Lose Weight Now

In case you haven’t noticed I have not posted on here in awhile. My life has just been hectic lately. I have been trying to work from home more and taking on more clients while at the same time trying to watch my two little ones, trying to fit in exercise, see my husband every once in awhile and get a couple hours of sleep. Well, you can guess what got put on the back burner? Exercise and sleep.. two very important things.

So, I have made the resolution again that I am getting back on track. The weather is getting nicer (thank goodness) and I am trying to make a schedule out for working at home and getting everything else accomplished. Losing this weight is not a choice, it is a must.

One good thing though, is that during these past 2 weeks of getting off track, I have not gained any weight, so at least I did not put myself behind. So, I have 2 pounds to lose within the next 13 days to reach my first goal. That is so doable and I can do it. How has everyone else been doing with their weight loss?

As I mentioned before, I have all kinds of different sizes in my closet from when I was pregnant and afterwards. The lowest size that I have in my closet is a 6, which is were I would love to be again by the end of the year. When I look at my closet it actually makes me sick. First of all, the money that I have had to spend on different size clothing could have been better spent on buying one or two sizes and actually getting use out of them. Secondly, I look at my size 6 pants and dresses and I get so discouraged. They are probably half of what I am now. I can’t even pull the pants up past my thighs.

 Now, I know that I just had a baby less than 3 months ago, but this is not all baby weight. I have mentioned before that I gained honeymoon weight as well. Sometimes my weight loss just seems like too big of a task. I am only 2 pounds away from my first goal but yet I can’t get the bigger picture out of my mind. I am 22 pounds away from my pre-pregnancy weight and 45 pounds away from ultimate goal. It just feels like it’s just too much to handle.

 I know I am the same person who told everybody to concentrate on short term goals, but it is so much easier to give advice than actually take your advice. So, I have placed my size 6 pants out were I can see to motivate me. I am going to turn this around and use them to motivate me instead of frustrate me.

I also vow not to go shopping again for clothes, unless it is something that I need (like maybe a new dress for Easter), until I can fit into a size 8 again. This way I will not waste money, because I am not going to be this size for long!

I can’t believe it is already week 8 and it’s going to be March already! I’m still longing for that warm spring weather to come.

Here are the stats for this week:

Despite all of your efforts to lose weight, it is bound to happen that you are going to hit a weight loss plateau and your weight loss will stall. This is the point in the weight loss program that so many people quit. When the scale stops moving, so do people. It can get quite frustrating, as I have been there. I think anybody who has ever tried to lose weight has been there. The key is to move on and get through it. You may be surprised that it may just take one little tweak to your program and you will be back to losing weight in no time.

Here are some ways that you can get over that weight loss plateau and start losing weight again:

1. Keep a food journal for a couple of days and see exactly what you eat. Sometimes you may not realize that you are eating too much, as little snacks add up. Or maybe you are not eating enough. Your calories should never be below 1,000 a day as this will only stall your metabolism and send it into starvation mode. If you are eating too much, cut out an extra 200 calories a day to start and see if that gets you losing weight again.

 2. If you haven’t done so already, add weight training to your exercise routine. Having muscle will actually help you burn more fat when you are just sitting on the couch relaxing or when you are sleeping. Muscle raises your metabolic rate as it takes more energy to sustain muscle than fat.

3. Simply add 10 more minutes of cardio to your routine. You don’t even have to add it into your regular routine, but can add 10 more minutes later in the day. Instead of running for 2 miles, try running for 3 instead. If you workout to a DVD, do the DVD and then do some jump roping or go for a walk also. Simply adding about 30-40 more minutes of cardio in a weight, can trigger more weight loss.

4. Try something new. This may mean a new healthy food or a new form of exercise. Losing weight may become common place and every once in awhile you need to shake it up a little bit. Don’t get bored. If you are bored, then you may not be putting in a full effort, which could be the cause for the plateau. Be creative and do something new.

I have been bad lately. I have been procrastinating about exercising every day for the past week of so. I keep saying that I will do it when my husband gets home from work, or after dinner, or when the kids fall asleep… guess what? Before I know it, it’s 10:00 at night and I then really don’t feel like exercising.

I think it’s just the actual starting up of the exercise that just makes me not want to do it lately. Because once I get going, I have no problem continuing and exercising. I actually enjoy exercising once I start. So, what is my problem?

I think that I just have so much to do, as I am still pursuing freelance writing and have been getting more and more clients, which means more work and less time to exercise. But it also means more money and less stress in my life. I think that I just have to establish a balance, between writing, exercising, taking care of the kids and house, and finding time to sleep and relax. I’m working on it but  it just seems like there is never enough hours in the day.

I really was not looking forward to stepping on the scale today. I know that my eating was horrible the past couple of days. I had way too many treats and not enough exercise. But, to my surprise, it wasn’t bad at all!

Here are the stats:

 I am definitely happy with losing a pound this week considering the circumstances and how bad I was eating for about 2 days or so. I promise that I am getting back on track and wouldn’t it be great if I lost the 3 pounds and met my goal next week. That would a month early that I met the goal if it does happen. I know that this is supposed to be a lifestyle change, but I guess there is always going to be those days where you want that ice cream or you have that unsatisfying hunger. I just have to move on and get back on with it.

 I was going over my goals that I had wrote down for my weight loss and it seems that I am still ahead in my progress, so I need to stay ahead and not fall behind. That’s why it is so important to have your goals written down so you can look at them every once in awhile and get re-motivated.

 Last night on the episode of The Biggest Loser” only to teams were given access to the gym. The rest of the teams had to workout in other places and without the gym equipment. It was interesting as to what the trainers Bob and Jillian came up with to workout the contestants. From aerobics class-like workout to lifting lawn furniture, the contestants did it all and without a gym.

This just proved that it is possible to workout and lose weight without joining a gym. The funny thing was that the couple that fell below the yellow line as one of the teams that had the access to the gym. Utilizing the things that you have at home or are free to you is a great way to get your exercise in.

Here are some ideas on how to workout without a gym that don’t cost any money.

*Take some soup cans or water jugs and do your circuit training or weight lifting with them.

*Take a brisk walk or run depending on your physical ability.

*Go to the park and play a sport such as basketball, tennis or even extreme Frisbee

*Lift the lawn furniture like they did on The Biggest Loser

*Visit a track at your local high school or community college and do different sets of calisthenic such as lunges around the track, running backwards and skipping.  The different moves will work different parts of your body rather than just walking or running.

*Run up and down stairs at a stadium or park near your home.

*Dance to your radio and let yourself go!

Not joining a gym is no reason to not exercise and lose weight!

Research has shown that exercise can be a mood booster. Not only will exercise help you to lose weight but it will make you feel better about yourself. When you exercise your body releases endorphins, which are proven to help improve a person’s mood. Endorphins basically make your body excited. Endorphins are the chemicals in your body that make you feel good. It is almost like a natural high.

When you get your heart rate up during exercise, the body releases these endorphins due to the “fight or flight” instinct that everybody has. When we are faced with an obstacle, which includes a raised heart rate, our body makes more endorphins to either fight or flight.

So, when you are having a bad day or your feel down and depressed, those are the days that you should make it a point to exercise. That is when you need it the most. Regular daily exercise can actually make you a happier person all around. It helps to fight stress, boredom, depression, and anxiety. So, when you exercise you aren’t just helping your weight loss you are helping your mind and your whole body.

So, what are you waiting for? Go and exercise!

When trying to lose weight you should not live or die by the number on the scale. In fact, I know people who don’t even own a scale but have been successful in losing weight and keeping it off.  What works for them is judging their weight loss with their clothing. Now, this may not work if you have a lot of weight to lose, but if you are only looking to lose maybe 10-15 pounds this may be a good idea for you.

Take for example, in the past 3 weeks I have gone from one size being tight and now that are lose and I even got into a size smaller. (I have a whole range of sizes from a size 16-8 from losing weight and pregnancies) Maybe your pants fit a little loser than they did last week. This is a good sign that you are losing inches and weight.

 Also, you can take clues from your clothing for when you need to lose weight. Is your favorite pair of jeans getting a little snug? That could be a sign that you may need to get back on track with healthy eating and exercise.

Remember, you step on that scale, don’t let that judge your success. There are many factors to weight loss. Some people may lose inches and tone up their body but only shed a couple of pounds.

Photo Credit: elkojote@www.sxc.hu

Another week, another weigh in.  I can’t believe that February is almost half way over. Spring is coming soon and I can’t wait!

Here’s the stats for the week:

Woohoo, I lost another 3 pounds. I was trying to the math today, which I am horrible at, and ti reach my goal of losing all the 65 pounds of baby weight by 6 months, I have to average a weight loss of 1.5 pounds a week. That is completely doable and got me motivated to do it even faster now.

Pacificcoastnews.com

I was reading an article about Tori Spelling saying how much easier it was the second time around to lose the weight and that she didn’t have to try, it just fell off. Those types of articles make me so mad. Have you seen how skinny Tori Spelling is now. She is actually one of the celebrities that have turned sickly skinny. There is no way the weight just fell off. I hat e when celebrities say that the weight just fell off, they are giving young girls and woman such a bad influence. When you are overweight, you feel bad enough about yourself, but then these celebrities come and are like it’s so easy to lose weight. I don’t have to do anything. They should just keep their mouths shut. Just my little vent for the day!