Body After Baby Challenge

Samantha at Mamanotes.com has started another Body after Baby Challenge and I figured since the last one kept me motivated and helped me lose a few pounds I might as well join this one! At the end of the last challenge I lost 6.5 pounds which was great but I really wanted to lose my baby tummy and didn't really lose much of that. I went haywire after the last one and gained 4 of the pounds back! I've had a lot of stress this past weekend and havent been able to eat anything. It's not healthy but I lost most of the weight again! Right now I weigh 123 lbs. My goals are still the same, the number of pounds doesn't matter much to me, I just want to tone up and keep working off this belly.

This challenge has mini challenges every week for extra motivation and it makes it a little more exciting. This weeks challenge is to see how many glasses of water I can drink during the week. This is a really great challenge for me because I have a hard time drinking enough water. Maybe if I can make it a habit this week to drink lots of water, I'll keep it up throughout the rest of the challenge. This is a great one for the first weeks mini challenge.

The winner of the mini challenges gets some sort of prize and the winner at the end is chosen by whoever gets the most votes as the most improved. I think this is a great idea and Samantha, you are genius!!! I'm so excited to get started again. The challenge actually started on Sunday but I've been so stressed and worn out, I haven't really started trying too hard yet but everything is working itself out and getting better so I'll be able to concentrate on my goals a little more now.

Here's my before picture, I finally found time to take it! I have actually lost quite a bit of weight before I took this picture. It was after I had lost all the weight I'd gained back since the last challenge so I'm pretty much back to where I was when the last one ended.

Forgive my wild hair and tired eyes! I was so stressed out and exhausted Sunday night when I took this

you're lucky I got a picture at all! I took it at about 11:30 at night and I was actually still wearing the

same skirt I wore to Church that morning. I was just too tired to change it :)

If you want to check out how I did on the last challenge you can read all my posts here

Happy Labor Day!

So the Body after Baby fit by Labor Day challenge is over. It felt like it would never end! I just want to take a moment to thank Samantha at mamanotes.com. She did an awesome job at putting this whole thing together. This was a great idea and I hope everyone else who joined in reached their goal!

I had envisioned this dramatic reveal at the end where people said "wow, what's your secret?" and I would say "it took a lot of hard work and dedication, but just look me now!" (in that cheesy fake voice with the Hollywood smile). Lets just say that's not gonna happen!

I didn't do too bad. I did cheat more than I should have, I didn't workout much at all, and I have absolutely no willpower some days. BUT, I did lose 6.5 lbs and I can fit into some clothes that I haven't worn since before I got pregnant with my first baby. So I guess I did some good.

I started this thing at 129lbs and now I weigh 122.5. I have decided to keep this up for now. I'm not starving or working myself to death so I might as well keep on going and see how much more I can lose. Really the only change I've done is just eating a little healthier. I'm making healthier food choices and drinking more water so there's no point in stopping just because the challenge is over. I should've been doing all that anyway!

I did go bad as soon as I took my 'after' picture for the challenge. I don't know why but I took the picture on Thursday and the rest of the weekend I went crazy! I ate, and ate, and ate... I couldn't stop myself! But now I've gained my composure and I'm back to normal. One looking at me would have thought I hadn't eaten in a week ;)

Anyway, that's about all I can say. I didn't lose anymore weight this week so for a little more excitement you can read last weeks post here. It was somewhat more entertaining than this one!

If you want to read all my posts about the Body after Challenge here.

And here it is. Drumroll please... My after picture:

I can't really tell any difference but you can see the before pic here.

Last week!

It's the last week of the Body after Baby fit by Labor Day challenge that my online, fellow mommy, friend Samantha started. You should go check out her blog at http://www.mamanotes.com/

I didn't do as well as I thought I would, I was wanting to really get into shape. I kind of lost my way a time or two but overall I would say I did pretty good.

Yesterday morning I weighed in at 122.5 lbs. That's a total of 6.5 lbs loss! I don't care about the actual weight. I wanted to lose my baby tummy and I was really discouraged because, looking in the mirror, I couldn't tell much of a difference. I was pretty let down until a few days ago I found a couple skirts I had laid up awhile ago to give away because they were a size 6 and I've been in an 8 since Gavin was born. A 10 for awhile after Gage came along.

I figured what the hey, I'll try them on just to make sure I want to really give them away because I do really like them. I pulled them on, and thought well, they'll never zip up... AND THEY DID!!!! I was so surprised that I can wear a size 6!

A couple weeks ago I pulled out a pair of really cute white pants I hadn't wore since before having kids that were a size small and they fit too. I didn't think much of it though since they're kind of stretchy.

I guess I have done some good I just can't physically see it yet but I can now wear clothes I hadn't been able to squeeze into before starting this challenge! I am so happy I actually stuck with it. I cheated more than I should have but who doesn't? If you never cheated on a diet, you'd go crazy! I eat the same things I always have for dinner. I just eat really well all day and not eat as much at night. I also cut out a lot of the soft drinks. I do drink a lot of sweet tea but you can't ask someone in the south not to drink it. That would be cruel! Otherwise I've stuck to the plan more than I actually expected to.

I can't wait to see how much I can loose this week. I am dreading having to take my after picture on Thursday but I might surprise myself. I can't see much of a difference in the mirror but when I compare the pics side-by-side, hopefully I can see a change.

I hope everyone else hasn't given up. I know it can be hard but just keep thinking that you're bettering yourself for your family and your children. They deserve to have you at your best :)

Good luck on your last week and keep it up. I know I'll make it a good one!

Body after Baby... 3 weeks to go!

EEK only 3 weeks left in the body after baby challenge! Well no change this week. I'm blaming PMS for it though! I have the implanon birth control implant in my arm and it can make your periods irregular. Some people don't have one at all. Me however, I have one every 2 weeks. Yes, 2 weeks. I hate this thing. I start to PMS every week and a half. Which means the bloating, weight gain, the bottomless pit of a stomach... I've got it all. I can weigh 124 lbs one day and the next weigh 126 lbs with a bloated stomach. 2 days after that I'll weigh 124 again. This sucks! I'm just going to say I weigh what I did before I started my P. I only have like a full week of normalcy before I start this thing all over again.
I actually made an appointment to have the implant removed but something else came up. I'm going to have to make another appointment. I'm sick of it. I've had it in for a year and it lasts 3 years but I don't think I can make it another 2 years of misery!
Anyway this was supposed to be a body after baby post but there's not really anything to say. When I'm not bloated I actually look pretty good so I guess there's a small difference! I'll keep at my diet and exercise. Hopefully I'll be normal when I have to take my after picture!

Ouch...

Me and my sister have started walking every week because I'm doing the body after baby challenge and she just wanted to get in shape too. We usually walk 3 miles down the road at my moms house which is kinda tough because the road we walk on has a lot of hills!

This Tuesday for some crazy reason, we decided to walk in the mountains instead. We started at a logging road right below my moms. We took off at a pretty fast pace and very soon we slowed down, couldn't breath, and looked at each other like 'what were we thinking?' We were walking on a road that 4-wheelers drive on so it wasn't really rugged, it was just steep! We kept having to stop and rest.

We made it to the top though. We decided instead of coming back down the mountain, we'd go around and come down another side of the mountain, making a big circle coming out at the top of the road my mom lives on. Again, we looked at each other like 'Are we really this stupid?' This time however we started out slower. The climb got even steeper than the one before but we eventually made it.

We started back down the mountain at what used to be another logging road but it hadn't been used in a few years. It was just a huge gully that was deeper than we were tall and it was completely covered in briers, trees, and weeds. Me and my dear sis said there was no way we were going to turn back now we'd come too far. So we started down. We had to actually jump into the ditch, dodge briers, poison ivy, and tree branches! (ohhhh we were dumb...) On the bright side, there were some blackberry bushes and I would grab some and eat them while I stumbled down the side of a mountain! It took a long time to make our way through that mess. We finally did... with a few scratches and bruises but we made it! There still was a ways to walk down but it wasn't anywhere near as bad as what we'd already been through.

Also being dumb, we decided last minute to go up the mountain so we didn't tell our mom, who was watching 6 of our kids! Last time we walked down the road, it took us 1 hour and 20 minutes. We got an earful when we got back this time! My mom was thinking it would take as long as it did last time. She said 'What took you so long, you've been gone 3 hours!' She said she was about to load up 6 kids (ages 4, 3, 2 1/2, 20mo, 14mo, and 4mo!) and go looking for us! I thought she'd be proud of us for doing it and my sister said she'd just call us stupid. Guess who was right?! Well at least I'm proud of us :) I told my sis that our husbands wouldn't believe us when we told them what we did. Luckily I have the scars to prove it!

~OUCH~

4 Weeks To Go- HOLY COW!

Only a month left in the body after baby challenge. Where did the time go? Wow. I've lost 5 lbs, I weighed in at 124 lbs this morning but I still feel a little disappointed.

I don't care about how much weight I lose. Really I don't! (well... maybe a little!) I just wanted to lose some baby belly. I've lost everything BUT the baby belly. I'm loosing all the weight in places I want to keep it! I have chicken legs and absolutely no butt and those are the things that are getting smaller! I look even more pregnant now! So picture a plump, white marshmallow with toothpicks for arms and legs sticking out and that's what I look like! I mean it's not flabby, there's no fat rolls hanging out, it's just a perfectly round, plump pregnant looking belly! It's really weird! I'll just keep telling everybody what my brother used to always say to me 'I'm not fat, I'm pleasantly plump and pudgy.' I actually liked that saying so much I had a shirt made for Gage with it on it! He won a photo contest with it! Why can't we look this cute when we're chubby?

I'm going to keep at it. I'm going to walk 3 miles with my sister again tomorrow. I've got to get back to drinking lots of water too. Hopefully I can shed some of this gut in the next month!

Body after Baby challenge week 3

I did better this week on the body after baby, fit by labor day challenge. Last week I gained a pound. This week I lost a 1.5 lbs so I now weigh 125 lbs for a total of 4 pounds. Not so bad I guess. The only problem is I really don't care about the number of pounds I lose... I just want rid of the awful baby belly. And that is still stubbornly hangin' on there! There are times when I look pregnant. I've actually had people in my church ask me if I was pregnant again! Very awkward not to mention embarrassing! For both me and the person that asked! I just smile and say 'nope, it's just fat.' You should see the look on their faces!!! They say 'oh..oh..no..I didn't, I mean...' It's actually quite amusing ;). Anyway I'm eating pretty well, I am cheating occasionally (who doesn't?) But overall not doing too bad.
My problem is finding the time to workout. I have been turning on some music and letting Gavin tell me what to do. We do jumping jacks, running around, lying down and getting back up like 5 times in a row, jump around like a bunny... I could go on forever! It's quite the workout though! I can only go 15-20 minutes and I'm exhausted and he's saying 'get up mommy, lets exercise.' I'm gasping for breath saying 'no honey, mommy'll watch you for a minute.' It' sad I know. I am sooo out of shape!
I have decided to go out to my moms house twice a week and walk with my sister. It's a rural area and if we walk from my moms house to a church down the road and back, it's 3 miles, mostly uphill. And I'll continue to dance/workout with my boys not only because it's an awesome workout, but because it's fun and they like it!
I've only got 5 weeks to get my butt into gear and get this baby gut off me! They've been worth it don't get me wrong but it's been a year already. It's time to get my body back. The one my husband fell in love with (not that he doesn't love this body but the other one was sexier!) So wish me luck and I send luck and love to all the other great moms and dads doing the challenge with me.

Body after Baby

Well I didn't lose any weight after week 2 of Body after Baby challenge. Actually I gained a pound! I'm at 126.5lbs now. I didn't do to bad though. I mean I didn't go completely of the diet. I really wanted to cheat on Saturday when me and my hubby went out for our anniversary but after a pretty tough hike I was exhausted and hot so when we went out to eat, I didn't eat much at all! Last night though I don't know what happened. I made some chicken stir-fry - not bad. After Gage went to bed Gavin wanted some chips and dip & I knew I shouldn't but I layed into it man. I felt so guilty afterwards! But it was awesome while I was eating it!

I'm back on track for week 3 though.
I had some fruit for breakfast and veggies for lunch

My husband did ask for spaghetti for dinner so I'm going to make it for him but I'll load up on a salad first so I don't eat a lot of it. I'm feeling confident that I'll do good this week. Good luck mamas and daddies! Keep on truckin', it's worth it!

Body after Baby week 1

I guess I could have had a better 1st week of body after baby. I didn't do to bad, I drank quite a bit of water. I ate reasonably healthy. I did cheat a couple days... pizza, a chimichanga, probably more but I can't remember at the moment! I went for a couple walks with the boys. I pulled them in their wagon one day. It was mostly uphill too so that was a pretty good workout. Then we went to visit my mom and I took Gavin for a walk in the woods to pick raspberries. That was mostly uphill too! Gavin kept getting tired and I had to carry him part of the way. Other than that I didn't have a lot of time to workout, it's been a busy week. I'm all geared up for week 2 though. I've finally got my mind in it and I'm excited to see how I do from here on out. I started out weighing 129 lbs. I now weigh 125.5 lbs so I lost 3.5 pounds this week. Not too bad for the first week! I really don't care about the number though I just want to loose the extra baby gut. It looks like I'm still pregnant and my youngest is a year old! That's going to be the hardest part for me. Good luck to everyone else I hope you all have a great second week. You are all hot mamas (and dads!) in my book. KEEP IT UP :)

Body After Baby challenge Day 1

Day 1:

It's at the end of day one on the Body after Baby challenge. It didn't really get off to a good start! I started off ok but the later it got the more I wanted to eat! For lunch I had some grilled chicken left over from last night. Not too bad but I did have a small portion of mashed potatoes and gravy. But then as I was making dinner I couldn't stop eating tortilla chips and salsa! We had gorditas (not so good either) and I thought 'I'll just eat one that's not so bad', then a second because it was so good! THEN after the boys had a bath and were quietly playing in their room I ate yet another one! Granted I only put like 3-4 little chunks of chicken on each one but its the cheese and sour cream that's the killer. Oh well maybe tomorrow will be a better day! I did drink quite a bit of water today so that's an improvement. I will get my workout, my 7 year old niece is coming over to spend the night so I'll be even more busy than I already am. Hopefully all the wonderful moms and dads doing the body after baby challenge is doing better than I am on their first day! I promise I will buckle down and go for it from now on! I did find a really great workout today. I call it baby curling! Instead of using weights, use your baby! My 1 year old loved it. He was giggling and having a great time. He is a little chunky butt at 27 lbs so it didn't take long and I was defiantly feeling the burn! As for exercising with my 3 year old, he loves to turn on some music and we just go crazy dancing. I look completely ridiculous but it makes you break a sweat! It doubles the strain if I hold one of the boys while I'm doing it. Who says you need a gym? Good luck to everyone else in the challenge but GO ORANGE TEAM!!!

Fit by Labor Day Challenge

OMG. I just joined an 8 week challenge to lose some weight! It is designed by an awesome women I met on Twitter named Mama Notes. I had to take before pictures of myself and send them in... how embarrassing! Oh well this is a great motivator seeing as how I have 8 weeks before I have to send an after picture. I can't quit this time! If anyone else wants to join with me check out Mamanotes.com. This is a great opportunity for anyone who has some pregnancy weight leftover! There are some great people doing the challenge so everyone can encourage each other. Come on people we can do this! I actually weigh less now than when I got pregnant w/ my second baby but I have that stubborn baby belly hanging on. I actually look like I'm still pregnant! I've even been asked by some people @ my church if I was having another baby. Talk about an embarrassing situation!!! This is going to be really hard. I've got 3 boys to feed (2 kids and a husband!) & I usually just eat whatever they do. Like tonight we had pizza, fries, and buffalo wings. Not off to a good start! Ok here goes... Right now I am 5'4 and I weigh 129 lbs. When I got pregnant with Gage I weighed 132 lbs. So I've lost all the baby weight but my body looks completely different. I'm not really interested in the actual weight loss, I just want my body back! Wish me luck and join me if you can!