One Month Update

One month ago, I said goodbye to bread, grains, refined sugar, caffeine... and I said hello a shrinking body and a healthier me.  My measurements one month ago versus now.  Granted, it's not a ton, but it's definitely noticeable:

Then:
Neck: 14 1/2   14 1/4
Bust: 45           43
Chest: 38         36
Bicep: 12 1/2   12
Waist: 37          35
Thigh: 26 1/2   25
Hips: 50           48 1/2

Grand total of  9 3/4 inches.  I'll take it!  And.  I weighed myself today.  And I don't think I've been this low, even pregnant, in awhile.

And you know what?

It feels amazing.

I feel amazing.

I feel like me.

So from here:  I go back to Dr. W on Tuesday to get the next step of the game plan.  As long as I can have decaf coffee and cheese again, I'll be game for whatever.

And now?  It's bedtime!

2 more pounds down!!

Hooray!!  I've been incredibly busy with work and well, life.  But I'm still managing to watch my diet and exercise.  Although I could do more of that...

The 2lbs lost this week bring my total down to 16.2lbs total since after having Matthew.  And 11.2 since I started this weight loss journey.  You know... last month.  That's awesome.  And I need to focus on how far I've come instead of how far I have to go.

I feel as though I'm holding out on you, dear readers.  A lot of what I'm going through is so incredibly personal and while I do feel comfortable talking about my feelings, I don't really write about them in relation to my weight loss.  But I know the day will come when I talk about my losses here a little more.  And like I've said before, feel free to ask me any questions about my losses, weight loss, diet, whatever.

And as always.  Thank you for the support.  You all are wonderful.

The cleanse.

All in all the cleanse is going really well.  The side effects I've had (mainly exhaustion) have been minimal so I can't complain about those.  Well, the first day I thought I smelled and I was sure I'd stink for the duration of the cleanse.  Luckily, the thought of smelling has subsided.

The one complaint I have is that I miss cheese.  Many of the recipes I have relied on during SB have cheese.  Stuffed mushrooms, pesto chicken, even a little feta in my salads.  I really, really, really miss cheese.

But only another week and I'll hopefully be able to have it back.

I'll update my weight on Tuesday and maybe my measurements, too.  All in all things are going well.  I'm still eating well and exercising about 4-5 times a week.   One of these days I'll update the blog to make things easier to find/follow.

Oh!  I also wanted to see if any of you readers had any questions for me about SB, the exercises that I do, Dr. W, the babies, whatever.  Just ask your question in a comment and I'll answer it!

Another 3lbs down...

Ladies and Gentlemen!  That's 9.8lbs in 2 weeks.  Isn't that amazing?  I am so proud of myself.  And that feels amazing.

I met with Dr. W today.  She is equally as impressed with my weightloss.  I told her I feel so much better physically and emotionally that it's just... unreal.

The plan from here to my next appointment (Feb. 1st) is to continue SB.  This week, she said, I can be flexible with the diet.  But starting Tuesday, after I get home from WA, I start the cleanse.  This cleanse is to rid my body of toxins and to get it in better shape for maximum weight loss.

When asked about side effects, Dr. W said I could be/have:

• Bloating
• Muscle/joint pain
• Gas
• Headaches
• Moodiness
• Exhaustion

So.  I should be a joy to be around.

I also need to restrict my diet more.  Practically, it's cutting out dairy and soy.  I can do that for 2 weeks.  Good thing I like almond milk!  Typically, people on this cleanse are supposed to avoid foods that could be allergens.  But since I'm on such a restricted diet anyway (although it doesn't feel like it at all) I'm allowed to have eggs.

Over the next few days (week maybe) I'll be revamping the blog and adding tabs with recipes, my workouts and such.

And now.  I'm going to finish watching The Biggest Loser, snuggle in my blanket and bask in awesomeness that is being 9.8lbs lighter.

Changes.

I need little changes in my life.  Like getting bangs... and changing the blog.  Both are for the better, rather, will be when I'm done. 

I'll also write more tomorrow about my 2nd appt with Dr. W and my 2nd weigh in.  But tonight, let me share with you this lovely blog.  The Purest Gift is a blog about kindness, selflessness and giving back.  Take a look. 

Share it. 

Follow it. 

Contribute to it. 

Love it.

March for Babies

Every year, the March of Dimes has a fundraiser event called the March for Babies.  For obvious reasons, this event has become very close to my heart.  This year, I'm aiming high.  $1,000.  I think I can do it.  I know it's a lot of money but literally every penny helps.  Every penny has the potential to help the MoD meet their goal to have every baby born healthy.

Please send me a message (by commenting) if you're interested in walking with me or matching my donation.

Together, we can do this.  We can donate a little money and walk 6 miles to help the research and development to make every pregnancy and every baby healthy.

6.8 lbs!

YAY!

6.8 pounds.  In a week!

I'm honestly amazed how my body is reacting to eating foods that are easy for it to digest and process.  I'm also amazed by how good I feel. 

It's not super hard either.  Which is a shock!  Already being prepared has helped a ton.  Especially yesterday, my first day back to work, when an iPhone glitch made my alarm not go off.  I woke up an hour after it was supposed to go off.  You know... the time I usually leave.  Luckily, I had breakfast, lunch and snacks all ready to go.  I just popped the egg cup things in the microwave then rushed out the door.

People at work have even made comments which never hurts.  I think the biggest change is just how good I feel and how I carry myself.

All in all the first week has been successful.  I go back to Dr. W next week and I'm looking forward to seeing what else she has in store for me.

I have received Facebook message and comments on here (some that were asked to not be published) and it just means a lot to me to know that I have people supporting me.  Thank you all, so very much, for your support.

::superbigsquishyhugs::

Back to work!

The last 2 weeks have been wonderful.  Between the sleeping in, watching movies, exercising, shopping and naps, I somehow didn't have time to accomplish the laundry pile.  Oh well.  That's what last minute loads of laundry are all about, right?

Anyway.  The last week has gone really well diet wise.  The only meal I made out of the millions I posted was the Taco Bake.  It was pretty good, a little dry, but there was plenty for at least 6 servings.  The roasted chickpeas were okay.  I think I baked them a little too long.  Oh.  And at our local Henry's they have dried wasabi peas.  They are amazing.

In prepping for going back to work I made these for a snack.  That were so good I ate almost all of them already.  I also just took these out of the oven for breakfasts throughout the week: Egg Cups  I got a bag of broccoli (that you steam in the bag), cut up the broccoli pieces, added green onion and the eggs.  I used 6 whole eggs and 6 egg whites.  And even though I love love love cheese, I left it out.  I'll get to why later.

For dinners this week when Tim is home I'm making:
Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms
Spaghetti Squash Pizza Bake
Pesto Chicken with Asparagus

For lunches and when Tim's not home, I'll be having salads and leftovers. 

And to the reason I'm cutting down on the dairy.  I wrote earlier about Dr. W ordering a slew of blood work (at least I think I did).  I got some of the results back.  Results that show I am insulin resistant and have high (like scary high) cholesterol.

The high cholesterol could be due to the PCOS, but I think it's a combination of that, not really watching what I eat and being sedentary.  And since I'm already making the changes (diet and exercise wise) I'm hoping that's all that I'll really need.  I meet with Dr. W next Tuesday and I'm sure we'll discuss all of the test results and the plan from there.

I'll check back in with Tuesday and will (hopefully) have a weight loss update then!

Oh.  And Happy New Year!