weight loss, take two

I joined Weight Watchers for the first time last April, and quit two months later because it was too hard to calculate points and gluten together with no sleep. Since then I was unsuccessful at losing more than ten pounds and keeping it off, even though I tried. So, the husband and I decided it was time to finally shed some of our unwanted fat.  We did this together back in 2008, I lost the remaining 20 pounds of baby weight and he lost, 30. What happened? We lost a baby, ate too many M&M's, sold our house, moved into another house, and had a baby who didn't sleep. And the biggest of all, we stopped working out.

I didn't workout during my pregnancy with Allie as I was too worried after the miscarriage. Allie's tumultuous first year of sleeping left me very tired, all the time. When I'm tired I eat. And usually not bananas and apples.

 I did lose eight pounds with WW last year but when I quit, gained it all right back. I walked with the girls (power walking pushing a double stroller) last summer and we walked as a family in the fall, and right before Audrey's birthday in November I was the lowest I'd been since my six week check-up after Allie. I'm a big measurement taker, because sometimes that scale just down right lies! By Allie's birthday, six weeks later, I'd gained ten pounds and my measurements proved it. Seriously irritated and mocked by my DDC on December 23, I was determined to figure out what was happening. I worked out the first nine  days of December and gained eight pounds. If I missed a day, I worked out twice the next day. I told him this. He checked my thyroid levels, again. They were fine. He checked my gluten levels. They were fine. So, to conclude, I ate too much fudge. Calories in have to be less than calories out. Apparently, it's that simple.

Enough excuses, right? If you are interested in how I became overweight you can jump back to last year when I wrote about my journey here.

So what are we changing?

Exercising more, eating less.

I told myself I would give it three weeks in January before I went back to counting calories. If I hadn't lost any weight, back to WW I would go. I worked out hard. I was partying (and by that I mean sweating buckets and gasping for air) with Turbo Jam six days a week and strength training some too. At the end of three weeks, I hadn't gained any weight, but hadn't lost any either. Discouraged, I  signed up again for WW online. I figured, it did help me lose eight pounds last summer and I'll just make my original goal 10 pounds. That will get me started. I have never in my life had such a problem losing weight.

The first 48 hours I was reminded why I quit: looking up my foods online, desperately trying to add my own GF recipes in the system to find out how many points were in the leftovers I was having for lunch while my kids pulled at my leg for attention. Calculating how many points a piece of dark chocolate would cost me and how many points I get back for working out Turbo Jam style. (a rockin' 10! woo hoo!) I will say, I am loving that most fruits and veggies are free, zero points this time around, and that they got smart and added a few gluten free recipes to the main website. I'm still in the first week, and it's still time consuming, but I figure, if I was keeping a food journal or counting calories on my own, it would be a lot of work too. (and a lot more math)

I'm doing cardio 30-50 minutes five to six times a week, and strength training three. I love those endorphins! And I love that Audrey goes with me to the basement to work out. I'll put in a video and she'll jump on her trampoline or walk on her balance beam when she's not trying to do the moves with me. The other day I had to negotiate my resistance bands back from her so I could use them. She picks up the heaviest toys she has and calls those her weights. Love it.

Jeremy joined a gym and goes everyday after the market closes. So far, that's working out well. He's lost eight pounds! He's been taking his lunch more and eating breakfast.

Fitness, exercise and nutrition aren't new to either of us, we're just trying to eat cleaner, healthier and stay away from M&M's.

Other healthy ideas we're incorporating besides portion control and exercise:

Power Foods. Trying to eat more of them.

I'm still on a quest to give up sugar. I've moved to strictly dark chocolate: 70% cacao, at least.

Trying hard not to eat after dinner. (Inspired by my dear cousin who at college lost 12 pounds between Thanksgiving and Christmas break and in part because she didn't snack after she ate dinner. Way to go Abby!).

Watching our sodium. Holy cow! It's amazing the amount once you stop to read the amount of salt in the food we eat. I'm really conscious of that now. I've always read labels. In the 90's it was fat and calories. In 2006 it became gluten. In 2008 it was gluten and the nutrition information. I never paid salt too much attention, although after my nutrition class in college I gave up Ramen noodles. Now, it's just another thing I look at when scanning the label. I didn't realize how much salt was in cheese, or taco sauce.

And on that note, we've switched to sea salt, vs. regular salt.

That's really it for now. I've got my eye on a new workout program because as much as I'd love to go to the gym, it's so cold right now to drag the girls out. I've always worked out at home. I don't mind it, and then, I don't feel like I have to dress for the gym.

So, any recipes that I post will probably have the WW point value included!