Today's Weigh-in: 207.0
I'm just not being very successful with my whole weight-loss thing here. I don't feel like I've been eating ridiculous amounts of food, and I've been working out (sporadically), but I'm just not seeing any results. I think this week is going to be all about salad. *sigh*
Anyway, I was a bit disappointed to have my period last week. Not that we are actively TRYING to get pregnant, mind you, and certainly not that we were expecting to be pregnant, but still. I felt oddly let down by my body. Of course, it was only the first month of no birth control after fifteen years of using it regularly, so it certainly was no surprise, but still.
Since I'm not working regularly, I have some time to hang out and do my pregnancy research. One thing that hadn't occurred to me at all (since I am not by nature highly motivated to clean things) was the possibility that my housekeeping might be somewhat altered by pregnancy. But I came across an article about cleaning during pregnancy, and there were definitely a few things in it to think about. I did know about some things, like avoiding kitty litter (we don't have a cat, although I really want one) and being careful about not straining back muscles and not tiring out.
One suggestion they had was to do a lot of cleaning with natural items like lemon juice and vinegar. While I have used baking soda in some home cleaning, I hadn't really thought about using anything else. We have gotten some of the Chlorox Green natural cleaners, but I don't know how healthy those might be, so I guess I need to do some more research. There are some linked articles about natural or "green" cleaning, so I will be checking those out.
Pool Time
Monday, January 25, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Do-Over Day 14 - 1/14/10
Today's Weigh-in: 207.0
Not great, but I know at least one reason that my weight might be up: I haven't taken my blood pressure medication in several days. I was sort of hoping my bp might be OK without it (and I'm out anyway), but unfortunately that doesn't seem to be the case. I'm waking up headachy, and when I take my pressure with my little portable cuff, it's right around 140/100, which is really bad. It should be 120/80. I went ahead and refilled the prescription (although I haven't picked it up yet). But I was really hoping I could go without it, since blood pressure meds aren't recommended for pregnant women. Not that I'm pregnant yet, but...still.
Anyway, on another topic, I visited WebMD about a recommended diet for pregnant women. They suggested all the expected stuff, like eating all the recommended items on the food pyramid, making sure you get all the right vitamins and folic acid, and stuff like that. But one thing that interested me was to consume at least 300 calories more than typical. Obviously, this is the "eating for two" concept. Which makes me wonder...since I tend to overeat anyway, would it be possible to LOSE weight at the beginning of a pregnancy? I mean, if I continued to eat what I normally consume (which is too much), would the calories going towards the baby's development thus take away from the calories going towards me? It certainly isn't a proven weight-loss strategy, but I wonder if it would happen.
Just one of the many things I wonder about...
Not great, but I know at least one reason that my weight might be up: I haven't taken my blood pressure medication in several days. I was sort of hoping my bp might be OK without it (and I'm out anyway), but unfortunately that doesn't seem to be the case. I'm waking up headachy, and when I take my pressure with my little portable cuff, it's right around 140/100, which is really bad. It should be 120/80. I went ahead and refilled the prescription (although I haven't picked it up yet). But I was really hoping I could go without it, since blood pressure meds aren't recommended for pregnant women. Not that I'm pregnant yet, but...still.
Anyway, on another topic, I visited WebMD about a recommended diet for pregnant women. They suggested all the expected stuff, like eating all the recommended items on the food pyramid, making sure you get all the right vitamins and folic acid, and stuff like that. But one thing that interested me was to consume at least 300 calories more than typical. Obviously, this is the "eating for two" concept. Which makes me wonder...since I tend to overeat anyway, would it be possible to LOSE weight at the beginning of a pregnancy? I mean, if I continued to eat what I normally consume (which is too much), would the calories going towards the baby's development thus take away from the calories going towards me? It certainly isn't a proven weight-loss strategy, but I wonder if it would happen.
Just one of the many things I wonder about...
Monday, January 11, 2010
Do-Over Day 11- 1/11/10
Today's Weigh-in: 205.6
Well, I had lost two pounds, but then my father-in-law made goulash for dinner, and the next night we had pizza. While I haven't had to face my greatest nemesis (Mexican food, because there are no really good Mexican places in Billings, MT), I still haven't done a great job on eating less and exercising more. While I have hit the elliptical machine a few times, I haven't done it with the regularity, intensity, or duration I require to lose weight. I must continue to work on it.
I must also report that I have been off my birth control pills since December 27th. That would have been the day I would have started up the next round of 21. So I'm on Day 16 of possible fertility. I am not doing any tracking of my temperatures or anything like that. It could be that it will take time to "get all the birth control out of my system", so to speak, since I've been taking it regularly for 16 years. Or, I could get a huge surprise and miss my upcoming period. We'll just have to wait and see. If it takes months and months, then I might start charting and stuff, but for now, we're just rolling with it.
I did go ahead and start taking regular vitamins. I need to do a little more research before I commit to a particular brand of prenatal vitamins. I'm also going to look into a pregnancy diet to see if there is anything that is commonly recommended.
It's a new year...let's see what awaits!
Well, I had lost two pounds, but then my father-in-law made goulash for dinner, and the next night we had pizza. While I haven't had to face my greatest nemesis (Mexican food, because there are no really good Mexican places in Billings, MT), I still haven't done a great job on eating less and exercising more. While I have hit the elliptical machine a few times, I haven't done it with the regularity, intensity, or duration I require to lose weight. I must continue to work on it.
I must also report that I have been off my birth control pills since December 27th. That would have been the day I would have started up the next round of 21. So I'm on Day 16 of possible fertility. I am not doing any tracking of my temperatures or anything like that. It could be that it will take time to "get all the birth control out of my system", so to speak, since I've been taking it regularly for 16 years. Or, I could get a huge surprise and miss my upcoming period. We'll just have to wait and see. If it takes months and months, then I might start charting and stuff, but for now, we're just rolling with it.
I did go ahead and start taking regular vitamins. I need to do a little more research before I commit to a particular brand of prenatal vitamins. I'm also going to look into a pregnancy diet to see if there is anything that is commonly recommended.
It's a new year...let's see what awaits!
Monday, December 28, 2009
Day 360 - 12/27/09
No weigh-in today; just got home from the in-laws', where we spent Christmas. I'm sure it wouldn't be great.
Today is more significant for a different reason. Under normal circumstances, I would have taken a birth control pill today, after my week of placebos (place holders during my TOTM). But...I DIDN'T. So I need to keep track of things. I'm sure after years of taking birth control pills, my period will probably not be incredibly regular, so I need to be aware of what's happening when. Should be interesting. It's most likely that I will not get pregnant right away. It will probably take a while to clear all the birth control from my system and get myself regulated to the point where I can tell when I'm ovulating, but it's always possible that I might get pregnant right away.
We'll just wait and see...
Today is more significant for a different reason. Under normal circumstances, I would have taken a birth control pill today, after my week of placebos (place holders during my TOTM). But...I DIDN'T. So I need to keep track of things. I'm sure after years of taking birth control pills, my period will probably not be incredibly regular, so I need to be aware of what's happening when. Should be interesting. It's most likely that I will not get pregnant right away. It will probably take a while to clear all the birth control from my system and get myself regulated to the point where I can tell when I'm ovulating, but it's always possible that I might get pregnant right away.
We'll just wait and see...
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Day 352 - 12/19/09
Soooo...
First of all, I don't have an official weigh-in number, but I've been sitting right around 205. So I haven't lost any weight since we moved; I've gained a bit. I was doing really well, running every morning, until it got cold. Running in the cold is not fun; it makes my throat sore and my lungs burn. We got an elliptical machine, but I haven't used it nearly enough to make things any better. And I haven't curbed my eating like I should.
So I'm looking at starting the new year in pretty much the same place that I did last January. I need to lose weight.
But there's a new twist to things. Namely, we've decided that we really can't put off anymore the original purpose of this blog, which is PARENTHOOD. Having both turned 35 this past year, our biological clocks are, in the words of Marisa Tomei, ticking like THIS! As it stands, if I were to get pregnant in the next month or so, I would be able to deliver before turning 36 in October, but that basically puts us a 40-year-olds with a 4-year-old, and that would be the first child. What about any subsequent kids? If we're going to have the energy to be parents, we need to get a move on, so to speak.
So we've decided that, despite not having made any headway on the weightloss front, we are going to go ahead and let my birth control pill prescription lapse this month. As a matter of fact, today will be the final pill I will take. I am still taking my blood pressure medication, but I am going to try and let that one lapse as well, probably next month. This means I MUST LOSE WEIGHT ASAP. I have to get my blood pressure under control so that I don't need the meds. I need to get on the elliptical machine, and I need to go purchase some hand weights so I can lift.
So here I go again, as Whitesnake observed. This is for real. If only people would stop offering me Christmas cookies.
First of all, I don't have an official weigh-in number, but I've been sitting right around 205. So I haven't lost any weight since we moved; I've gained a bit. I was doing really well, running every morning, until it got cold. Running in the cold is not fun; it makes my throat sore and my lungs burn. We got an elliptical machine, but I haven't used it nearly enough to make things any better. And I haven't curbed my eating like I should.
So I'm looking at starting the new year in pretty much the same place that I did last January. I need to lose weight.
But there's a new twist to things. Namely, we've decided that we really can't put off anymore the original purpose of this blog, which is PARENTHOOD. Having both turned 35 this past year, our biological clocks are, in the words of Marisa Tomei, ticking like THIS! As it stands, if I were to get pregnant in the next month or so, I would be able to deliver before turning 36 in October, but that basically puts us a 40-year-olds with a 4-year-old, and that would be the first child. What about any subsequent kids? If we're going to have the energy to be parents, we need to get a move on, so to speak.
So we've decided that, despite not having made any headway on the weightloss front, we are going to go ahead and let my birth control pill prescription lapse this month. As a matter of fact, today will be the final pill I will take. I am still taking my blood pressure medication, but I am going to try and let that one lapse as well, probably next month. This means I MUST LOSE WEIGHT ASAP. I have to get my blood pressure under control so that I don't need the meds. I need to get on the elliptical machine, and I need to go purchase some hand weights so I can lift.
So here I go again, as Whitesnake observed. This is for real. If only people would stop offering me Christmas cookies.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Day 319 - 11/16/09
Today's weigh-in: 204.6
Well, yes, things are not entirely going to plan. I have not managed to lose any weight yet. But it's really more about the food than the exercise. I have been running (well, "wogging") in the mornings. Plus, we bought an elliptical machine, and I have been using that.
It's really about the food. I have yet to implement my "serving spoon" plan, where I only eat a single serving spoon scoop of whatever our entree is. We haven't been eating out as much, which is good, but I really have to get control of the eating.
I am enjoying my new house, though! I'm still waiting for my mother-in-law to ask about kids again, because I'm sure it's coming. But I don't mind. We'll get there. At least now if we do have a kid, we have somewhere to house the little tyke.
Well, yes, things are not entirely going to plan. I have not managed to lose any weight yet. But it's really more about the food than the exercise. I have been running (well, "wogging") in the mornings. Plus, we bought an elliptical machine, and I have been using that.
It's really about the food. I have yet to implement my "serving spoon" plan, where I only eat a single serving spoon scoop of whatever our entree is. We haven't been eating out as much, which is good, but I really have to get control of the eating.
I am enjoying my new house, though! I'm still waiting for my mother-in-law to ask about kids again, because I'm sure it's coming. But I don't mind. We'll get there. At least now if we do have a kid, we have somewhere to house the little tyke.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Day 291 - 10/18/09
Today's weight: 204.2
Yeah, I know. I'm still wavering in that horrible no-man's land just north of 200 lbs, which is not where I want to be. But there is hope, in the form of some updates...
As far as the house goes, we close on Oct. 27, so just over a week away. Just trying to get the finances in order to have our money together for the closing. This is so exciting! We've been married for ten years and we've always rented. Somehow, this just makes me feel like an adult. Funny, I know, for someone who's about to turn 35 (this coming Tuesday, yippee).
On the weight loss front, obviously not much to report. Although I've been jogging in the mornings, I haven't been able to get a grip on the eating. But we've decided to really try to eat better. We're going to cut back on the eating out, and I'm going to restrict myself to a serving spoon sized portion of the entree we're eating, instead of filling the plate with the main course, and then loading up on the veggies. Hopefully this week will show some improvements.
Also, we've purchased another tool to help: the Wii Fit. It's got a balance board that you stand on, and then you follow the directions of the games. There are games for balance, games for aerobics, yoga, you name it. And then there are personal trainer games that you can purchase as well, including games from the Biggest Loser trainers. You create a profile that is stored on the hard drive of the Wii console, and it records your weight (since the balance board can function as a scale), the amount of time you spend playing the games, and its estimate of how many calories you've burned. You can even set up goals for weight loss and you can create your own personalized training program. I spent almost an hour on it this morning, and I didn't even work my way through all the games. It was a little disheartening to have a video game tell me I was obese and "unbalanced" (my core strength, not my state of mind, thank you very much), but at least it is a fun way to get in another workout. If I can run in the mornings, maybe get on my bike when the weather is nice, and spend an hour or so each day playing the Wii Fit, maybe I can finally lose some weight.
We're also looking at other ways to get our exercising back on track. In our new house, we've got a big basement living room. We are thinking about setting it up as a workout room for now. We would like to put another TV down there for the video games and exercise videos, plus an elliptical machine, some dumbbell weights and a bench, and stationary bikes. For the bikes, we want to get the stands that turn your regular bike into a stationary bike by lifting it up off the ground. Both of us have older mountain bikes that we'd like to replace, so we could use the older bikes with new slick tires on the stationary stands and ride new mountain bikes around when the weather is nice.
Of course, much of that is in the future; we don't have the finances to just whip out there and go buy all this stuff. But hopefully it will make our working out more interesting. Also, there's a foundation here in Billings that is trying to get a pool built in the area where we live. That will make the summers nice.
So we're trying. Hopefully this time we'll make some actual progress.
Yeah, I know. I'm still wavering in that horrible no-man's land just north of 200 lbs, which is not where I want to be. But there is hope, in the form of some updates...
As far as the house goes, we close on Oct. 27, so just over a week away. Just trying to get the finances in order to have our money together for the closing. This is so exciting! We've been married for ten years and we've always rented. Somehow, this just makes me feel like an adult. Funny, I know, for someone who's about to turn 35 (this coming Tuesday, yippee).
On the weight loss front, obviously not much to report. Although I've been jogging in the mornings, I haven't been able to get a grip on the eating. But we've decided to really try to eat better. We're going to cut back on the eating out, and I'm going to restrict myself to a serving spoon sized portion of the entree we're eating, instead of filling the plate with the main course, and then loading up on the veggies. Hopefully this week will show some improvements.
Also, we've purchased another tool to help: the Wii Fit. It's got a balance board that you stand on, and then you follow the directions of the games. There are games for balance, games for aerobics, yoga, you name it. And then there are personal trainer games that you can purchase as well, including games from the Biggest Loser trainers. You create a profile that is stored on the hard drive of the Wii console, and it records your weight (since the balance board can function as a scale), the amount of time you spend playing the games, and its estimate of how many calories you've burned. You can even set up goals for weight loss and you can create your own personalized training program. I spent almost an hour on it this morning, and I didn't even work my way through all the games. It was a little disheartening to have a video game tell me I was obese and "unbalanced" (my core strength, not my state of mind, thank you very much), but at least it is a fun way to get in another workout. If I can run in the mornings, maybe get on my bike when the weather is nice, and spend an hour or so each day playing the Wii Fit, maybe I can finally lose some weight.
We're also looking at other ways to get our exercising back on track. In our new house, we've got a big basement living room. We are thinking about setting it up as a workout room for now. We would like to put another TV down there for the video games and exercise videos, plus an elliptical machine, some dumbbell weights and a bench, and stationary bikes. For the bikes, we want to get the stands that turn your regular bike into a stationary bike by lifting it up off the ground. Both of us have older mountain bikes that we'd like to replace, so we could use the older bikes with new slick tires on the stationary stands and ride new mountain bikes around when the weather is nice.
Of course, much of that is in the future; we don't have the finances to just whip out there and go buy all this stuff. But hopefully it will make our working out more interesting. Also, there's a foundation here in Billings that is trying to get a pool built in the area where we live. That will make the summers nice.
So we're trying. Hopefully this time we'll make some actual progress.
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