This week I did great, I didn’t sneak any food and I only stopped at Starbucks once!  I need to start looking at my financial fitness along with my health fitness so I am going to try to stop any excess spending.  We really don’t need anything at this point that we don’t already have and I would like to apply as much money as possible to paying off some of the debt we have.  Also we are starting to explore the option of combining our checking accounts. And even though we both have doubts about doing it I think it would make both of us more financially responsible.  Especially me since I have been know to overdraft on silly stuff like Starbucks coffee.

So added to my goals this week and from now on is no spending on anything that is not an absolute, so for the most part just grocery store food and the occasional coffee.  Tim Horton’s where possible.

So here are my goals from last week:

1. Do the Wii fitness or Biggest Looser at least 3 times and make it to the Gym 3 times: I did this and it felt great I made it to the gym 4 times and did the wii 3 times with one day off
   
2. Stick to SBD and track at least 4 days: I stuck to my diet about 90% it was great, and I got a small notebook to write everything that I eat throughout the day down in.
   
3. Go one week without buying any Starbucks for myself: I did go to Starbucks once this week, not bad considering I’m a 5-8 times a week Starbucks drinker
   
4. Weigh in at 168, solidly in the 160’s and out of the 170’s forever! I weight in at 168.2 today!

So as for my goals this week go:

I’m going to not worry about working out so much this week, Xander is very sick and I can’t take him to the childcare center at the gym and he is having a hard time breathing which means his naps are an hour or two with interruption every 15-20 minutes so he has been sleeping in my lap all week.

1. Write down all of my food intake for the entire week (good and bad), stick to my diet as much as possible.
2. Weight in at 167.2 by Sunday January 31!
3. Go one week without purchasing anything that is not absolutly necessary

Our gracious host Samantha at Mama Notes has posed us the question, what is your favorite healthy snack?

Being on the South Beach Diet it’s actually a requirement that you snack to keep your metabolism functioning properly throughout the day.  Some of my favorite South Beach Snacks are:

• “Fried Green Beans”
• String cheese, with apple
• Apple and peanut butter
• Roasted Chickpeas
• Cherry tomato and Feta
• Veg and Hummus
• Grilled chicken strips and hummus
• Cabbage soup
  

I know there is really no reason for me to sneak food but here I am a 27 year old and I’m still sneak scones and hide the bags so no one knows.  Even worse is I have been sharing the scones with my son who is 1, that’s right a 1 year old eating scones with his mom.  This is not the food example I want to set for my son and I can’t really afford to be spending all the extra money on Starbucks and pastries out of the house.  I pulled my spending report from my checking account the other day to find out what the total of all the charges from Starbucks were for 2009 and it turns out that I spent $350 over the course of the year in just debit charges at Starbucks, that doesn’t include cash charges or other coffee places.  I am there so frequently that if you look at my account it looks like this Starbucks, Starbucks, Kroger, Starbucks, Gas, Tim Hortons, Bill, Starbucks.  So I really need to think of the example I am setting here not only with my eating but with my spending.  I buy Starbucks coffee for the house so there is no reason I can’t plan ahead and brew some coffee before I leave and go somewhere instead of buying a $5 latte on my way.

So here it goes review of last week.

1. I am going to aim to do my Wii 3 times and walk/run twice. Last week I worked out 5 times on the Wii or in the Gym and I’m also doing great this week so far!
2. Continue to drink 3 liters of water per day.  I did great on this one only falling short, 1 day again I have my wonderful mother in law to thank for the water bottle that makes it all worth it!
   
3. Aim for tracking my SBD for 5 of the 7 days this week. I didn’t track at all last week, I just get discouraged when I see my calorie count so I am thinking of going to the old fashion method of tracking called pen and paper that way I can make sure to have all the food I eat written down but not obsess about calories
4. Weigh in at 168! I did weigh at 169.8 a few times this week but it just didn’t stick.

For the upcoming week my goals are going to be:

1. Do the Wii fitness or Biggest Looser at least 3 times and make it to the Gym 3 times
2. Stick to SBD and track at least 4 days
3. Go one week without buying any Starbucks for myself
   
4. Weigh in at 168, solidly in the 160′s and out of the 170′s forever!

Samantha at Mama Notes has asked us a question this week and I kind of answered part of it in my first paragraph but to be more specific. What is my motivation behind my weight loss and health goals? WHY do I want to lose weight and be healthier?

What is my motivation behind my weight loss and health goals?

I come from a long line of overweight individuals on both sides of my family is diabetes and heart disease which has taken the lives of many of my relatives before they should have gone.  I want to teach my son a new way to live with healthy food and a passion for exercise.  I want him to not have to follow in the footsteps of his family legacy and not to die at 300+lbs.

WHY do I want to lose weight and be healthier?

I also don’t want to be fat, I don’t even want to be a little overweight and I don’t want to have a dysfunctional relationship with food.  I want food to be the substance that fuels my awesomeness but not the item I obsess about. And let’s face it I want to look Sexy!

This weeks challenge: How many days a week can you do some physical activity? Going on a walk or run, hitting the gym, swimming laps, doing a workout DVD. Can you reach 5 or 6 days of exercise for at least 30 minutes? I am aiming for 5 days of physical activity!

On a side note we are going to Cobo San Lucas in May for my mother in law’s 50th birthday! I am really excited and I think I’m going to set a weight goal of 153 so that is 1lb a week for the next 17 weeks.  I will be about the same weight I was the last time I went to Mexico in December 2007.

My weight this week is 170.4 which is a loss of 2lbs from last week, a great loss as far as I’m concerned and I’m looking forward to next week when I break that 170 mark and get to the 60s!

Goal Review:

For last week here are my goals were.

1. I am going to aim to do my Wii 3 times and walk/run twice. I did do a lot of Wii exercise but no walking or running
2. Continue to drink 3 liters of water per day.  I did great on this one only falling short, 2 days
3. Aim for tracking my SBD for 5 of the 7 days this week.  I didn’t do so great on this one, only tracking 2.5 days

For the upcoming week my goals are going to be:

1. Do the Wii fitness or Biggest Looser at least 3 times and make it to the Gym 2 times
2. Stick to SBD and track at least 5 days
3. Drink lots of water, 3 liters per day
4. Weigh in at 168!

The question for the week from Samantha at MamaNotes is what is the favorite part of your workout?

I would like to jokingly say when it’s over, LOL.  But I really do love to workout, when I do it I feel strong and I feel like a better person in general as well as a super hottie!  I have been doing a lot of Wii Fit Plus lately and have made my own yoga routine to do at the end of my workout to stretch out all my muscles and tone up my midsection and that has been my favorite so far.

• Weight 1-1-09: 174
• Waist: 35.5
• Bust: 41.5
• Hip: 43.5

This week I weigh in at 172.4 that’s down 1.6lbs a good number for me.  I did well this week althought it wasn’t a perfect week.

1. Weekly fitness goals, this weeks goal is to walk/run 4 days.  This week I walked one day and did two days of the Biggest Looser Wii workout.
2. Drink 3 liters of water per day.  I got this one down, thanks to my mother in law who bought me a Sigg water bottle in 1 Liter size I drink 3 of them a day.
3. Eat on track South Beach and write down all food at least 6 out of 7 days of the week.  I did eat on track with the exception of 2 days where I mostly ate on track, however I need to get in the habit of writing it all down again to keep myself focused.

For this upcoming week here are my goals.

1. I am going to aim to do my Wii 3 times and walk/run twice.
2. Continue to drink 3 liters of water per day
3. Aim for tracking my SBD for 5 of the 7 days this week

Samantha at Mama Notes wrote about temptation this week and that is something I struggle with on a daily basis.  I have come to realize that the only way to not fall into old habits is to avoid those situations all together.  For instance when visiting my mom I have gotten used to stopping at the Starbucks on Ford Rd and getting a scone and a latte, but now that I’m not eating scones I am skipping Starbucks all together.  Which is great for my wallet I could probably pay for my two vacations this year by just cutting Starbucks out of my life all together, lol.

So my answer to temptation is to avoid it all together.  I am not stronger than the food.

1. Loose 40lb this year (130 lbs)
2. Run road ends 5 mile in under 1 hour
3. Save $5,000
4. Qualify for a mortgage
5. Teach Xander 10 new signs this year

So to help me with goal number one loose 40lbs I am once again joining my friend Samantha at Mama Notes for another round of Body After Baby.

Plan for the next 8 weeks:
1. Weekly fitness goals, this weeks goal is to walk/run 4 days
2. Drink 3 liters of water per day
3. Eat on track South Beach and write down all food at least 6 out of 7 days of the week

I want to be fit and healthy for my son and I want to look and feel the best I can.  Xander just started walking and soon he will be running and I will need to be running after him and I want to with a  smile on my face, not winded.

• Weight: 174 (-7 lbs)
• Waist:  35 (-1.25)
• Hips:  42 (-2.5)
• Thigh left:  23.25 (-1.75)
• Thigh right: 22.5 (-2)
• Bust: 39.5 (-2.25)
• Points total 246

I am so impressed with my accomplishment, it takes me a long time to lose weight and this has helped me stick to it!  Thank you all so much for you help and support.  Sorry about the crappy pictures I have been having trouble with my camera lately.

So my weight for today is 174.6!!!  That’s right the modified South Beach is working for me and this last week I lost 3 pounds.

In the challenge I earned 4 exercise points and 56 water points.  Giving me a total of  246 points, probably not enough to win or to make it into the top 5.  But the challenge was fun and I did pretty good.

On Sunday I am going to do a final official weight and measurements and post the before vs. after pictures so you can see what it looks like in total.  I hope by Sunday to be down to 173 which would mean I reached my goal of losing one pound per week.

Thank you to the Body after Baby challenge and it’s hostess Samantha at Mama Notes.  And also to all the wonderful women who have gone through this 8 week journey with me.

I have done well this week, not good enough to loose all the weight I packed on with my candy binge but I am down a little bit(177) but not where I want to be 175. I have been really thinking hard about what I eat in my diet lately and I think I need a change.  I need to go lower carb/no sugar for a while.  I will also be tracking my food and counting calories but I’m going to be doing a modified phase 1 of South Beach for the rest of November and then start it for real December 1st and see if I can take off 5-6 lbs before Xanders first birthday.

If I can lose 10lbs between now and Xander’s birthday I will be within 10lbs of my pre baby weight! Wow that is exciting, so I didn’t make it in the first year but I should be back to pre baby weight by February.  That is my goal.  Note to self: Next time don’t gain 60lbs during pregnancy, you can feed your baby perfectly well with only 30lbs.

For this challenge I have a total of 183 points so far.  And this week we are bringing back water and exercise so I am going to do some serious point getting soon!

I posted my before pictures for you all to see not to long ago so if you want to see me look all puffy and yucky, click here.

1. We had a coupon to all you can eat pizza buffet and it was about to expire
2. It was Halloween and people kept giving me candy
3. I got drunk with my friend and ate a bunch of chips, then hangover food the next day
4. After the hangover food the next day I just was distracted and couldn’t get back on track!!!
5. AGGG someone stop me before this turns into my life again and again.

I have weighted in today, but since I am in rebound from last week I’m not going to count it (178.2) and I’m setting my goal for the upcoming week at 175.  I have to keep this weight loss train rollin down the track there is no loosing sight of the end now that I’m in the second half of the game.

Over at the Body After Baby headquarters, mamanotes.com, the new challenge this week is sleep.  Always a contentious point among mothers as we tend to not get enough sleep so for this weeks challenge each night you sleep at least eight hours you get a point. Maximum points for this week is 7- one point possible for each night from tonight until next Tuesday.

Since we co-sleep I don’t really wake up except for once to bring him to bed with us so I just have to make sure to go to bed with enough time to get 8 hours of sleep.

I only got 100 points this week in sit ups although I wanted to do 50 each night I only did it two nights, I also didn’t work out much at all this week but I was very careful with my diet.

I love the video that Samantha posted on her blog this week because it reminds me of Xander he is totally the not cooperate with your workout kind of baby.  For example yesterday I was going to go walking at the local metro park with a friend from my Mothering Arts group and he was not happy in the sling or the Ergo or the stroller and I ended up walking the last half mile while nursing him which was dificult and uncomfortable plus I ended up flashing a bunch of people who were driving by.  But oh well.

This week I’m going to stick with it and be very diligent on my calorie count and logging my food intake!  I am hoping to weight in at 175 next week!