHT, so I am just too tired during the day to exercise. I have told her that if she does not let me get some sleep soon that her mother will be a crazy lady. She seems to find that funny. So, if she ever sleeps all night, or for even part of the night, I will be happy to exercise. Until then, I need to use her nap time as a nap time for me too!

19 pounds to go