On A Break



Happy with the
change in shape...



I know I've mentioned it before, but I'm anxious to see a bit more of a change on the scale since I've started my new exercise routine. I have definately seen a change in my figure, but I have gone to the gym 5-6 days a week consistently for over a month now, and I'm only down a pound or two in that time. Stop me now if I'm being too whiny...

I've also become more conscious of my eating habits and I've started tracking my calories (eaten and burned) through My Fitness Pal. It's kind of like Facebook for weight loss. You can connect with friends and see their progress through a news feed. You can also adjust it to meet your own goals. It calculates the calories by adding up the calories you've eaten, and substracts the amount of calories you've burned for net amount. I've set my daily calorie goal to 1200 and out of the 13 days I've been doing it, I've acheived that goal 9 times. I love that I can input things from my iPhone through their app.

I heard some good advice recently about what to do when you hit a plateau - I think it came (originally) from Jillian Michaels.  Basically, she recommends that you increase your caloric intake by 10% and you take a break from exercising for a few days. This should be enough of a shock to get your system going again. The advice is based on the theory that you metabolism has slowed down and needs a kick start. This is exactly what I think is wrong right now, and so I'm following her advice and giving myself a break. I sure hope it works!

Have any of you hit a plateau in your weight loss journey? What did you do to get things moving again and stay focused and motivated?

Setting Goals

Today is the day that I will share with you the before pictures.

Beware! These are raw, unedited images.

Keep in mind that I am 3 weeks postpartum in these photos...

I'm cringing as you read this...

The strange thing about these photos is that I remember feeling energized. This was the first day I used our new elliptical and about a week before I started IsaGenix. Oddly enough, the thing I hate the most about the before photos is not the extra weight, it's the fact that I'm not wearing any make-up, my hair looks terrible and I'm not smiling. I don't find that it even looks like me. In comparison, here are the now pictures at Week 15 of following IsaGenix. I learned from my mistakes the first time and am much happier with the pictures. There's no doubt that I still have a long road ahead of me. As of this morning, I am 14 lbs away from my prepregnancy weight. That was also my lowest adult weight, which is probably also about 30 lbs too heavy. So let's just round it out to an even 50 lbs as an end goal. I don't even know what that weight will look like on me... With the wedding behind me, it's time to set another goal. As I've said, I'm planning on joining the gym in the next couple weeks (the Canada Post strike is delaying the arrival of my new credit card, grrr), and so that should help accelerate the weight loss in combination with the diet. Soo, my next goal will be to lose the next 14 lbs by July 23rd which is when hubby and I are participating in the Mitsubishi City Chase. This is a pretty ambitious goal since I've had a hard time sustaining a 10 lbs a month weight loss, but I think if I stay focused, it is attainable.

Success #2

Talk about down to the wire...

Today is my friend's wedding day. My dress is ready, my nails are done, and best of all, I finally reached my weight loss goal for her wedding!

I have lost 55 lbs in 4 months, and 37 of those I can credit to Isagenix.

I'm looking forward to getting more focused in the weeks to come, but right now I need to go and get ready for the big day!

Set your PVR

As I write this, I am watching the series premiere of Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition. I've been looking forward to this show since the commercials started about a month ago. I had seen the trainer, Chris, on a TLC documentary a while back and knew at the time that he would end up with a TV show. This show is so insipiring. It follows the weight loss efforts of one person over the course of one year. I think this will be my favourite show this summer to help keep me on track. Set your PVR for 10PM Monday nights.

As for my weight loss efforts, I'm working hard to reach the original goal that I set for my friend's wedding (which is on Saturday!). As of this afternoon, I am 3 lbs away from the goal. I will be cleansing again on Wednesday, so I'm hoping to reach it by Thursday AM. Crossing my fingers I will make, but regardless, I am sooo happy with my progress thus far.

Hubby, on the other hand, has completely surpassed his first, second AND third goals. He has lost an incredible 74lbs! It's shocking, really. It goes to show that has hasn't done as much damage to his metabolism over the years as I have. He really can only blame his old bad food choices for gaining the weight.

Wish me luck for the next 3 lbs...

Breaking Barriers

I've been stuck in a weight loss rut for the past couple of weeks. With all the social activities going on, I was caught in a cycle of losing weight after a cleanse day, only to turn around and gain it back within a few days. Finally, today I broke through the barrier and dropped 1.5lbs lower than where I had been hovering. The hours of walking I did on Monday may have had something to do with it...

Last week, we decided to try a 9 day cleanse and so on Wednesday and Thursday we did back to back cleanse days. Wednesday was really tough, but oddly enough, Thursday wasn't that bad. What we realized though, was that the results on Friday morning weren't much different than if we separated the cleanse days. So, to make life easier, we've decided to change things up and do 2 cleanse days a week (Mondays and Thursdays) for the next little while and see how that goes.

I'm loving the flexibility that Isagenix is giving me. I have a quick solution if I go off track, and I really do not find it is difficult to sustain. It is also saving us a bundle on groceries - Yesterday, I only spent $61.00 yesterday to get us through to Sunday! And that even included meals and snacks for Cate.

My biggest challenge right now is alcohol. For me, there's nothing better than a glass of Shiraz at the end of the day - especially when the weather is nice and we can sit out in the backyard to enjoy it. I think like anything, the key is moderation. I'll admit that last night I had a Molson 67. 67 as in 67 calories, so really not too bad, and even better after seeing the results on the scale this morning. I will try to not make a habit of it, because as I learned after the bachelorette party, too much alcohol on the weekend gives me a headache when I get back on track.

My next goal is to lose another 8 lbs by the end of the month. It's an ambitious goal, but I'm game.

Little Black Dress

After a slightly indulgent holiday weekend, hubby and I decided to jump right back on board with an impromptu cleanse day. I hadn't lost as much as I hoped so far this month and so this seemed to be exactly what I needed to get back on track. I am now in good shape to get me to where I hoped to be by the end of April.

On Thursday, we will be completing our second 30 day cleanse. It is great timing since we have a very busy weekend of celebrations coming up.

On Friday, we'll be hosting a Jack and Jill for a friend of mine and I will happily be wearing my little black dress! This dress has been sitting in my closet for 2 years now, waiting to be worn. I bought it on a whim with the intention of losing a few pounds, which obviously never happened. I was feeling thinner tonight (the result of a successful cleanse day) and decided to try it on. I was delighted to be able to zip it up - unassisted I might add!. It looks great and I'm so happy to finally get my money's worth! I'll be sure to share some pictures on the weekend.

On Saturday, I'm heading out to a bachelorette party for the same friend. It would seem that we are heading out clubbing after some cocktails at a downtown hotel. I'm pretty sure that the last time I went to a club I was underage... Regardless, I'm stumped by what to wear as I will certainly be out of my element. What do people wear clubbing these days? What does a Mom of 2 wear clubbing? I have an awesome retro one piece jumpsuit that is sooo comfy, and yet super stylish with my hot pink heels, but I'm thinking that most club goers don't frequent Melanie Lyne...

Any suggestions?

Success #1

Yesterday was a killer cleanse day... but it was worth it; I have officially acheived my first goal of reaching my pre-pregnancy #2 weight! It took me 9 months of being pregnant to put on 40 lbs and it has taken me 9 weeks to take it off! I really can't believe it.

After my first pregnancy, I decided there were two types of women. Some women lost all of their baby weight right away and had the nerve to wear bikinis at the mom and tot swim class with their 4 months olds. I am somewhat ashamed to admit that I gave those women the stink eye in the change room. They had no stretch marks and no baby belly - did they really just give birth? I doubt it...

Then there was the rest of us. The women who hung on to about half of the pregnancy weight for months. Trying to diet and exercise, but really only managing to exhaust ourselves. Add to that trying to not to affect the milk supply and it seemed like an impossible task. I took secret pleasure in seeing other moms a little on the heavy side and going through the same challenges that I was. Thank goodness I wasn't the only one...

The cards were stacked against me in my first pregnancy since I had developed hypothyrodism as a result of the pregnancy. Any woman still struggling to lose weight after 3 months postpartum should ask their doctor to check their TSH levels in a bloodtest. The tricky thing about hypothyroidism is that the symptoms are very similar to those felt by new moms; fatigue, poor muscle tone, sensitivity to cold, depression, joint pain, weight gain and water retention amongst others. I have since found a way to control and stabilize my hypothyroidism and it has made a world of difference.

I have lived on both sides and have learned that determination will make the weight come off. Set small goals and work hard to achieve them. Up next, I want to lose 5 lbs in the next two weeks... Let's see if I can make it happen.



P.S. Hubby has lost a whopping 50 lbs already! I'm so proud of him, although it does make me want to start sneaking butter into his dinner...

What are your short term weight loss goals?