The Weight is Over- Update

**disclaimer: I’m writing this down not because I think anyone cares, but because I want it recorded for myself.**

My baby weight is gone.

Finally.

It only took 14 months to get there, but I got there.

I don’t like the gym (it’s about #94 out of 100 on the list of places I like to be), and with a full time job, a hubby who has a demanding job and a toddler, I don’t have much “me” time so working out just hasn’t worked its way into my life.

Yes, it took me 14 months, and no I do not believe (or appreciate) all the celebs out there that are “shockingly slim” 5 weeks after baby and coo in interviews about “how it just seemed to fall off. Breastfeeding is amazing!”

Screw them.

Granted, I do have a couple of friends who are naturally small, thin girls. Who did have their babies and went back to naturally small thin girls quite quickly. So that is just some people’s body types. But I think that is more exception than norm. And me… I am not small, I am not thin and I don’t have a flat belly (except for that one time in high school… sigh). Anyways…

I struggled. I hated my body for months and months and months. I’d get depressed trying on clothes. I’d avoid shopping because nothing looked good. I’d have anxiety about going to events and practiced sucking in my tummy in the mirror to see how bad I’d look to other people.

My husband is annoyed right now reading this.. I know he is, because he is in the camp of “you look fine, who cares what others think.” Well, I’m a girl. ‘Nuff said. I care. :-)

So.. here's how gym-and-exercise-hating-me finally dropped my baby weight:

No Moo-Cow Stuff

I’ve mentioned before about how I decided to cut out dairy because I realized after having Austin that I had a pretty bad lactose intolerance. Dairy made me HURT. My intestines would feel like they had cement in them for days afterward and ache. So some people ask how I don’t eat dairy because cheese is so good.. and I answer back that it’s easy for me because of how I physically feel afterwards.

If I gave up dairy just to try and lose weight and had no intolerance for it.. I would have fallen off the wagon long, long ago.

I admit I cheat sometimes, but not often. If I’m at someone’s house and there is something served that has dairy in it, I will eat it. Momma didn’t raise no rude houseguest. And I don’t expect others to cater to my dietary needs.

May 2012- about 1 month before I really committed to no dairy. About 178 lbs.

 Slurping Smoothies

The other change I made is that I started drinking smoothies for breakfast one month ago. Normally, breakfast is the worst meal for me. I hardly ever crave it, and I’ll by starving and still not eat simply because I don’t “want” to. I don’t know how to explain it. My Mom BATTLED with me to eat breakfast as a kid because I would absolutely refuse. My body doesn’t like eating in the morning. So I’d starve until after noon then eat lunch.

No bueno, not healthy.

So the idea to do smoothies popped in my head  and it has made a huge difference in my life already. I don’t know if it’s the mix of what is in my smoothies (lots of spinach!!!), or just the fact that I’m eating in the mornings now and helping my metabolism, but it has helped me drop a few more pounds and deflate my belly a little bit more.

1 month into Operation Smoothie, almost 1 year into Operation No Dairy- about 155 lbs.

I’ve had one every morning for a solid month and I’m surprised that its faster and easier than I thought, keeps me full until late morning when I have a snack, and its making my pants fit just a little bit better.

I finally feel ok about my body. I don't think I'm hot, nor do I think I've got a banging body.. but that is ok. As long as I can keep up with Mr. Climbs Everything, then that's all that matters. 

Well, that and being able to fit into my underwear again. Phew. :-)

The Me Diet....

I got a lot of great comments from my friends about my weight issues post the other day, including some good tips on how to change my diet to help me with my weight loss.

I’ve actually been researching different “diets” and ways of eating to see if any of these are for me.

So far, I haven’t found anything because of one major hitch- I stopped eating dairy.

<Ok, ok.. truth- I cheat sometimes. There was a baby shower and some fondue that needed to be consumed… so.. let me rephrase:>

I eat dairy-free 95% of the time.

The story goes like this…

For my whole life I’ve had what I always classified as a “sensitive stomach.” It seemed like almost everything I ate would give me indigestion, gas and bloating. I battled my whole adult life with this… trying probiotics, medicine, antacids, herbs… everything I could think of and anything I could find out there that was supposed to help align your digestion.

Nothing worked. NOTHING.

So then I get knocked up… and milk and dairy becomes one of my BIGGEST cravings… and I felt amazing everytime I consumed it. Especially Oreo Blizzards.. mmmmm…

Then after I had Austin I continued eating pretty much how I was eating when I was pregnant.. and the stomach pains started coming back.

When I was nursing we started to experience the whole “fussy baby who acts like he has gas” thing and of course the first thing Lactation Nurses will tell you to do if you are nursing is to cut out dairy and see if that helps your baby’s gas.

So I did.

And lo and behold… no more stomach pains. NONE!

The things that I thought used to give me gas, like peppers and beans, no longer did. Why ? because before I was eating those things as a Mexican feast with cheese and sour cream. On their own, they didn’t bother me a lick.

Not only did the no dairy help Austin, but it was immensely helping me too, so I stuck with it even after we were done nursing.

Now that dairy is no longer part of my life, I have started to rely on other foods to fill me up and excite my taste buds… and most of these foods do contain carbs.. we eat mostly protein, veggies, stir fries, currys, rice, pesto pastas, things like that. 

So what is the problem you ask?

Well, the two major “diets” I’ve looked into- Paleo and Eat Right for Your Blood Type- have conflicting info regarding dairy and carbs, so now I’m conflicted.

Paleo says to eat what cavemen would have eaten: berries, nuts, protein… no dairy, no grains.

Ok, well I can do the no dairy thing easily.. but no grains I have a hard time with. I just simply don’t like meat and eggs enough to eat eggs every morning and meat every night. I would get so damn bored. I like my oatmeal for breakfast and my occasional pasta or rice for lunch/dinner…

The blood type diet says that my blood type (A+) should be a vegetarian. So no meat, soy protein only, and…. Plenty of dairy and carbs.

Well, I’m not going to do that because I don’t want to go down the dairy thing again.. and I don’t want to start increasing my carb intake because I cut out meat. 

So what the hell do I do???

Naturally I ask my husband. Being a health teacher and athletic person, he is a huge advocate of the “Just Don’t Eat Crap and Exercise” diet.

In his opinion, grains (good grains) are important, meat is important, dairy is important (if you can stomach it) and exercise if very very important.

So to make living with him easier, I’m following his advice.

All grains I consume will be whole grains, multi-grains, etc.

Dairy is still out (except the occasional fondue)

Fruit and veggies a-plenty.

Meat and eggs and protein when I feel like it.

And I just gotta get off my ass.

He’s skinny. His tummy is flat… maybe the man knows what he’s talking about…

The Weight is Over!!!

Ok, time to get real here.

The baby weight has GOT to go.

I’m 5 ½ months post-pushing-a-human-out-of-me and I’m still holding on to 15lbs with the same ferocity a teenage girl holds on to her Justin Bieber doll.

If I were a celebrity I’d already have my pic splashed all over the tabloids with headlines like “Jessica Glynn can’t lose a pound!!” or “Whoa baby! Jessica Glynn still rockin’ the baby weight!!!!”

I’d have to have a meltdown and claim I was suffering from “exhaustion” and check into some swanky rehab place in Arizona and have secret liposuction.

But I’m not a celeb, and I can’t afford rehab or liposuction… so enter Plan B…. 

Now, I’m not blogging about this to get the sweet responses of “but you look fantastic!!” and “it took a year to gain the weight, it’s going to take a while to lose it!” because I know all that.

But remember? I’m getting real here…

My clothes don’t fit.

I still mostly wear maternity jeans.

My underwear doesn’t fit.

My belly hurts when I sit because so much of it pushes against my clothes.

I feel flabby.

I feel unattractive.

I haven’t barely done a lick of exercise since Austin was born.

So that means.. I need to change my ways and fix this issue that is hanging over me, and hanging over my jeans.... And I need to change it now. My 15lbs of extra weight are not only not healthy for me to be packing around, but my mood, my confidence, my comfort are being effected.

I figured if I blogged about my weight loss journey, I’d be more apt to stick with it.. because I’m putting it out there in the world for whoever to read about, so that means I have to actually take action.

Here is me 4 weeks after Austin was born:

Here is me just a few days ago:

You thinking what I'm thinking? OMG. I LOOK WORSE NOW THEN I DID 4 WEEKS POST-BABY!!!!! GAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So since I’m documenting this process and will need to record how I’m losing…  let’s talk numbers for a second:

Pre-pregnancy weight: 157 lbs (about 7lbs heavier than I’d like to be)

Ending pregnancy weight: 211lbs (I KNOW!!!!! Good lord.)

Weight gained: 54lbs

Current weight: 165lbs

Goal weight: 148lbs

So that is a total of 17lbs I’d like to shed.

Now that I no longer have a fussy newborn attached to me, and Neal is out of school for the summer and can be more available to give me a baby-break, I figured it’s now or never. So I’m starting my new workout and weight loss routine!


Zumba 2x a week, and brisk walks for 30 mins to an hour 3 days a week. If I don't see any improvement after 4 weeks I'll amp it up and try something more extreme. But I'd rather start a little slow so I don't keep over and die the first time I try and workout. 


My goal is not to be super skinny, or super cut, or run a marathon.. I just have 6 beautiful pairs of jeans I spent good money on that are currently being laid upon by Olive in my closet because I'm nowhere near wearing them again. Sigh... 


Those are my jeans and I want them back!


I plan on posting updates each Sunday about my progress, and if I can actually shed any of this chub-a-lub-lub. So stay tuned!!!


xo-Jess

26 days

That is all I have left of my maternity leave, and then it's back to the workforce for me.

Wow, 14 weeks off have really flown by!

(and yes, Austin is sleeping on his own again and I have time to blog! Yippee Skippee!!!!!)

Anyways, when I started on maternity leave I had all these "plans."

I was going to lose all my baby weight (I know, go ahead and laugh, I'm stupid).

I was going to start a work-out routine in the hopes that in my 14 weeks off I'd get addicted enough to working out that I'd continue it.

I was going to go on walks all the time.

I was going to make wonderful dinners for my husband because I was going to be home all day.

I was going to be a cute well put together Mom going to the mall and what-not.

I know! Seriously! I'm cracking up at how dumb I am too!

Enter the "difficult" baby.....

Now, Austin isn't a horrible baby, he doesn't scream all day, he never got colic (THANK YOU GOD!) and he sleeps pretty much through the night.

He's just not "easy."

He doesn't nap well, he's REALLY vocal and will grunt and grunt and eeeyah eeeyah and snort every single second he's awake and most of the time while he's sleeping too.

He screams for food and doesn't nurse well so it takes us awhile to eat and then settle down.. and once we are settled down (after much begging from me) he doesn't sleep well on his own. **as I type this he is already starting to wake up.. sigh.. here we go again..** 

So here I was with all my grandiose plans for my leave... and my reality was that I was stuck on the couch holding or feeding a baby.

No hair. No make-up. No cute clothes. And still 20 pounds overweight.

So what did I accomplish on my maternity leave?

I watched Season 3 of True Blood.

I am caught up with Once Upon a Time.

And The River.

And My Strange Addiction.

I finally watched Love and Other Drugs (didn't really like it... other than all the naked Jake scenes...)

I watched Tangled.

I watched The Food Network until I memorized recipes.

Yes people, I was a complete couch potato to the max.

After weeks of feeling sloppy and worthless and numbed by too much TV, I decided yesterday I am just going to embrace it.

So what if I didn't meet my weight loss goals? Or that some nights we eat leftovers or sandwiches for dinner? Or that there is an indent on the couch cushion as big as my bum?

I only have 26 days left to be a slob and hold my baby all day long if I want.

So that's exactly what I plan on doing.

Now where is my remote?

The 2 Pound Challenge- Update!!!

I thought I’d give you all an update on how I did on my 2 lb. challenge.

Remember? I was in danger of becoming a beached whale and gaining way more weight (like 70-80lbs) than what was good for me and Bambino if I continued on the path I was on?

That was two weeks ago and my Doctor “challenged” me to make some dietary changes so that by my next appointment (which was yesterday) I would only have a 2lb. gain. Two pounds every two weeks is what you are supposed to gain… that’s all baby growth. My thighs apparently felt left out though and wanted to gain right alongside Bambino.

Selfish, needy thighs!!!

Anyways, I took that challenge and I kicked it’s butt!

I almost didn’t want to look on the scale yesterday… all I could think about was Christmas dinner last weekend… chocolate peppermint pie, Mom’s amazing gingerbread cookies, a painful hip that didn’t let me walk or workout for a few days…

But the heavens opened up and shined golden light down upon me as I stood on that scale in the Dr’s office..

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhh-leeeeeeee-luuuuuuuu-yaaaaaaaaaaaa”

I LOST ONE POUND FROM MY APPOINTMENT TWO WEEKS AGO!

That’s right! Despite the holidays, the cookies, and the lack of exercise, I managed to conquer my Dr’s challenge and even lose a teeny bit!! Don’t worry; losing a bit of weight is not a bad thing. Bambino is still growing how he should; it just means that my body is not putting on additional weight.

Here is how I tweaked my diet.. and I’m amazed at the changes!

Old “Pre-Breakfast”- eaten on my way to work:

-16oz chocolate almond milk

-2 pieces of toast w/ almond butter or peanut butter

Total carbs= 90+

New “Pre-Breakfast”-

-large spoonful of peanut butter

-12oz of skim milk

-apple or tangerines

Total carbs= 12

Old morning snack-

-2 Fruit Leathers and 1 Tillamook yogurt with Grape Nuts

Total carbs= 74

New morning snack-

-Greek yogurt with handful of lowfat nutty granola

Or

-1 serving of lowfat cottage cheese with tomatoes and cucumbers

-handful of almonds

Total carbs= 25

Old lunch-

-any leftovers, or a beans/rice bowl, or sometimes bean burritos

Total carbs= quite a bit.. probably around 40

New lunch-

-chicken curry salad… shredded chicken, celery, dried cherries, cashews

Total carbs= I have no idea, but probably less than 20

I’m still peppering my diet with fresh fruit, fresh veggies and the occasional cookie or piece of chocolate (hey, I’m human after all!) but I feel better about the little splurges since I’ve very easily cut out over 100 grams of carbs from my daily diet that I honestly didn’t even know I was consuming. Neal and I also are looking to more “low carb” dinners like avocado turkey burgers with no buns, or if we do have carbs like pasta, we make sure they are whole wheat.

And what’s crazy… is that it was easy. I don’t feel hungry or deprived with constant thoughts of “oh man, I can’t eat that and I really wannnnnttttt to!!!!!!!” I was just obviously not a good label reader so I had no idea that what I thought was good and healthy was loaded with carbs and sugar. I got a big lesson in label reading from this experience.

Nutrition labels.

They actually have a purpose.

Who’d have thunk??

The 2 Pound Challenge

I could have easily just not mentioned this and I don’t think anyone would have ever known…..

But since I’m using this blog as a record of what went down while I’m in pregnancy town, I felt compelled to share.

I have become the Girl With the Absurd Weight Gain.

No relation to the much cooler Girl With the Dragon Tattoo… other than we both have issues.

The target amount of weight they want you to gain during pregnancy is 35lbs. That is basically all baby-fetus, fluid, placenta, blood (your blood volume doubles in pregnancy!), larger boobs, etc.

Anything more than that, is just plain old fat.

While I’m being honest here, I’m still a lady at heart… so I’m not going to say how much I’ve gained exactly.

I’ll just say it’s MORE than the total 35lbs you should gain for your entire pregnancy.

Remember- I am 32 weeks pregnant. That means 8 more weeks of growing baby and growing Momma… and already I’ve exceeded the max weight limit.

See the issue here?

I know most people won’t believe me because you all claim that I “look great!” and that I’m “carrying so well! it’s all tummy!” Yeah, yeah, yeah.. whatevs.

Optical illusions aside, the weight is piling on, and piling on FAST.

If I continue gaining weight at the rate I have been, I will seriously be at risk of gaining 70-80lbs total for this pregnancy.

And to that I say “oh HELLLLLLL NO!”

So after a bit of a lecture from my Dr. about hidden calories and carbs, I went home (feeling like a failure and mad at myself) and starting looking through the fridge.

A-ha! I found three very sneaky culprits-

Culprit #1- Chocolate Almond milk

This has been a staple through my entire pregnancy thus far. I have a big to-go cup size glass while I drive to work EVERY morning.

While being delicious and full of calcium, this bad boy packs in 36 grams of carbs per serving, and 32 grams of sugar. I was easily drinking 2 servings a morning.

This will no longer be consumed. My calcium will come from skim milk.

Culprit #2- Yogurt

I was on a real yogurt kick there for weeks.. eating at least (sometimes 2) a day. It’s calcium, it’s healthy bacteria, it’s all good, right?

WRONG!  36 grams of carbs!!! In yogurt!!!!!!!!! Obviously I don’t read labels as much as I should.

Out with the yogurt. No mas…. Which isn’t a big deal since I was losing my craving for it anyways.

Culprit #3- Fruit Leathers

Sigh. And I just bought a huge Costco sized box of these things too. I was eating up to 3 a day… hey, they equaled one serving of fruit, they were yummy and they were sweet! Nom nom nom… all day long.

Yeah.. all at the price of 12 grams of carbs per strip! Good lord. Fruit can be vicious!

So those are out.. anyone want a huge Costco box of these?

So by eliminating those three things from my diet, I will cut out 144 grams of carbs from my daily diet. Holy buckets! I might as well have just gone mad in a bagel shop!

My Dr. wants me to get in protein, protein and more protein… and cut out all the hidden carbs I obviously didn’t know I was consuming. He gave me a challenge to only gain 2lbs by my next appointment, which is in 2 weeks on Dec. 28th.

This is a challenge I’ve absolutely got to rise up against. It’s not good for me or for Bambino for me to keep gaining weight as quickly as I have been.

So… new plan started today! No almond milk, no more yogurt, down with Fruit Leathers!

Oh, and the gym after work. Bleh and grumble and groan… but it must be done! My legs have gotten almost twice their normal size in the last week... with much more cellulite than I had before. I have a feeling this is where a lot of my weight has been collecting.

I plan on walking more... getting up every hour from my desk job to walk around, hit the gym 3 nights a week after work, and dragging Neal along on long walks (2 miles or more) every weekend.

Wish me luck in my 2lb challenge! I will keep you all updated!