The Shrinking Mama

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 19:52:00 +0000

Okay, so I realize it has been a crazy long time since I have posted. But I need this right now and a little extra accountability and motivation could give me the kick in the ass I need, right? Let's hope so.

So a bit of an update... it is now the end of February, and since re-joining Weight Watchers in mid-October, I have lost a little over 12 pounds. My loss has stalled a bit, and I have no one to blame but myself.

One of my favorite bloggers is Brandi at Mama Laughlin. She says she loves having a weight loss blog because it makes her accountable, and it's true! Even though I have a measly six followers, another point of accountability is probably not a bad thing. So here I am.

Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 22:23:00 +0000

Happy New Year everyone! It's been months since I've posted. I know, bad, but I am trying to find the time and since I'll be working on my resolutions tonight, maybe this will be one.

I will say that I ran my first 5k in November. Came in DEAD LAST but I did it and ran the entire time! I'm so proud of that accomplishment. I am down 10 pounds since starting Weight Watchers in October.

Hope to see more of you and less of me :) in 2012!

Long time no see!

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 17:24:00 +0000

Yes, yes, I know-- no posts in over two weeks. I'm sorry.

I have had a busy couple of weeks ever since my son started school, an in addition to that, have started walking (and now doing Couch to 5k!) with a friend at night when I would normally post to my blog.

I have become a little discouraged, as well. While my first week of calorie counting had me at a loss of 6 pounds, subsequent weeks had me at a standstill. I'm trying to figure out if I should do Weight Watchers again since I have always felt my loss was easier on that program. Any thoughts?

Weekly Weigh-In and 3 in 30 Update!

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 00:43:00 +0000

I have, like I posted earlier, had an insanely busy week. We had the Heart Walk last Saturday, I got sick, my son started preschool (second year) and soccer, and I had my final photography class. Needless to say, I haven't had a ton of extra time to post on my blog.

That being said, I have SO MUCH to say and hope to talk about it for the rest of this week! Things like my blood test results came back, exercise updates, and the like!

I'm weighing in the same as last week, 204!

Still here!

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 01:30:00 +0000

I have had a busy weekend and this week has been busy as well, but my eyes are still on the prize and I will make some time to blog tomorrow night! :)

Weigh-in and other stuff!

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 01:06:00 +0000

I was out Wednesday night, out Thursday night, and am EXHAUSTED to say the least-- was too tired both nights to blog but I am back.

I have shredded for three days. Today walked 3.09 miles burning 324 calories! I've been nauseous for two days now (off and on, and NO NOT PREGNANT THANK YOU VERY MUCH.)

I'm up .5 this week, but not worried about it since I had such a loss last week that it was bound to balance out.

I'm going to crash in about 10 seconds but wanted to post my accomplishments!

Oh, I should also mention the 3 in 30, right? UGH so tired I have no memory.

- Water goal - I've been great on my work days but still need to up it on my days home.
- Exercise goal - YES! Have worked out 4 days this week!
- Weight goal - Not in the 100s yet. I'm weighing in at 204 this morning.

Shredding!

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 01:30:00 +0000

This morning while I was driving to work it was pouring, and I was convinced that Mother Nature was crying because summer is over. My little man returns to preschool next week. I am one sad mama.

I knew once I heard the weather that the rain was going to put a damper on my walking plans, not only tonight, but for most of the week. SUCK. I do know, however, that I committed to three days of exercise a week, and come hell or high water, I'm doing it (is that how that expression goes? I really can't remember!)

So I dusted off the legend, Miss Jillian Michaels, for a little 30 Day Shred action...

I bought this DVD eons ago. Probably shortly after it first came out. And while I've gone a week or so with it, I've never stuck with the full 30 days EVER.

And of course, now the challenge is right back in my face, and I'm so, so, so tempted! Should I go for it?

I have events tomorrow night and Thursday night, which will mean a very cruel wakeup call at 5:30am or so if I want to workout. But I've gotta. Don't I? I mean, my blog readers will hold me to it, right?

In other news, I GOT RIGHT BACK ON TRACK TODAY. Holy shit, that is like, earth shattering info, since that has never happened in the history of Emily, to eat badly on the weekend and get right back on the healthy train. Wow. Did you realize you would witness history in the making today?

I hope hope hope that I can blog tomorrow, even if it's for a second. Tomorrow I'm doing lunch with my dear friend Meg who I haven't seen in over a year (HOW THE HELL DID THAT HAPPEN?) and will be eating dinner out too so a challenge lies ahead! Go and visit my friend Meg and her cooking adventures at Uncooked, her new blog!

Bye bye summer...

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 00:44:00 +0000

Wow, summer flew! I can't believe Labor Day weekend is over. My little man start school in a week. Holy crap.

I had a really tough time sticking to my goals this weekend. While I didn't stay within my calorie range (counted both Saturday and Sunday, didn't even count today) I was great with water today and also didn't eat after 7 all weekend. I'm happy about that.

Now my real challenge will be to get right back on the healthy train tomorrow. This is usually an immense challenge for me coming off a weekend, but my mind is all in and I know I can do it!

Unless Skinnygirl Sangria counts as water, I didn't reach my water goal today!

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 00:54:00 +0000

If you couldn't tell from my previous post, today (or the last day and a half, for that matter) have been tough. I've been cranky and bitchy. Awful.

My calories were the highest they've been since I've started-- around 2500. Not happy. And I only drank 2 glasses of water. I'm not going to beat myself up about it, but am not very happy about it. This being a holiday weekend with two barbecues ahead of me, I am a little nervous about how I will handle the rest of the weekend. But I have to be strong and stay in my healthy mindset. I also don't want to ruin my great six pound loss this week!

On a happier note, I finally tried Skinnygirl cocktails! I bought both the Margarita and the Sangria, but just tried the Sangria tonight.

It was yummy! 154 calories per 5 oz. serving. LOVE. Can't wait to try the Margarita!

Ugh. What a bitch.

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 19:05:00 +0000

I am being a total bitch today, and was in the same bitchy mode yesterday. I'm attributing it to less caffeine (I've only had ONE COKE since last Friday) so I'm having an iced coffee now. I am SO. DAMN. TIRED.

3 in 30 Challenge - Here we go!

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 01:11:00 +0000

f you didn't catch my blog on Wednesday, I decided to participate in the 3 in 30 challenge-- set 3 goals to accomplish in 30 days. LOVE this idea and am jumping right on board!

The check-ins are every Friday. My goals may not always be health-related, but for this month, they are.

1. Get into the 100s
2. Drink 8 glasses of water daily (I am great on my working days, not so great on my home days.)
3. Exercise 3 days a week

To find out more about the 3 in 30 Challenge, click here.

Week 1 Results!

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 17:19:00 +0000

I'm down 6 pounds! I know that's a lot, and I'm sure it will even out to 1-2 pounds per week after that, but what motivation! :) WHOO HOO!

I said No to Dunks.

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 18:49:00 +0000

Yes, you read that right. I have never in my life refused an offer of free Dunks, until today.

I am born and raised in Boston. We love our Dunks (or as the rest of you call, Dunkin' Donuts.) I love everything they have, their iced coffee, bagels, muffins and of course, the donuts. YUM. I have always said taht if they bottled the smell of Dunks and sold it as a perfume, I would buy it. (Hey, if anyone from the Dunks marketing team is reading this and steals my idea, I want credit.)

We have our company sales meetings on Thursday mornings and had a vendor come in and bring lots of Dunks goodies-- but I said no. That, my friends, is a victory.

I would have probably splurged this morning but I'm having dinner with dad tonight, and we're having a nice yummy classic Italian meal, all'oglio, so I know I must be on my best behavior. WEIGH IN TOMORROW!

Eyes on the Prize

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 21:58:00 +0000

Two more days and it's the moment of truth. I'll have my first official weigh-in since starting this journey. I am so so so super excited.

I will say, though, that I do a big HUMONGOUS no-no. I weigh myself every day.

I know, I know, it's not a good idea. But it works for me, because for example, yesterday when I went a little high calorie wise, it showed on the scale this morning, and it reminded me that I need to stay within my range. One day isn't going to kill me, and I'm going to have special occasions that are going to make it more challenging to stay within that range. But getting on the scale reminds me to get the hell back on the healthy train.

Speaking of that healthy train, I have found a great way to stay on track. While perusing the million blogs I read in Google Reader, this caught my eye:

It's a group of bloggers who list three goals that they'd like to accomplish and blog about it to stay accountable. I'm definitely participating. It starts on Friday, so in the mean time, I'm going to think about my goals for the month of September. The first is definitely to get in the 100s. To find out more about this, go to the 30 in 30 Challenge. My goals may not all be health related, but I just love the idea of being accountable for three goals in one month-- breaking things up in baby steps.

Walking is on the agenda again tonight!

Holy Shit, I am Out of Shape!

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 01:10:00 +0000

Wow. My neighbor and I walked a mile tonight and I am sore as hell. I am so goddamned out of shape! But damn, moving feels really, really good.

Food-wise, I had about 1800 calories-- which is more than I would like, but not a total failure. Sparkpeople wants me to stay within the 1200-1550 range, my goal is to stay closer to 1200. I want to be really good tomorrow as well as all day Thursday because I'm having dinner at my dad's Thursday night... and he's making one of my favorites, a yummy pasta dish with olive oil, garlic, and anchovies. I need to be on my best behavior.

The reason I struggled with my calories today was because I had an early lunch. I didn't plan accordingly, didn't have snacks, and therefore was STARVING by the time I got home. Not good. I did drink a ton water, though, and ate a smidge of potato salad (as opposed to the ton I normally would eat.) So YAY! Baby steps, baby steps.

A shout out to my friend Meg for sending me some yummy, easy and healthy recipes today! Thanks Meggie!

It tastes like fish....

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 00:51:00 +0000

Tilapia was on sale this week at the grocery store. I bought it. I typically buy haddock, and my baked haddock recipe is excellent -- my mom used to make it a certain way and that's how I do it and it's SO DAMN GOOD. But considering that it has a stick of butter, I knew I had to go a different route.

I decided on brushing some delicious teriyaki sauce that I had on the fish, wrapping it in tin foil, and baking it. I didn't have the highest of hopes and was pretty disappointed with dinner, as was my daughter (my son and husband gobbled it up.) It tasted so fishy, which I'm not used to because my baked haddock tastes like butter. And garlic. And breadcrumbs. Yummy.

I had my annual physical today, and asked my doctor for a referral to a nutritionist. I'm looking forward to meeting with one, I hope that they really can outline foods I should be adding to my diet and foods I should be avoiding, if any.

My doctor told me that I really need to add exercise to my routine, every day. She said that when we lower our caloric intake, our bodies go into starvation mode and hold on to the weight. But adding exercise is key because it tricks the body. I had of course heard about the whole starvation mode theory but I didn't think of the adding exercise to trip up my body. I already have a date scheduled with my neighbor to walk tomorrow night!

Hurricaned In.

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 00:47:00 +0000

Here in Boston, we get snowed in quite often, but today we were hurricaned in, thanks to Hurricane Irene. Luckily, we haven't had any damage, no loss of power (although my dad, who is a town away, has been powerless since this morning.)

I woke up at 4am this morning to my daughter crying and a migraine headache-- two things I don't enjoy at 4am! Since this was Day 2 of the migraine, my husband finally convinced me to try a Coke at 4pm today and it seems to have helped a lot (more than Excedrin Migraine and Ibuprofen and a ton of water.)

Went over my calories by about 200 points, but 150 of those were the Coke!

Tomorrow morning, I will see my doctor for my annual physical and ask her for a referral to a nutritionist. I want to make sure I'm eating right and giving my body what it needs. I hope I don't start bawling after I tell her how disgusted I am with myself (GROSS, someone posted pictures of me on Facebook today at my son's party, of course innocently, and all day I'm like pleasedon'ttagme pleasedon'ttagme pleasedon'ttagme because I look HUGE.)

Just Say No to Birthday Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 21:29:00 +0000

My daily caloric goal is 1200 calories, and I exceeded it today by 267 calories, but am still proud of a couple of things:

- We went to a birthday party and I said NO to birthday cake. That is a first!

- I also said NO to ice cream. TWICE.

- I have been fighting a headache all day and haven't grabbed a Coke yet.

Now if you know me, you know I love me some birthday cake. While I don't have an insane sweet tooth, birthday cake makes me cah-razy. Love the stuff. Today was my nephew's 5th birthday and I went in with the notion that I would say no to cake, and I can't believe I did it. That is an enormous success for me.

Same with the ice cream-- my SIL did a very cute ice cream sundae bar and I avoided it like the plague. My neighbor also sent over a Watermelon (sherbet) roll, and I didn't touch it.

Now, yes, I am not going to deprive myself of this stuff all the time, but you see, my darling husband through me for a curveball last night. He has been raving about these donuts that someone brings into his office, and he finally managed to bring some home. Yes, on the day I decided to stop eating crap. So I had the donut, but knew that it meant that I had to be really good for the remainder of the day.

And onto the Coke thing. I have, for a very long time, felt that Coke helps my headaches. It's the caffeine, but also the Coke has an effect on my nausea as well. Haven't touched it, and didn't restock at the grocery store either.

Tomorrow we'll be stuck in the house for Hurricane Irene!

Here we go!

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 13:37:00 +0000

So, here it goes. Today is Friday, August 27th, and I am turning a corner in terms of my health and well-being.

I got on the scale for the moment of truth-- I didn't want to see it, but there it was, staring me in the face. 209.5 pounds. 209.5, I will never see you again. Don't let the door hit you on the ass, thankyouverymuch.

I have thought long and hard about strategy. What will make this time different than the other 300 times I have tried to lose weight? Motivation has always been a struggle for me. This is all about baby steps, this time around. I'm not going to bite off more than I can chew (no pun intended) and I'm making smaller goals. The first is to get out of the 200s.

One of my big challenges in all the years I have done Weight Watchers is that despite the fact that I have stayed within my points range for the day, I haven't necessarily made the healthiest choices. Sure, I would count that can of Coke, but it's a can of Coke. 12 ounces of sugar. Not good for my body. So I have decided to count calories using Sparkpeople. It's FREE and it tracks calories, fat, carbs, etc. I really want to have a good overview of what I'm taking in. It's going to be a challenge to start thinking in terms of calories, but I'm willing to give it a whirl. I have been so inspired by reading Kevin & Amanda, who calorie counted with Sparkpeople, and also a new blog I came across yesterday and LOVE, Mama Laughlin (she is hilarious, and has a very inspiring 60-pound weight loss. Go check it out for inspiration.)

So here's what I'm thinking, in terms of my first guidelines I'm setting forth for myself.

- Stay within a 1,200-1,500 calorie range daily, and track EVERYTHING I put in my mouth (that's what she said.)

- Drink at minimum 64 oz. of water daily

- NO MORE TONIC, which really means soda, but I'm from Boston and that's what we call it.

- Also, no diet soda, because aspartame gives me headaches.

- Blog daily, no excuses

- No eating after 7pm

And there you go. Do I have other goals? I sure do, but I'm not going to implement everything at once. This is a gradual change over to a new lifestyle. Not a diet. A lifestyle.

Moving Forward...

noreply@blogger.com (Emily) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 19:28:00 +0000

Since starting this blog back in May, I have been up, down, and everywhere in between on my weight loss journey-- mostly up.

I have decided to move forward. I have, over the last few months, completely lost control of myself. I am vowing to myself that I have to, for once and for all, gain control over my eating and be healthy for myself and my family.

I probably don't have any readers anymore, but if I do, I hope you stick with me! And maybe I'll gain some new followers along the way.