The Plan

Things have been a bit busier than usual over here the last week or two. I interviewed, started paperwork, and started training for a new job working with kids. So I've been running back and forth trying to get fingerprints and doctor signatures and all kinds of stuff for that. Also, we just got our puppy spayed. So I had to go drop her off one day and pick her up the next and we've been keeping a watchful eye on her to make sure she doesn't hurt herself. And then my mother-in-law came into town for the weekend so I was busy cleaning and doing everything to get ready for that. Last week was crazy. This week I officially started clocking hours at the new job, but today is my first long day.

I've spent the last 8 years working at home on a computer. This new job will have me up on my feet. I also won't be able to just sit and snack during the day. It is going to be kind of a big adjustment for me. I've had problems with my back for the last two years and I'm going to have to find a good chiropractor sooner rather than later. I've been seeing one, but I think I'm ready to try a new technique and just see if it helps. I'm excited about this change though, because it means I won't be sitting all day. I will be up and either playing with, taking care of, or guiding the kids; or I will be cleaning up after them. I'm excited to see if this helps my metabolism a bit. I haven't gotten a good reading yet, but so far I've already seen the numbers on the scale go down. I will see what happens when I weigh in on Friday. 

So my plan for this journey is to use this new job to my advantage. I am not going to pack junk food to snack on, I don't have the time to run to the store just because of a craving or whatever. So now I just need to get organized. I want to come up with a better meal plan that I can actually stick to. I have a crock pot and an InstantPot, so there's no reason I can't use those to make some healthy meals even if I'm short on time. I need to get more organized with breakfast. Typically, breakfast is a mess because I have so much to do in the morning to get the kids ready and get ready for job #1 and mostly I end up just eating coffee and toast, which isn't terribly nutritious, lol. And then I get hungry again and end up snacking. 

Another hard part of this routine is that I am going to have to struggle to fit in a workout. I still have job #1 in the morning and job #2 in the afternoon. And then kids' bedtime comes and by the end of that I am ready for bed too, lol. But I want to focus on the food for now and get some good momentum. The better I do with that, the more energy I will have and hopefully I will be able to start fitting in a workout then too. 

It's tough sometimes because I want to be able to jump in with food and exercise and everything all at once. But I need to be careful with my back, I don't want to burn out too quickly, and mostly I'm afraid if I try too much I will get stressed and stress eat, which is the exact opposite of what I'm trying to accomplish. But the first time I lost weight, I was able to spend 6 months just focusing on my diet and I lost 50 pounds... without working out at all. So that gives me hope that I can do it again. I'm not in a race, I'm on a long journey, one that I hope to be able to enjoy, and I've got to do the best I can do with what I've got to work with. One day at a time, one step at a time. I know I can do this!

Well... That didn't go as planned!

So last I checked in, it was Sept 2015. I shared that I'd just had a baby boy and was hoping to get back on track with my weight loss and would writing another post again soon. Yeah, that didn't happen. And now it's January of 2019, so about three and a half years later and a bit has changed. I managed to lose almost all of my baby weight ... and then got pregnant again. We welcomed our daughter in April of 2017. I gained all of the weight back... and then some. After I delivered her, I lost a good chunk, but I'm still about 100 pounds over where I want to maintain. I'm pretty close to where I started out when I first started this whole journey in 2008. 

Things have settled with the kids. Our son, Wyatt, is now three and a half and (mostly) potty trained. Our daughter, Penny, will be 2 in a few months and is learning about 20 new words every day and never stops talking, lol. It's been more of a struggle to transition from one kid to two kids than it was for me to go from no kids to one kid. Self-care has not been a main priority, but I'm ready for that to change. I am still dealing with some back pain from my second pregnancy. I've seen a chiropractor for about two years, but haven't made a whole lot of progress. I'm hoping if I can drop some weight and get back into working out, it will help strengthen my body and get my back in place too. 

My plan is to try to do what I did the first time. I'm going to start with counting calories and maybe even do Weight Watchers again. I also have a Beachbody On Demand account, so I have access to all of my favorite workouts and will be able to pick and choose depending on what will work best for my back. 

This time around will be more of a challenge because I now have to cook and plan for not only myself, but my husband and two little (semi-picky) eaters. They eat a decent variety, but when I lost the weight the first time, I stuck to a very simple rotation of foods and kept any tempting food out of the house. I still try to keep the tempting food out of the house, but it's hard when your kid comes up to you and says, "We should make cupcakes today!!!" I almost always have the ingredients needed for homemade sweets, lol. And my family is not as ok as I am to eat the same few meals over and over without getting tired of them. When I first start out, "less is more", so I find a few meals that work for me and stick to that. As I do better, I branch out. But it's harder when you're cooking for others. So that will be a new challenge for me. Also, as many moms will tell you, kids wear you out. A lot. So I don't have as much enthusiasm or time for standing in a kitchen for an hour making a delicious home-cooked meal  like I used to. I prefer something I can get out in fifteen minutes. The natives get a bit restless if I take too long, lol. And nowadays, cleaning is an all-day job. Over and over. Because 1 and 3 year olds make messes. It's basically their main job, lol. So the longer I cook, the bigger the mess they make. And after a day of working and playing and cleaning, I don't always feel up to making a big dinner.

So I've got a few more challenges, but I also have some things working in my favor. I have the kids now, which means that I am up and active more often. I can play with them and when it's nice out, we like to go to the park or go for walks or bike rides. I also have to be a better example for them. They learn from me and what they see me do. I want to give them a healthy lifestyle now so they can continue it when they get older. So that means I need to get my butt in gear. Our family is complete with the four of us. I won't be getting pregnant again. I am still nursing, but just once a day and that will probably be done soon too. I feel like I'm getting my body back. If I can get my back fixed, I should be good to go. 

I think 2019 is going to be my year to get back to feeling like "me"! I took a picture back in 2009 when I had lost all of the weight the first time. I want to try to recreate this photo in November as a 10-year comparison. So ... wish me luck! 

Oh, I forgot to mention. We also added a fur baby this year. Her name is Lucy, Lu for short, and she's about 7 months old. We don't know much about her background, but she is a bit nervous around the kids. When we first got her, right after Christmas, she was constantly between our feet, trying to hide under us. We've had her for a month now and she still gets a little nervous around the kids, but she also plays with them now. She's eating and drinking normally, she loves to play outside. She is the sweetest girl and she loves her squeaky toys. She's a bit of a bed-hog, but she also keeps my feet warm, so I'm ok with it. We are happy to have her be part of our family!