Lost 4 lbs in One Week!

I've really been struggling with "body issues" since the twins were born. I was very good and didn't gain too much weight during the pregnancy and even lost ALL of my baby weight within 2 weeks of giving birth. However, I wasn't happy with where I was before I got pregnant and the twin pregnancy left me with even wider hips and all this, what I like to call, "fluff" around my middle. So, even though my weight was the same, the clothes I wore before the pregnancy are just not fitting right.

Several people have told me, "Don't be worrying about that; you have TWINS. This is a hard time so you shouldn't be worrying about stuff like that." But we all know that its something that we think about every time we have to put on clothes or leave the house in something other than yoga pants! And frankly, I could do with some feeling good about myself while going through the tiring job of mothering 4 children age 4 and under.

Over the last couple of months (babies are 3 months now), I've tried a few things & nothing has seemed to be working. I seem to be STUCK at the same number on the scale, like my body is just not willing to budge from that number. I even tried the GM Diet that I found on Pinterest. That moved the scale! I lost about 10 lbs in a week, but it all came back within a couple of weeks -- that was a bummer -- even though I was exercising and eating pretty well.

Last week, I started on a new journey, my journey to being 43 lbs lighter, having a ton more energy, and just plain being able to keep up with these kids! I decided to blog about it to help keep me accountable and because maybe it will help someone else.

Since nothing was working, I decided that I really had to ramp things up and the results have been great! On day 1, I felt sick & miserable but by the middle of the week, I was feeling pretty good and by the end of the week, I already felt a higher energy level and had lost 4 lbs. Keep in mind that it was not necessarily "easy", but it wasn't all that hard either (once I was committed to it) and I can see myself doing this for the next 3 months to reach my goal. And, if I keep up the 4 lbs a week pace, 3 months is what it will take to get there.

The Exercise Plan

I really believe a big key for me is exercise. But the daily workout videos just weren't cutting it, so I knew I had to ramp things up. I will be starting with a running group on Saturdays to train for a 5k, but decided to start a little early. Here's what I did last week:
Monday, Wednesday, Friday - 40 to 60 minute exercise video (enough intensity to leave me very tired) in the morning, 60 minute walk in the afternoon, 10 minute Ab workout video before bed
Tuesday, Thursday - 30 minute exercise video (a little less intensity than the one on Mon/Wed/Fri), 60 minute walk with some jogging mixed in in the afternoon, 15 minute stretch video before bed
Saturday - 60 minute walk with some jogging mixed in in the morning (I jogged for 2 minutes at every 10 minute mark which came to 10 minutes of jogging), stretch before bed
Sunday - REST

The Food Plan

I got the book The Lean Belly Prescription by Dr. Travis Stork (from the tv show "The Doctors") from the library & LOVE IT! In fact, I'm going to buy a copy for myself. I am using this plan to change my eating habits for life. I didn't even feel deprived or hungry over the past week. Here's what my days looked like:
Breakfast - steel cut oats with fruit (I have a great recipe done in the crock pot over night!)
Lunch - sandwich on whole wheat bread or salad
Dinner - just a regular meal I would cook for my family, but I have a smaller portion & fill up on veggies or fruit; I also did a little bit of substituting with whole grains, greek yogurt, etc. in my cooking to try to make the meals a little healthier
Snacks - This is my favorite part; I love these snacking foods! I eat 3 snacks a day that keep me feeling full and choose between: peanuts & dried cranberries, plain greek yogurt with fresh pineapple, wedge of laughing cow cheese with 3 whole grain ritz crackers, or piece of string cheese with a handful of peanut butter filled pretzels

4 lbs down, 39 to go