Another lb down

I am now 1 stone lighter than I was when Christopher was 4 days old. So roughly 1 stone lost in 2 months. That is a good steady weight loss and one I am pleased with! I hope it can continue at around the same rate, if so, I will reach my first major goal by the time Christopher is 6 months old, and will have done the (almost) 3 stone lost in half the time I alloted myself.

My first mini goal is to weigh 13 stone and 7lb by Christmas, which, as I currently weigh 13 stone 11lb, I have 1 month to lose 4lb. Which at my current rate of 7lb a month, is completely do-able.

During the last week we have had Robert's birthday, we've had a meal out and have had party food and birthday cake, as well as (I believe) a batch of home made flapjack at around 200 calories a piece, and I tried unsuccessfully to limit myself to 2 pieces a day! So, I was expecting a gain, and my scales acting up meant that I stepped on them 4 times and each time showed a different weight, but twice showed around the 193lb mark so I have put it down as that.

This week I am trying my hardest to make sure I do not snack (and if I do, on something healthy, like a single piece of fruit, or similar). And I will try and start eating salads for lunch again. I took a fancy to egg and tuna mayonnaise salads while pregnant with Christopher so will be trying those again.

The meal planning is going well, when it comes to a meal that there isn't any of in the freezer, I try and cook a large batch of it when Jonathan is home, or he cooks it, and then any extra portions go into the freezer for the next time it's on the menu! It seems to be working in the way that we're not cooking food every evening, quite often all we need to do is get 2 tubs out of the freezer, and put them into the microwave for 10 minutes, and hey presto! The tubs constitute a fairly generous but not too large a portion, so that's a good way of regulating our portions as well.

I've read a lot in newspapers about how if you diet, your children are more likely to diet and have issues with their weight as well. It makes me wonder, what constitutes a diet? How rigid does it have to be before it becomes "a diet" in the way many people think of it "Oh, I'm going on a diet after Christmas" and so on.

For me, I don't see what I am doing as "a diet". Yes, I am making diet changes, and watching what I eat, but I am not counting calories, not disallowing myself this and that. I think for me, my "diet" is changing habits, changing my eating routines and trying to break down problem eating. If I am not rushed off my feet doing this and that, I find myself wandering into the kitchen, opening the fridge, or the cupboards. Which is NOT GOOD! When I find myself wandering into the kitchen now, I try my hardest not to open the cupboards or fridge, instead I put the kettle on and make myself a cup of tea, or make myself a glass of squash, and drink that instead. If I actually feel hungry, then I will get myself a piece of fruit, or a small bowl (and I mean small - I use one of Robert's) of cereal. Or a yoghurt.

Fingers crossed that by being strict with myself on the snacking, I will be pleasantly surprised next week. I am hoping for a reading of 191 lb or lower on the scales next Wednesday.

I am determined. This time I will lose the weight. Not by a fad diet, but by making changes I can see myself keeping, therefore I won't pile it back on again.

This is my inspiration: me, at a size 12, weighing around 150lbs or so, back in July 2001. When Jonathan and I were just going out.

4 days ago

I put my weight down as 198.5lb 4 days ago, although I wasn't wearing a top, so technically I suppose I was 199lb. Having stayed the same for 2 weeks I figured enough was enough, and to try and find the cause, and I think the problem is that I tend to eat with boredom, which isn't good. Whenever I've had the urge to snack since then I've tried to drink a pint of squash instead, and make sure anything I do snack on is healthy. I didn't buy any chocolate last week so I've not had that to snack on.

I did a sneaky weigh in today (I usually have been weighing in on a Wednesday) and I weighed just under 196lb! Which is 14 stone exactly, and back to my pre-pregnancy weight. The lowest weight I got down to between pregnancies was 13 stone 8lb, so I'm aiming for 13 stone 7lb by Christmas, which is about 1lb a week loss.

We have also been getting meal ideas down for me to draw up a fortnightly meal plan, and hopefully that'll lead to fewer takeaways and easy solutions and by focussing on portion size hopefully that'll lead to a few more lbs lost.

Here's hoping Christmas doesn't bring about too much of a weight gain - we won't be going overboard on buying special foods, so it'll just be rationing any chocolate or goodies got for Christmas. It would be lovely to have lost a dress size or two by summer.... And to get down all those size 14 clothes from the loft!

Goal of 24.9 BMI

Well I have a goal to get to a BMI of 24.9 by October 2011. I am currently 30.5 BMI, down from 31.5 BMI at the beginning of October, so that's 1 BMI lose in 1 month. If I can continue the trend hopefully I'll be down to my goal in another 6 months time.

My second son is now 5 and a half weeks old. I lost a lot of weight within the first 2 weeks of his birth, and now weight loss has slowed considerably. Possibly because my appetite has increased again, possibly because the first two weeks I've been getting rid of pregnancy water levels. But either way I now need a kick up the backside. I need to stop snacking so much during the day (Boredom eating!! If I'm not absolutely rushed off my feet I snack!), and just get on with what needs doing. More housework (if I can manage it with a newborn... I'm not going to make it a priority, but definitely going to try and do more to burn those extra few calories!), more walks.

I'm breastfeeding two growing boys now, so I should be dipping into my fat stores nicely, yet somehow the weight isn't dropping off, so it must be a problem with how much I am eating.

First stop - snack less.
Second stop - smaller portion sizes.
Third stop - fewer takeaways and meals out.
Fourth stop - less indulgence, ie: less homemade flapjack!!!!

I am going to try and get a meal plan drawn up before the week is out. Fill it with interesting meals, and just ONE takeaway planned each fortnight. Hopefully this will limit my time in the kitchen, and keep what time I am in the kitchen as being busy, so hands are less likely to wander into the fridge! Also will make sure that we are getting more healthy meals, and hopefully limit our portion sizes somewhat, especially if I make enough to portion out for extra meals!

I didn't buy any chocolate this week. I bought cake ingredients, simply because it's Robert's birthday coming up this month. But I figure if it's not in the house I can't eat it, and if I do want something sweet, I have to make it myself which is time consuming and therefore it's less likely to get made ;)

Today I have been trying to watch myself with what I eat. I am trying to drink a glass of fruit squash (no added sugar) whenever I get the urge to snack.

Today I have eaten a bowl of cereal (cranberry wheats) and a cup of tea for breakfast.

Snack over the course of the morning, a few grapes each time (so probably about 10 or so), and just under half a banana.

Lunch was half a round of sandwiches, dairylea and ham, on wholegrain bread.

I've drank probably 2 pints of squash today as well.

I am not hungry... but then I rarely get to actually feeling hungry before I eat. I want to try and actually FEEL hungry before I eat something, rather than just topping up constantly during the day.

Tonight I will be making a risotto with sausage, tomatoes, onion and pepper, and hopefully it'll be nice and filling, without having too huge a portion.

Next Wednesday, I really want to see 196lb come up on the scales. Which will bring me to 14 stone, and my pre-pregnancy weight.