Going Sugar-Free: One Year Later

About six months ago I let you know how we were doing health wise in regards to the way we were eating and the results we were seeing.  This post had the second highest number of views ever on this blog. I struggle writing about weight because it's tricky--I want people to feel confident just the way they are but I also want them to know that if they want to make a change, they can!

These two photos are the `before' ones and show us last May at our heaviest.  When we measured our waist circumference, we were both considered to have abdominal obesity (>35" for a woman and >40" for a man).

How are we doing a year after reducing the refined sugar and certain carbohydrates (white flour/rice/potatoes) in our home?  How was it going on holidays?  Do we feel like we are missing out?  

Well for starters, we have left the obese zone!  The first few months we were quite strict in limiting our sugars and unhealthy carbohydrates.  After getting to our goal weights, we have been more flexible in how we are eating. During our Las Vegas trip and surprise Disney World trip, I was nervous about how my body would respond to eating more carbohydrates than I was used to.   I did gain 3 lbs throughout those holidays, but once I went back to healthy eating, it came off again until I was at my set weight.  Overall, I would say that our diet is at about 60% less refined sugar than it used to be.

Because we want to be able to have a treat once in a while (okay, pretty much every day), we know that we need to compensate with exercise.  I've been faithful at trying to get my 10,000 steps each day by tracking it with my  Fitbit.   I also run about three times a week for 20-30 minutes each time.  This is not a chore--I love it.  I need it.   Although I am able to maintain my weight this way, I can see that having more treats has increased my bloating.  I would like to be a little bit more serious in the snack department; it's that balance between enjoying life in the short term and yet looking at the long term effects.   

Throughout this past year, we have discovered many new recipes and I'm very thankful that Gary enjoys cooking.  I love that we have opened our eyes to a whole new world of ingredients; who knew that there were so many great vegan recipes out there?  Who knew I would love Quinoa Chips?  Who knew that dates were a great sweetener in recipes (okay, probably everyone who has ever had a date square)?

{Awesome gluten-free Almond, Pistachio & Quinoa Dark Chocolate Bars.  There is sugar in the form of honey and dates but it's much better for you and these bars are so high in protein. This was a special treat.}

I have been able to take off the 18 lbs that I gained over 10 years of marriage and 3 kids.  Gary lost 20 lbs and is even smaller than when we got married!  I feel good.  I love how my clothes fit and I love the energy I have.   As Gary and I get older, I feel a greater desire to take care of these bodies of ours.  I know there is only so much in my control, but if I do my part, that will increase my chances of living a longer, healthier life.  

I am glad that I'm not hard on myself.  I am very content with my size 10 body and don't have any desire to be smaller.  This is where I feel I should be.

This recent photo of Gary and I shows that we are the same size as our wedding day!  I'm appreciative that Gary is on board with this as it would be difficult to do it on my own.  I'm very proud of him; he loves food more than I do and yet has chosen to embrace good-for-you good food.

 The biggest recommendation I will make is to really watch your refined sugar intake--especially in liquid form! Simple, right?   When you fuel yourself with more protein and less sugar then your energy levels can be maintained and you stay fuller longer.  If you are wanting to make a change then I would encourage you to start!  If you have already started, I would love to hear how you are doing.

Love, 

Louise

Weight Loss Update

Back in September I posted about the 9 lbs I had lost.  Now, I've lost an additional 7 lbs.  I have 3 lbs to go before I just want to maintain my weight.  It's the weight I was when we got married and it's where I feel my body should be.   I've never been thin and it's not `me' to be so.

You guys, it's so, so easy or I wouldn't do it.  I'm almost always full because of the protein and I have way more energy from detoxing off sugar.  In the book it mentions that if you are on this plan, then you will have a flat stomach when standing up, and I thought, `There is no way!  I have had three huge pregnancy bellies and diastasis (separation of my abdominal muscles).'.  Well, it's not perfectly flat but wow, the difference is amazing.  I no longer look pregnant.

Besides my jeans fitting so, so nicely, I really notice the change in my face.

I'm not trying to tell you to do this plan but if you are looking to make a change, I recommend it.  For a long time I said `I love carbs (bread, baking, cookies!) and desserts so much, I'm not willing to change my diet'.  But now, I am willing because it works, it's easy, and I love the results.  I'm on it about 85% which is why it's happening slow and steady (Halloween did not help!) Gary's on it maybe 65% and he's noticed a lot of changes too.  When he allows me to take a photo of him, I will show you!

I REALLY don't like this before picture (tell me it's the angle?!) but I just want you to see the difference of `just' 16 lbs.

In this post I talk about the plan if you are curious.   I share this because I love recommendations from others and I definitely recommend reducing sugars (refined, potatoes, white rice, bread) and increasing proteins if you want to feel better and lose weight.

Finally, people have asked me `Are you going to stick with it?' and my answer is `Yes!'.  I think once you make a healthy change, you will just make it part of your life.  It's not hard, I do allow for `cheats' and I feel so much better.  It's like when I used to smoke. Yes, I used to which is so embarrassing.  I was not a heavy smoker but had a few each day.  I quit about 15 years ago and it was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.  I still think about it DAILY but I know I'm much better without it.  It's the same with sugar--it's not good for you.  It feels good going in but doesn't beneift your body.

So, that's where I'm at.  I would encourage you to examine the amount of sugar in your life whether you have weight to lose or not.  Thoughts?

Love,
Louise

I Lost Something

NINE POUNDS! So far.

About two months ago I noticed a friend of mine had lost a significant amount of weight.  I asked her the secret and she told me... `Trim Healthy Mama'.  I'm not into diets.  At all.  I know weight just comes back.  I don't want to obsess over the scale because I spent 10 years doing that.  I was not willing to count calories or deprive myself of what I love (chocolate!).   I felt for the past 2 years that trying to lose these extra 15 lbs was not worth it.  Until now.  It reached the point where clothes were just too snug and I just felt so bloated. 

I've tried several times since Nya has been born to lose weight by exercise alone.  It did not work like it used to!  I don't know if it's my age or hormones or three pregnancies where my belly stretched to astronomical proportions,  but I could not lose the belly weight.  Now it is a priority.

This way of eating is based off a book called `Trim Healthy Mama'.  I will tell you now that the book is huge and I think half of what is written does not need to be in there. I'm an efficient person and it's not written concisely.  That aside, the ideas in it make sense and totally work.  If you have fat + sugar (carbs), then excess energy will be stored in fat cells.   I was definitely storing excess sugar/carbs as fat, mostly in my belly.

What is the plan?  Here is the gist of it (from me skimming the way too long book and putting it into practice):

1. Protein at every meal (I learned in pregnancy that this keeps you full longer!)

2. Eat every 3 hours.

3.  Little to no sugar (this includes white rice, potatoes, most fruit, carrots, etc).  I think this is what has helped to alleviate my bloating the most.

4.  You can have a meal with higher fat but then you must have low carbs.

5.  You can have some carbs (like brown rice, sprouted bread) but then you need low fat.

You can't have high carbs AND high fat.  For specific numbers, a meal with less than 5g of fat can have 20-40g of carbs.  More than 5g fat should have 10g carbs or less.

My old breakfast would be toast and peanut butter.  Now?   Either an omelet (egg with cheese, tomato, green peppers) or Greek yogurt with blueberries.  I also add some Qi'a from Costco (hemp hearts and chia seeds).

My snacks before?  Oh man, I was such a carboholic!  Crackers, cookies, granola bars and muffins  Now? Nuts (I'm allergic to almonds), cucumber, pepper, a cup of berries, a green apple, or some quinoa crackers and hummus.  I always make sure to have a container of nuts in my purse.

I  just adapt our regular meals to make it work for me.  If we have `Taco Tuesday', I omit the wraps and have it on a huge bed of lettuce.   If we are going to have potatoes, veggies and meat, I replace the potato with sweet potato or pureed cauliflower.  If we are going to have a curry or Thai sauce, I just don't have it over rice.  You could put it on brown rice but that is just a slower weight loss.  When we were on holidays with friends, I was probably only able to eat 60% on plan so I gained 1 lb back that week.

For a treat?  I have 85% dark chocolate.  Yes, there is sugar but very little.  Or, I can make my own chocolate with coconut oil, cocoa and a sugar replacement (xylitol).  I'm not really sure how I feel about alternative sweeteners...they taste fine but make me a bit nervous.

This picture is embarrassing because I don't love showing my belly.  However, I do want to celebrate progress.

{6 weeks and 9 lbs down. Yes, I'm getting a hair cut this week.}

Do I miss anything?  I still have about a glass of wine or a beer once a week so that part is okay.  I miss my ice cream.  I know there are low carbohydrate ones out there but I miss the really good stuff.

My plan this fall is to start working out a bit more to aid in the weight loss and toning up.  I want something that I can keep up so we'll see what happens.  I currently run just 3 km two times a week and walk or bike 3 days a week.  My hope is to lose 18 lbs overall to be my pre-kids weight.  It's a huge goal but I'm in no rush, so if it takes 6 months or 6 years, I'm totally fine with it. I love where I am now; my pre Nya weight.

I don't like talking about diets or losing weight BUT I'm sharing it in case it's something you were interested in addressing in your life.   It is the easiest time I've ever had losing weight (well besides when I was sick with a hyperactive thyroid) and I'm not hungry.  I'm trying to be very careful about talking about weight loss around my kids.  Eating healthy? No problem.  Weight loss?  Not a topic I want them exposed to.   Gary, also a carboholic, is on board with eating differently too so we will see how it goes!

Love, 

Louise

Quick Five

1.  After a ridonculous night with Nya on Monday (I went to bed at 11:30pm per usual) and she woke up at 1:19am and was up until 5am!!!!!  She then went back to sleep for 2 hours.  So ya, 4 hours sleep for me. Terrible.  It was because she was sounding pretty croup-ish/barking like a seal.  I have a feeling she has the same sorta respiratory system as Koen.  They just get colds bad. They last forever.  Last night I tried this with her (we had used it for Kai) and I loved it.  Can't say what her night would've been without it, but man, no barking.  It's homeopathic and all natural ingredients.  Sounds good to me!

2.  Usually for me to lose weight, it's a simple A+B=C.  Excercise + Healthy Eating = weight loss and fitness.  Well, I feel like it's now very complicated.  Like a quadratic equation.  The small issues are breastfeeding, a busted jaw (can't eat raw veggies unless I want even more pain), a chronic sinus infection causing fatigue and congestion (3 months!), and time.  The big issue is an autoimmune disease that creates havoc on my hormones/body/thyroid etc.    I'm weak.  I'm sore walking up stairs.  I'm still doing quite well in comparison to last time but man, I want my normal body back.  I think I need a fitness routine which involves minimal cardio and I don't know....my muscle are weak.  I'm thinking yoga would be good.   Anyway, just frustrated.  Thinking it's time to get in shape but not sure how to approach it with all of these variables.  I've got 10 lbs that really need to go to be healthy and fit comfortably in my clothes.  I want to be able to whip out a 5km run and feel fine afterwards.    

3.  Gary and I are doing a fundraiser to raise money for Surrey Christian School as they are building a new primary campus.  For two more weeks, the donations are being matched by an anonymous donor so I really want to donate $1000.00 (and therefore it would really be $2000.00) through this workshop we are putting on.  We have 20 spots and so far 11 are taken.  If you know anyone who would like to get to know their DSLR a bit better, please send them my way!  It may be time to put it on my personal fb page which isn't my favourite thing to do...

4.  I go to a Mom's Group at our church once a week.  Child care for the kids!  Time to drink a coffee and talk with other momma's.  Love it.  We are doing `Grace Based Parenting' and although it's not earth shattering, there's always something to get out of it.  Love that time, once a week, when I get some me time during the day without the kiddos.

5. One of the things my mom gave us before she died was a recipe book with all our favourite recipes. Gary and I have great memories with various food and are planning on making our own little Chapman cookbook for the kids to have.    The problem is taking pictures of these meals (I want a lot of pictures in it!) as once the food is on the table, it's go time!  So ya, that is our plan.  Our goal.  Thirty recipes.  I think I'll just make it via shutterfly or blurb or something.  We'll see.  Maybe we'll have a new edition every few years:)  

All right, time to get to work!  

Love,

Louise

Complainy Pants

**Warning: kind of a complainy post**

I'm tired. And sweaty. And oh so tired. Nya was up at 4:30am for the day. Today Gary photographed a wedding without me:( We've done about 50 of them together so it's strange not to be with him. And to be honest, it's hard to give up `control' of the day. I did one hour of the girls getting ready this morning and it's good that I wasn't gone longer because our super baby was a super fussy baby. Nothing like calling home and hearing your baby screaming. My poor baby is so off today, hope she's okay!

I'm glad I didn't do the wedding though. I would've been so tired and so dehydrated. I start back with full wedding days in August.

Sadly, we did not have a fun time at home today. I can't really take them all to the water park or the beach with Nya right now, especially with me being so tired. If the boys aren't occupied with an activity, they are beating each other up which makes for a long day. Oh well, we made it. Everyone is fed and bathed and just about ready for bed. Gary won't be home until much later.

On days like this, I wish I had my mom to help me out. Oh well, we made it.

And seriously, how long do I have to wear maternity clothes and yoga pants? So frustrating to have 20 extra pounds that aren't going anywhere.

And, to end on a good note. We had a quick visit with my friend Tessa this week. She is wonderful. And unique. And brilliant. We met when we went to an orientation day at UBC and found out we would be living on the same floor. That was, what, 16 years ago? Yikes, we are OLD! I wish we could see each other more often but for now, we'll just follow each other's blogs:)

{With our girls!}

Hope you had a good day!

Love, Louise

PS Anyone know why my posts are so wonky..some paragraphs spaced, some not?

Get Fit: Week Five Check In

Sorry to do this one day late! Gary and I were working in Pemberton and just got back.

The final results for the 5 week challenge (which I'm actually just going to keep going on) is:

Weight: total loss of 6lbs (very happy with this! Would like to lose about 4 more just for some wiggle room). This was on Monday before we left on a three day trip with zero exercise besides walking around.

Fitness: no where near where I would like it to be. I can run 20 minutes comfortably but would like to continue exercising (elliptical, 30 day shred, yoga, running) so that I can run at least 30 minutes comfortably. I also want to get into shape for football which starts in just a few months.

Food: this is the biggest thing for me. I want to continue to make smart decisions while allowing for a small daily indulgence. This has made all the difference to my weight loss.

How was your weigh in this week? Your activity level? Boy, was it a food filled week! I am going to continue trying to get healthier but I'm not sure if I will have `Check Ins' each week. I'm thankful that a bunch of you were on board with getting healthier, it def. made me stick to a plan. Yay for getting more fit and losing a few pounds!

Get Fit: Week Four Check In

Well. We've been sick here. I've pretty much been sick for 2.5 of the 4 weeks that we've been doing this. I managed to exercise 5 days this week so not bad. I lost that last 0.5lbs for a total of 5lbs. I'm no where near as fit as I would like to be as this whole chest infection turned into a mass buildup in my sinuses that feels like it's coming out of my ears. Anyway, I'm liking the way I'm looking and thinking that 10 more pounds isn't really realistic (my married weight) so in the end, I'd like to just lose 5 more. That would be easier to maintain.

I have no idea how I'm avoiding most of this amazing food out there. This will be the most challenging week by far. Two huge Christmas dinners in a row (the week after has New Years Eve and then Koen's birthday party). Why wasn't this just a 4 week challenge? If I can be healthy these next two weeks, I will be my own hero:)

{this is from a few months ago but every post needs a picture:)}

In other news...Koen is sick. For two weeks he has been coughing and super congested. The problem is that he can't get a good night sleep so I've been holding him, in the recliner, for an hour or two each night. He's been up since 4am today. We are tired. In his crib, he will just cry and cry for me (which is NOT like him at all). I keep thinking that he will get better so I never booked a doctor's appointment. Besides, what's he going to say? Yes, it's going around, nothing you can do. I don't want Koen on antibiotics because last time he was on it, it was terrible. We have an appointment in two hours, we'll see what he says. We bought a better (super expensive but on for half price!!) humidifier today so hopefully that helps. I'm just worried because Gary and I are going to Pemberton for a wedding next week and I want Koen to be all better before we go. Also, I'm nervous it's going to turn into an ear infection.

Get Fit: Week Three Check In

I don't really want to let you know how this week went because it was bad. I was sick. Like, only worked out 2 days this week. Fortunately I am feeling quite a bit better, maybe 75%, so I'm back at the elliptical again. I do 20 minutes during the day with the kids awake (their limit of behaving nicely while I work out) and 20 minutes at night while they are in bed. Not ideal shower wise, but it seems to work best. I'm not ready to run yet. It's hard for me mentally because I was supposed to be so much further along fitness wise at this point but that week and half rest was detrimental to that. Oh well.

Scale says I lost 0.5 lbs and I'll take it. At least there was no gain. So far, in three weeks, it's been 4.5lbs. I'll take it. I just really have another extra 10lbs on me that I would love to shed over the next few months. I would also love to be able to do 5km no problem at all. Just takes time. Need to be patient. Need to stay healthy!

I'm making cake pops tomorrow so let's see how strong my will power is then:)

How was your week?

Get Fit: Week Two Check In

How was it for you??? I have been fighting a chest infection so my body has been really tired and I've been listening to it.

Exercise: I still managed to do the elliptical for 20-40 minutes a day, one run, and one Jillian workout. I took one day off.

Food: I have to say that I have been doing really well and it's just because we have no baking in our house:) Poor Gary!!

Weight: I have maintained the 4lb weight loss and lost nothing else. My goal from here is to lose 1lb per week because I think that is realistic. My blood tests shows that for the second month in a row, my thyroid hormones are in the normal range. Awesome.

Looking Forward: I would love to go for at least 2 runs this week but need to get healthy first!

Let me know how you are doing! As my brother in law, Tyler, mentioned...each pound lost around this time of year is really like two pounds lost because of what you might have gained during this food filled time:)

PS To lose 1lb per week, you need to decrease you caloric intake by 500 calories/day. I guess that means I could just increase my exercise to burn off 500 calories/day.

Get Fit: Week One Check In

How did you all do? What kind of exercise did you do? Meal changes? What did the scale say (last night or today?)

Exercise: I worked out a minimum of 40 minutes per day, for 6 days. It was mostly elliptical as we have one in our house and I'm trying to work up some kind of fitness level before running more and getting back to my Jillian Michael's workout:)

Food: I thought a lot more about what I was eating and was pretty smart about it. I snacked on carrots, apples and oranges instead of cookies and muffins. I did allow myself one small `treat' per day (home made hot chocolate, piece of chocolate etc).

Fitness: I feel much better already. Running up the stairs feels easier already. I went for a 15 minute jog and it was great!

Scale: Okay, so you first have to understand that I'm not normal. My Graves' Disease makes my body weight fluctuate drastically depending on my hormones. For example, in two weeks from now, I will normally put on about 5lbs so it will be interesting to see if I can keep it off/prevent any weight gain. From one week ago, I have lost 4lbs. This whole trying to get fit while having GD is going to be a whole new experience for me, that's for sure!

Can't wait to hear about your week!! Let me know!!

`Get Fit' Begins

I have been challenged by several people, particularly my brother in law, to join in a 5 week, 5lb plan. I really need to lose a lot more than 5lbs but I'll start with that. I will weigh in each Monday and let you know how it's going. To start with, I weigh a billion pounds. Really, I weigh as much as I did when Koen was born. Yuck. The past two days I have worked out for 1 hour, but it has been indoors due to the weather (oh my goodness, I am not a person who enjoys weather below ZERO degrees, this is RIDICULOUS!!!). Elliptical, push ups, sit ups, weights etc. There's no prize (except for pride!), but you know, you could comment and let me know how your 5 week challenge is going! We will do the final weigh in on December 26th:) Both Tyler and I weighed in last night and the scale wasn't pretty for either of us. Being that it is over the Christmas holidays, it will be trickier, but I think that means we will just make wiser decisions. Right?!

No more excuses. It's time. I need to feel healthier because I know it translates to all areas of my life. Even if I don't lose 5lbs (yikes, I hope I lose at least 5lbs), at least I'll feel better.

Happy exercising!!

Love, Louise

Because I Can

My mom used to put on her wedding dress on anniversaries and we LOVED it! I'm not sure I'll fit into it by that time (May) so I put it on now. I'm lighter than I was when we got married, solely due to my thryoid, so it fits wonderfully.

Kai loved it. I had to put it on twice yesterday for him:)
My dad is getting married tomorrow. For those that don't know, my mom passed away 3.5 years ago. I'm happy for them and know they will have a fabulous weekend. I have to say that my hormones are pretty crazy these days so who knows how I'll be. I'll be honest, it's easier not to ever think of my mom. Isn't that sad? Someone that I love so much, I choose not to think of. If I do think of her, it's just overwhelmingly sad.
Kai is bringing something fun down the aisle so let's hope he does a good job. There's no rehearsal so we will see!

Phew

Okay, so this will be a random post but here we go.

Fitness Journey:
I am still eating healthy and exercising regularly (yay for family jogs!) but am taking a break from trying to lose any weight. I am expending too many calories right now exercising and breastfeeding so I just can't afford to lose any more weight right now. Once I'm done breastfeeding (I'm assuming in about 4 more months), I will work hard to lose the last 7.5lbs. Overall, I am very happy with my 12.5 lb weight loss in 10 weeks. I exceeded my goal by 2.5 lbs! I am back on my prenatal vitamins so hopefully that helps with energy levels.



Koen:
I don't want to jinx it but he has slept through the night 3 of the last 5 nights. It's about time if you ask me:) He has started to love eating a lot more and Gary steamed a ton of sweet potatoes today for him so we'll have to try that tomorrow. Koen is still a very bad sleeper (usually sleeps about 2 X 45 minutes per day) but I have to say that he is so happy-go-lucky that I don't mind having him awake. He has a difficult time going down to sleep at night and usually he will fall asleep around 9pm. I feel a big bump on his upper gums but no sign of a tooth yet...I know how long this process can take! He can go from sitting to laying on his tummy to going on all fours and rocking. He is a very active little fellow. I LOVE this stage as he can sit and squeal and play with his toys!




(By the way, the reason I asked who his favourite auntie was is because he told me earlier that he wishes auntie Maria was his mom because she has such a cool van).

Kai:
Has been busy playing with cousins and friends over the past few days. He is learning a difficult lesson about sharing his toys with his brother. He is still most fascinated with trucks, trains, and cars. His favourite foods are carrot sticks, grapes, and watermelon. He wants a car themed birthday so that should be easy to do. Last year was really low key as we just took him to the zoo. This year we'll probably have a party because he LOVES playing with all his little buddies.


Gary:
He is enjoying being home but I think he is slowly realising summer holidays aren't really a holiday because its busy with the kids from 7am-9pm each night. We did enjoy a lovely family jog yesterday morning, hopefully many more to come. Gary plans on doing a lot of professional development in the photography this summer and has already gotten started on it. It is very interesting having a photography business together. It works VERY well 95% of the time, but the other 5%, we def. argue in editing over what makes a photo a good one or not:)



Nerds:

(Eva and Micah love the little babies, which is a good thing, because they are expecting a little brother or sister in a couple of months!).


Been hanging out with our nerd friends and for a recap of who these people are, check out Melissa's blog. This has been really fun for all of us as we all have people to connect with.



(Some of the mini nerds, we're missing 5 other kids in this picture and a few more are on the way)

Teaching: next year I'm teaching Chemistry 11 (instead of Biology 11) and Science 9. I've never taught Chem 11 before, so, this summer I'm going through the whole course so I'll hopefully be an expert by the time I return!

Weddings:
Had our first wedding of the summer and it went really well. It's been tiring editing 1500+ pictures the past few days but I'm the kind of person who likes to work hard and get it done sooner than later...especially with another wedding this Saturday we don't want to get behind.



(This picture just shows how massive the wedding party was! Hopefully I'll have some pictures posted by Wednesday on our GC Photography site.)


Life:
I'm doing very well but feel a little fragile. Like, if I hear one more piece of bad news, I might lose it. I don't even know what `losing it' would look like. Not sure, just a feeling. Maybe I would take it really well. I don't know, we'll see! But seriously, I'm totally fine. I could also delve into my thoughts a lot more...thoughts like...one of the reasons I might not want to have another baby is because with the genes I have, I could get cancer and be dead in 5 years. I would've spent the last five years of my life being pregnant and breastfeeding (which isn't a bad thing) instead of getting out, experiencing life and getting onto the next stage in life with my family. Does this sound extreme? Does this sound crazy? Maybe to you, but to me, things like cancer do not surprise me anymore. I know any of us could die at any time but unfortunately, the rain has come down on my parade over the past 5 years and I think I'm just realistic. I'm totally not depressed or pessimistic. I do love my life and my family and pray that I will have a long, happy life with my family here on Earth. I totally trust God and His plan for our lives and would say I'm not worried, I just have to learn to not think about `what could be'.

Week 10: Fitness Journey

Wow. I could not believe the scale this morning. Is Gary changing it somehow to make me a happier wife?
Weight loss this week: 2lbs (total of 12.6 lbs)
Body fat loss: 0.2% (total of 2%)

I am more than happy with this and a little nervous. Why? Can I keep it off? Can I actually get rid of the weight that I had left over after Kai was born? Is there something wrong with me? Part of me doesn't want to lose any more because I know I could easily maintain where I am now. What about when I stop breastfeeding, how will that affect things?

The goal is to lose 7.4 more lbs which seems realistic when I see what I have done so far. Still sticking to my raw veggies throughout the day and seriously, my longest run this week was only 2.5km's which took about 14 minutes of full out running. I have been checking out the calories and fat of almost everything I've been eating but still trying to stay laid back about the numbers. I am very thankful that I am able to actually lose weight with diet and exercise as I know some people do all the right things and the scale doesn't change. I have to say though that I have felt very tired lately. I don't know why that is if I am eating so well and staying active. I actually even took a pregnancy test (it was about to expire and I didn't want to waste it). I'm not pregnant but I feel like I am, that's how tired I am. Maybe its the warm weather? Maybe it was our long road trip?

In other news, I'm getting my `new' camera (off craigslist) today and I'm very excited! I'm pretty cheap in all areas of my life but somehow spending the amount we do on cameras and lenses doesn't phase me anymore:) I guess because its for our business and we will be working hard this summer! I will have it in my hands at 3:30pm today....woohoo!

Week 9: Journey to Being Fit

Weight loss this week: 0.6lbs (total 10.6lbs)
Body fat % loss this week: 0 (total 1.8%)

Fit tips of the week:
-Eating lots of raw carrots and cucumbers as snacks. Kai loves it too. We have a bowl at every meal.
-When I have icecream (my dairy allowance of the day due to Koen's possible allergy), I have a small bowl with a very small spoon.
-Only drink water. No juice. I do wish I could drink high calorie drinks but water is best!

And a bit about Koen:
-he is grabbing at everything...the newspaper, remote, my necklace and clothes, our food etc.
-he loves eating food. Loves bananas, applesauce, and pears (pureed). Hmmm...someone isn't getting his veggies yet. I know their is an order you are `supposed' to introduce food but this time I am so much more laid back about it...besides, what you are `supposed' to do is always changing:)
-solid foods are sooooo good for his digestive system and sleeping longer. This is too much info but his poop is almost yellow for the first time in his 5 month life. It is supposed to be yellow but his has always been green because it moves through his large intestine too quickly.
-I love him so much. He makes me smile with his goofy slobbery grin. He is a goofball. 100% awesomeness.

And Kai...
Today Kai sat beside me on the couch, grabbed my hand, and said `Mommy, you're great'. I asked him why he thought that and he said, `Because you are so nice'. He never talks like that to me. Also, I was suprised since I had been telling him all day that he was driving me BONKERS.

Time for bed...we've got a big road trip ahead of us! Praying for safe travels and no puking in the van.

Week 8: Journey to Fitness Celebration!!

I don't know what happened but the scale isn't lying because I feel good and all my clothes fit! This morning, the scale said the following:
Weight loss: 2.6 lbs (total 10lbs!!!!)
Body fat loss: 0.4% (total 1.8%)
I don't know what happened this week but I think the heat helped. The only thing I did differently this week was increase my fruits and veggies like crazy. I've been eating them for snacks throughout the entire day. Watermelon, canteloupe, carrots, cucumbers, apples etc. I even worked out 4 times this week, instead of 6. I even had dessert each night (ice cream or cake). Yippee!!!
Last night we had a family run. Gary pushed Kai and I pushed Koen. I think we will be buying a nice double jogging stroller (and I mean really nice) and then we can train together. If Gary pushes the kids, then we will be even. Train for what? We'll start with a 10km one and go from there...Gary has never run a half marathon and I think he would do really well with some training so we will see! Gary's done school next week so we will have tons of time to run together. He still has exams etc but still, my husband will be home for 2 months!
Also, I just need to say that Koen slept through the night. 9pm til 6am. I knew he could do it!
What a wonderful, fabulous start to the day!

Week 7: Fit Journey

Weight Loss: 0.6lbs (total of 7.4lbs)
Body fat % loss: 0.2% (total of 1.4%)

It seems that for the past 3 weeks, I've just been losing half a pound per week so this is going to take a little longer than I thought but that's okay. I'm just really happy to be fitting into all of my old clothes so even if I didn't lose anything else, I would be totally fine with it. I have a feeling that once I'm done breastfeeding my body will change a lot more...
Did you know that you burn up to 500 calories a day breastfeeding? I'd say at the rate I'm doing it, I'm def. burning 500:)

Week 6: Journey to Being Fit Again

Bad week. Can I make excuses? We were away all weekend. I did get a run and long walk/hike in while we were there but ya...not so good. Also, I have a nasty cold and I think the mucus alone weighs 1lb.

Weight lost this week: 0.4lbs (total 6.8lbs)

Body fat % lost this week: 0 (total 1.2%)

I'm not discouraged. I know that I need to run more. As soon as Gary gets home, I'm outta here:)



*there is another new post below*

Week 5: Journey to Being Fit Again

I was so scared that I would gain weight this week. Gary has been gone all week AND I only worked out 5 days AND I had no football practice. I have decided that I am going to continue working out 6 days a week, even after the 10 weeks because:
a. I love it
b. I need it
c. I am making a new goal. My desire is to be pre-Kai weight before Koen turns 1. I don't want to lose any more than a total of 20 lbs because it would be too hard to maintain and besides, Gary likes a, um, how do you say it...`enough meat on the bones' type build. No skinny girl for him. Phew!

So, DRUMROLL PLEASE!!!!! This was a slow week, and I think it has to do with the above factors and because the last few weeks I lost about 1.5 lbs each. I wish I had a better number to post but...
Weight lost this week: 0.6 lbs (total of 6.4 lbs )
Body fat % lost this week: 0.1% (total of 1.2%)

I know I could've lost more if I had only been able to go on my long run yesterday but alas, I was stuck in the house with 2 sick kids. I did my work out video twice yesterday but I find I don't work up the same kind of sweat. Oh well, next week will just be a biggie! On a more positive note, I have totally improved my running time and am approaching my pre pregnancy time. I used to be able to run 5km in 27 minutes and now I'm at about 31 minutes...getting closer!

Kai. Such a character. He hasn't really learned anything new lately. Because he knows all his letters and can tell me how to spell a word if I sound it out, I thought he might like to learn how to write. He does not. He isn't into colouring and writing so I guess I won't push it. He liked it when we `played' math the other day. We were adding and subtracting cars and he asked if we could play math again the next day.

Kai REALLY loves it if you tell him stories. Loves the three little pigs. Loves anything you make up as long as there are a lot of his favourite things in it. Not so sure what he thought about auntie Jackie's made up story of Roberto Luongo as a kid growing up on the streets of Russia?!

(Julie-Ann, if you are reading this, this jacket is from your mom and it's so cute!)

Here's Chubs getting ready to go on a walk. I LOVE that he will sit quietly in the stroller. He loves looking around and will just drift off to sleep after about 45 minutes. I love walking so I'm so glad I can easily walk with the two of them. He is now in 12 month sleepers and just looks so big to me!

After the walk. He actually looks a bit like Kai here so maybe they have similar eyes and noses? A sleeping baby is just so precious. One reason I would want another baby is because they just grow up too fast. Especially Chapman babies, they just get too big, too fast so they don't look like babies (I know this is a healthy good thing by the way and that I am truly blessed with thriving babies). But ya, we are still 75% sure that our family is complete. Was I at 85% before? Hmmmmmm.....

I'm going to miss these pudgy little hands as he grows up. Aren't they just yummy?! I wish they would stay small and pudgy forever....but that would look strange:) I have to say that the nights this week have been absolutely terrible. He was up 4 times last night at least and two of those time were for dirty diapers....that shouldn't be happening at night anymore. I didn't feed him each time, I just rolled him over and walked out. I think. I have no idea. He does have a cold again (isn't a breastfed baby supposed to have a better immunity?!!!) which is probably while he was being cranky earlier this week and why he is up so much? I am utterly exhausted, especially because Gary is gone and I'm going it alone. I had a sister and bro-in-law come by on Tuesday so I could go on a run and even them just holding Koen made my life so much easier.

This is a Chicken Samosa Pie. If you love samosa's, you will love this. Gary made it for me before he left so I would have a few meals. That's one nice thing about a guy that cooks, I find a recipe and he makes it if I want!

PS There is a space for comments below:) You just click on the link and write something like `Mmm..that food looks good!' `I hope Koen sleeps better tonight!' `Hope you get a good run in this week!' `Chubs is cute'. So, if you don't know what to say, pick one! There are over 100 people who read this per day and generally just 2 comments. Hmmmmmm....

Week 4: Journey to Being Fit Again

Had my `last chance workout' last night (if you watch The Biggest Loser you know what I mean) and I'm surprised by how much weight I lost this week because last week was a big one.

Weight Loss: 1.4 lbs (total of 5.8.lbs)

Body fat percent loss: 0.5% (total of 1.1%)

I feel strange. I've had stages in my life where I worked out a lot harder but it was always to get in shape and not to lose weight. From the ages of 22-26 my weight did not change. I've never actively tried to lose weight but it's working. I am working out 6 days a weeks so I'm glad that there are results. I haven't changed my eating all that much so I'm glad that the exercise is doing it. I love working out and am so thankful that I am able to find time in my day to do it. Just 5.2 lbs left til preKoen weight...I'm thinking this is possible!

Please feel free to leave me a `Way to go!' or `Good stuff!':)