ERIN1022's SparkPeople Blog

Race Report: Andrew Jackson Half Marathon

Mon, 2 Apr 2012 20:47:05 EST

Saturday was an awesome day. Stephen and I woke up around 5:45 that morning because I planned to leave the house around 6:40 so I could get to Union University, the race site, around 6:50 (start time was 7:30). I had been bummed the night before that Stephen and Charlotte wouldn't be going with me because I didn't want to wake up Charlotte to go to the race (she usually sleeps until 7 or 7:15). However, Saturday morning she woke up at 6 a.m., so the whole family was off to the race site afte...

Just Keep Running

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 21:30:35 EST

This weekend I was supposed to run 7 miles. I wasn't looking forward to it. For one thing, I only ran once this past week, and for a measly 2.5 miles, so I wasn't exactly prepared to run 7. Also, despite the fact that January was one of the mildest Januarys I can remember, all of a sudden winter decided to show up, and it was going to be COLD over the weekend. I'd more than likely end up running 7 miles inside, which would mean at least 90 minutes on the dreadmill. Finally, we had plans to g...

February 2012: Week 1 Report

Thu, 9 Feb 2012 14:06:15 EST

Even though I REALLY don't want to post my weigh-in for this week, I'm going to. I keep it real here, yo. :)

Weight on Feb. 1: 177.8
Weight on Feb. 8: 179
GAIN of 1.2 pounds

I may have ended January on a really high note, but I certainly didn't start February well. Since last Wednesday, I have exercised a total of 2 times. The good news is that one of those workouts was a 6.2 mile run! I didn't take any walk breaks, either. Here's a post-run pic of me in all my...

Month in Review: January 2012

Thu, 2 Feb 2012 13:56:13 EST

All in all, January was a very good month.

I exercised for a total of 601 minutes. That's not a ton for some people, but it's my highest total since I had Charlotte.

I burned over 6,000 calories.

I kept up with my Bible reading plan.

I ran my longest postpartum run: 5 miles!

I went on a wonderful women's retreat with my church.

I have gotten considerably better at waking up at 5:30 a.m. I still don't make it every day (like tod...

January 2012: Week 3 Report

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:44:21 EST

Last week's weight: 180.6
This week's weight: 180.4
Total loss: .2 pounds
Total lost in January : 3.8 pounds

Can I just say that I am REALLY ready to say goodbye to the 180s?? Do you know how long I've been in the 180s? Since August. That's five months, friends, and that's enough! I WILL end this month under 180 pounds!

What went well this week:

1. Time with God. I had good time with the Lord every day this past week, and that is HUGE. Even if...

Four Years

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 13:39:34 EST

January 21, 2008. That was the day I decided to change my life. I was fat and not happy about it, and I was tired of just accepting it. I had told myself in the past that I was just meant to be fat since I'd spent most of my life that way, but I knew that wasn't true. The only way I would be destined to be fat forever is if I chose it. On January 21, 2008, I chose NOT to be fat forever. I made a list of reasons why I needed to change, and I made a plan of attack. Slowly but surely, changes st...

January 2012: Weeks 1 and 2 Report

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:24:06 EST

I would say that the first week of 2012 was a good one. Shall I count the ways?

1. I exercised 4 times, for a total of 128 minutes.

2. I logged my food 4 of 7 days. Yes, that's not really a great number, but it's better than the big fat ZERO days I was logging previously.

3. I stayed in my calorie range for each day that I tracked my calories. Coincidence? I think not.

4. I woke up in the 5:00 hour every morning during the work week, except for ...

28 Pounds

Sun, 8 Jan 2012 21:57:59 EST

As of this morning, that's all that stands between me and my goal weight of 155. 28 pounds. 28 pounds shouldn't be all that difficult to lose, right? After all, I've already lost 78 pounds! It's not like I don't know how weight loss works. I have all the tools I need.

And yet I can't help but feel as though those 28 pounds are like 100 pounds. It seems daunting, and I can't figure out why. Oh wait, yes I can: discipline (or lack thereof). My attempts to lose weight since having Ch...

2012 Goals

Tue, 3 Jan 2012 13:53:25 EST

I like making goals for the new year. There's something exciting about a new year and a fresh start. Unfortunately, I don't have the greatest track record when it comes to meeting my yearly goals. In 2009 I made 18 (!) goals. What in the world was I thinking making so many goals? No wonder I didn't achieve some and forgot about others! In 2010 I slashed my number of goals by more than half, but I completely stopped tracking my progress on most of them and therefore have no idea how I fared ...

Life Lately

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 14:04:34 EST

Yesterday I weighed in and was 184.4, which means that I am officially out of the "obese" BMI category! I'm now just "overweight." (Yay?)

With yesterday's weigh-in, my weight loss since June 1 totals 12 pounds. Yes, it has taken me 5 months to lose 12 pounds. And I'm okay with that. Who knows how heavy I'd be right now had I not been trying to lose weight?

I have done really well with my no sweets challenge. I did have a milkshake last Monday, but I was...

Race Report: Right Road 4 Miler, Part 2

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 20:28:19 EST

I know you're all on the edge of your seats, anxious to know if I achieved my two goals of finishing and having a faster final mile than first mile. As I mentioned in my previous post, mile 3 was my most challenging mile, but I was determined not to let that discourage me from finishing strong. However, I was struggling and kept looking at my watch to see how much farther I had to go. I am so glad that Haley was with me because it's possible I would have just walked the rest of the race if sh...

Race Report: Right Road 4 Miler, Part 1

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 22:34:06 EST

October 22, my 30th birthday, was the day for my big race--my first 4 mile race and first race post-pregnancy. In fact, my last race was the 5k I ran on March 27, 2010, at which I got my 5k PR (33:12), so it has been a LONG time since I ran a race. Fortunately for me, one of my longtime friends from my hometown saw that I was running this race and asked if she could run it with me and I said, "Yes, please!" I have never run with a partner but knew it would be nice to have the company.
<...

Biting the Bullet

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 13:51:52 EST

Thanks to everyone who weighed in on my scale dilemma (pun obnoxiously intended). I'm sure you're wondering what I decided (and if you're not wondering, too bad because I'm telling you anyway!). Well, I did it. I bit the bullet.

I weighed myself on Saturday.

Weight on Aug. 24: 190.2

Weight on Sept. 17: 188.8
LOSS of 1.4 pounds

I have to be honest: I was completely relived to find out I didn't gain 5 pounds! While losing 1.4 pounds over a 3.5 w...

My Scale Hiatus: An Update

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 14:01:40 EST

It has been 22 days since I last weighed myself. (For the record, I haven't been keeping a daily count. I just counted up the days for this post.)

To be honest, I don't think this experiment is going very well. That whole healthy habits checklist I created? Haven't looked at it on most days. I also haven't been exercising regularly, nor have I been tracking my food. I have done pretty well getting enough water and fiber, but those were things I was already doing on a regular basis....

My Scale Hiatus: The Plan to Track My Progress

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 14:01:29 EST

Thanks to all of you who offered your support for my decision to hide the scale for a while. Even after just a few days I can tell you that I really like not having that burden hanging over my head. The first two days I had a very intense desire to weigh myself, and I'm so glad I had Stephen hide it so I wouldn't be able to give in to that desire even if I wanted to! However, I haven't felt such a pull to the scale the last few days, and it feels great!

For me, the biggest chall...

Weigh-in Wednesday:No More Numbers

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 13:50:09 EST

Last week's weight: 188.2
This week's weight: 190.2

GAIN of 2 pounds

Yes, you read that right. I gained two pounds. In one week. Even though I exercised 4 times, the most I've exercised all month long. You wanna know how I managed this awesome pathetic feat? I ate. I had a Blizzard one night, I had brownies two nights in a row, and on Monday night I ate my weight in food at Logan's.

I am completely embarrassed. And angry. And beyond frustrated. I d...

Mid-August Goals Checkup

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 13:47:19 EST

Now that the month of August is half over, let's see how I'm doing on my goals, shall we?

1. No Facebook until I lose 5 pounds. GOAL MET. I weighed 187.8 yesterday, which is exactly 5 pounds down from my August starting weight, so you can bet that I logged right back on to Facebook! Maybe I should write a book called The Facebook Diet. The method works!

2. No bread for 2 weeks. GOAL MET. This was hard, but not as hard as I initially thought, and I wonder if abstai...

What If?

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 14:06:36 EST

I found a quote from Karen Lamb on Pinterest the other day (Pinterest is so fun!) that instantly made me stop and think: "A year from now you will wish you had started today."

Reading these words led me to play a little game of "What if?"

What if I hadn't weighed myself in January 2008?
What if I hadn't decided I was going to lose weight?
What if I had decided I was going to lose weight but then made no plan to actually do it?
What if I kept on eating and...

Weigh-in Wednesday

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 00:22:14 EST

I'm just barely managing to post this weigh-in Wednesday post on Wednesday, but here I am!

Last week's weight: 191
This week's weight: 189.4
LOSS of 1.6 pounds

Woohoo! I only have 1.6 pounds left to lose before I can log back in to Crackbook! I'm pretty excited about the fact that I've lost 3.6 pounds in 10 days. That's pretty awesome for me, considering that it took me TWO MONTHS to lose 4 pounds! I think the bread fast and the Facebook fast are really hel...

Weigh-in Wednesday

Wed, 3 Aug 2011 22:07:18 EST

Even though I just weighed in on Monday to get my starting weight for August, I want to keep my weigh ins on Wednesdays, so I am weighing in again. And let's be honest, I weigh every day right now anyway, so I may as well blog about it! :)

Weight on Aug. 1: 192.8 (Obviously I had fun on our mini vacay, since that number is UP 1.6 pounds from last Wednesday's weigh-in!)
Weight today: 191
LOSS of 1.8 pounds!

I think some of this is probably water weight that I ...

August Goals

Mon, 1 Aug 2011 23:01:02 EST

Is anyone else completely shocked that it's already August?? Where has this year gone? I will tell you one thing: I am ready to say goodbye to summer! It's just too hot.

Since my last post, I have been doing a lot of thinking and planning, trying to determine my next approach. I ended up taking a mini-break from actively pursuing weight loss, and that break actually dovetailed nicely with a trip to East Tennessee to see Diana, my best friend from grad school, get married. Ste...

Weigh-In Wednesday

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 14:09:47 EST

Last week's weight: 190.8

This week's weight: 191.2
GAIN of .4 pounds

I'm not surprised, and I'm actually relieved it's only a .4 gain. For whatever reason I am just stuck, mentally and physically. I told Stephen the other night that I was going to give up on weight loss, and I was only half joking. I think I am just tired, so very tired, of trying to lose weight. I've been doing this for the better part of 3.5 years. What's hard is that I know other people who...

Mid-July Goals Checkup

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 23:10:28 EST

The month of July is over halfway finished, so I thought I would revisit my goals. I haven't done a weekly report at all (shame shame), so here's my lame attempt at playing catch up.

1. Get into the 180s. As of Saturday, I weighed 191.2, but my weight has been fluctuating like crazy every day, so who knows what it will say on my "official" weigh-in on Wednesday. It has been so long since I've seen the 180s, except for when I was gaining weight while pregnant. The last time I w...

Donut=Do Not

Thu, 7 Jul 2011 22:37:01 EST

One thing that is great about starting my day with the Lord is that I have time to pray and ask Him to help me through the day. So yesterday (and today as well) I prayed that God would give me strength to go through the day making healthy choices. I prayed that He would keep me strong against temptations. I gave to Him my day and told Him I wanted to hunger for HIM, not food.

I was in a great mood when I got to work, feeling at peace and satisfied. Then I opened my work email ...

June Goals Report: Week 3

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 14:10:12 EST

1. Lose 6 pounds. Weight as of June 15: 192.6. Weight as of June 22: 194.4 Blah. I gained 1.8 pounds. Obviously, I want the scale to be moving in the OTHER direction, but as you'll see from the rest of this week's report, I didn't earn it.

2. Cardio for at least 30 minutes, 3 times a week. Success! This seems to be the one thing I am able to do each week. On Monday I completed Week 6 of Couch to 5k with a 25-minute run. I thought I might die while doing it, but I felt great ...

June Goals Report: Week 2

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 13:45:31 EST

I'm super giddy about posting this because I had a pretty great week. See for yourself:

1. Lose 6 pounds. Weight as of June 8: 196.6. Weight as of June 15: 192.6. That's right, I lost FOUR pounds!! I was ecstatic when I saw this number this morning. I weighed myself on Saturday and was 193.4, which was good, and I was just hoping to stay there until my "official" weigh-in this morning, but I did even better than that. I'm so happy! Only 2.2 pounds to reach my goal for the mon...

The Zero Calorie Solution to Stress

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 21:35:25 EST

I don't talk much about my job on here, but it has been stressful lately because one of the people in my department retired recently, and so my workload has increased significantly. This morning, I got overwhelmed just looking at the work piled up on my desk, and I felt more frazzled as the morning wore on. By the time lunch rolled around, I was ready to just zip through a drive-thru and order large fries and a large chocolate milkshake so I could feel better. Or at least, I told myself tha...

June Goals: Week 1 Report

Thu, 9 Jun 2011 22:22:51 EST

Here's how I did for the first week:

1. Lose 6 pounds. Epic fail here. I actually gained .2 pounds this week, weighing in at 196.6. I am SO ready to see something besides 196 on the scale! I am sure the gain is due to the not one but two anniversary dinners Stephen and I had--one at Outback and one at The Melting Pot. YUM.

2. Cardio for at least 30 minutes, 3 times a week. Success! I completed 4 workouts this past week, one of which was 45 minutes, and I am now ...

It's Go Time

Tue, 7 Jun 2011 23:25:07 EST

(I'm a little late in posting this, but I wanted to share it anyway.)

I'm ready to get serious about shedding this baby weight, so with that seriousness comes a plan and goals (of course!). But first, some incredibly humiliating pictures that will serve as my "before" pictures. I hate to post these, but I am really glad I took them because they were a nice bit of reality for me. I intentionally chose clothing that is too snug so I will be able to really see the difference when I...

Not Giving Up

Thu, 2 Jun 2011 14:17:09 EST

It's true, I'm not giving up. Thanks to those who commented on my last post and encouraged me. I knew even when I wrote it that I wouldn't actually give up, but I think I needed to just say that I wanted to so I could move past it. I have felt like I have been in somewhat of a dark place lately, really struggling with my weight and feeling mushy and squishy and unhealthy and just fat. What is frustrating about feeling like this is that instead of using that as motivation to get my healthy...

Struggling

Tue, 31 May 2011 23:22:12 EST

May starting weight: 197.6
May ending weight: 196.4
Loss of 1.2 pounds

I have so many thoughts swirling around my head, so for now I'll keep it simple: Sometimes I just want to give up.

May Goals: Week 3 Report

Mon, 23 May 2011 23:02:48 EST

May starting weight: 197.6
Weight as of 5/23/11: 197.6

Well, I didn't lose and I didn't gain this past week. I think it's safe to say I will not be meeting my goal of losing 4 pounds this month. But if I'm honest with myself, I haven't earned it.

Abstain from soda and chocolate candy and limit chips to one serving size. DONE! I was hoping that by giving up soda for 3 months that I wouldn't want it anymore, but so far that has not happened. I am still REALLY wa...

May Goals: Week 2 Report

Tue, 17 May 2011 22:10:48 EST

May starting weight: 197.6
Weight as of 5/15/11: 197.6

Yes, you read that right. I GAINED back all of the weight I lost in the first week. How pathetic am I? Pretty pathetic. You know what's even more pathetic? Instead of getting all fired up and motivated to show that scale who's boss, I've mostly just felt defeated and have been sabotaging my efforts. For example, I made homemade chocolate chip cookies on Sunday. Here's a weight loss tip for you: don't bake desserts f...

May Goals: Week 1 Report

Mon, 9 May 2011 23:48:17 EST

May starting weight: 197.6
Weight as of 5/8/11: 194.8
LOSS of 2.8 pounds!

I am so happy with this weight loss! I was just thrilled when I saw that number on the scale on Sunday morning. (Happy Mother's Day to me, haha). I am well on the way to my goal of losing 4 pounds for the month. Here's a report on how I did on the rest of my goals.

1. Lose 4 pounds. Only 1.2 pounds to go!

2. Abstain from soda and chocolate candy and limit chips to one se...

May Goals

Thu, 5 May 2011 13:50:38 EST

I'm sneaky. I made goals for this month on May 1 but am just now sharing them with you. Honestly, though, this is the first chance I've had to share them. Those who have read my blog for over a year may recall that I was a big advocate and practitioner of making monthly and even weekly goals, but that goal-setting dropped off substantially once I got pregnant. Now, however, after my closet meltdown, my sweet husband Stephen encouraged me not to wallow in my dissatisfaction with my weight ...

Through the Looking Glass

Mon, 2 May 2011 22:06:38 EST

I never thought that losing weight after having Charlotte was going to be easy, but I also wasn't counting on it being so difficult and laden with emotions. I had a mini-breakdown Saturday night because I was going through spring and summer clothes in my closet, and none of my favorite pieces fit. All the cute tops and skirts I enjoyed wearing last year were far too snug to wear in public. Looking at all of those clothes--clothes that I worked so hard to fit into--made me indescribably sad...

One Day at a Time

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 23:45:20 EST

Thanks to the office being closed this Friday, I am almost finished with my first week back at work, and I couldn't be more relieved! Monday was really hard. I was emotionally on edge all day, and when I got back from lunch after being at home and seeing Charlotte, I cried. I thought about her all day long and just missed her SO much. Fortunately, Tuesday was a bit better, and then today was better still, but I still think about my sweet baby girl all the time. Of course, let's face it: ...

Back to Work

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 18:34:39 EST

Tomorrow marks the end of my maternity leave. I admit that I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, I am going to miss seeing my little girl all day, every day. On the other hand, I am looking forward to getting to interact with adults and get back to my job, which I happen to like (most of the time, haha).

I think the most difficult thing about going back to work is knowing that someone else will be taking care of her, not me. The thought of her being in daycare every day makes...

Motivation: MIA

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 22:10:02 EST

I have to be honest. I am really struggling with feeling motivated about weight loss. What is sad about this is that I should be very motivated for a number of reasons. Let's list them, shall we?

1. I have not lost any weight for the past 3 weeks. In fact, on some days my weight has actually been up a pound or two.
2. I have very few clothes that fit me properly. Very few of my pre-pregnancy tops and pants fit me, and my maternity clothes are really too big, but that has...

Back in the Game

Mon, 28 Mar 2011 17:09:16 EST

I can't believe that Charlotte is already 3 weeks and 3 days old! I only have 3 more weeks of maternity left, which is a big bummer. I really hope Charlotte does okay in daycare; she's been a rather fussy newborn, but hopefully things will improve in the next 3 weeks. She at least has graduated from needing to be held to sleep to sleeping in her bouncy seat, but even then she still needs to be held to fall asleep. She won't sleep in her crib or cradle for long at all, so we will have to w...

She's Here!

Tue, 8 Mar 2011 17:49:03 EST

Instead of trying to repost here, I'll just post the link to my external blog that tells about Charlotte's arrival:

musingsofmrsmount.blogspot.com/2011/
03/shes-here.html

I hope you all are doing well!

40 Week Update

Wed, 2 Mar 2011 18:45:46 EST

Oops, I meant to post this yesterday and forgot, so here it is!

How far along: 40 weeks. It's possible I could go to 42 weeks, but I hope Charlotte comes before then!

Total weight gain: Well, last week I had gained three MORE pounds when I went in, but then when I went in today, I had lost all of that, so I'm back down to 39! Yay!

Size and growth of the baby: According to babycenter.com, Charlotte is roughly the size of a pumpkin!

What's happe...

So Close, Yet So Far Away

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 13:49:01 EST

Well friends, I am still pregnant. I'm trying to be okay with that fact. :) Tomorrow is my estimated due date, but I am sure the odds of her coming on that day are slim. (I wonder how many babies have been born on their due date.)

If you're curious, of the 16 survey responses we got, 5 of them guessed a due date that has now passed. 3 people picked today, February 28, so I suppose there is still time for those people to be correct. Feb. 28 and March 3 are tied for being the most...

Baby Survey and Update

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 13:38:38 EST

As promised, here is a little survey that Stephen created with some questions regarding Charlotte's birth. Feel free to fill it out. And if you do fill it out, let me know! There's not a place to leave a name on the survey, unfortunately.

www.surveymonkey.com/s/5QY8YB2

I went to the doctor yesterday, and I was not so thrilled to learn that I am only 1 cm dilated. Of course, that doesn't mean that tomorrow I couldn't be much further along, but as of ri...

39 Weeks

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 14:09:59 EST

Alas, Charlotte decided not to make her entrance into the world last week, so here I am with another update! Maybe THIS is the week we will meet our girl! The uncertainty of when she will come is driving me slightly nuts, but I know eventually she HAS to come out, right? :)

Baby's size? According to BabyCenter.com, she could be 7 pounds now and 20 inches long.

Weight Gain? Even though I gained 3 pounds (!) when I went for my checkup last week, somewhere along the ...

2 Weeks Left!

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 23:06:24 EST

Lest any of you think my lack of blogging means I have gone into labor or something, I thought I should update. :) I have exactly 2 weeks until the due date, which is hard to believe. Sometimes it seems as though I was just announcing my pregnancy on the blog, and then other times I feel like I've been pregnant forever! Here's the most recent baby update. Wouldn't it be awesome if this were the last one because Charlotte decided to come this week??

Baby's size? According to Ba...

Full Term, Baby!

Tue, 8 Feb 2011 00:08:13 EST

That's right, friends: now that I'm 37 weeks along, Charlotte is considered full term. Yippie!

Baby's size? According to BabyCenter.com, she could be about 6 1/3 pounds and 19 inches long!
Weight Gain? I'm embarrassed to admit this, but since I've always been honest about my weight on this blog, I'll go ahead and confess. When I went to my checkup last Wednesday, I had gained FIVE pounds in the last two weeks! I blame it on baby showers. :) My total weight gain is now a...

Charlotte at 34 Weeks

Wed, 19 Jan 2011 21:13:29 EST

The ultrasound today was SO much fun! It is just incredible that technology allows us to see the miracle God created inside of me. Charlotte is currently 4 pounds, 12 ounces and is a good, normal size. She's also head down, which made me happy because she's all ready to make her entrance when the time comes (and assuming she doesn't move before then!). We absolutely loved seeing how she's growing, and we are more excited than ever to be able to hold her in our arms soon!

Here...

34 Weeks

Mon, 17 Jan 2011 09:35:06 EST

Do I really only have 6 weeks of pregnancy left?! Whoa. I'm getting to that point where I am freaking out about the fact that around that time I will have another human life to take care of, and I am also getting anxious about how much we have left to do. However, this weekend I am planning on tackling a lot of that stuff, so hopefully then I will feel more confident about things. What's important is that Charlotte has a place to sleep and clothes to wear! (And one whole package of diaper...

Goals for 2011

Tue, 4 Jan 2011 19:24:13 EST

Happy New Year! So it's already January 4, and I haven't posted any goals for this year! I'm keeping it simple this year and going with 3 main goals instead of making so many goals that I end up forgetting about some (or all) of them.

1. Lose the baby weight. Obviously, I can't work on this one until I actually have Charlotte, but I am hoping that by the end of the year I can be down to 170. I'd love to be at my final goal weight of 160 by then, but I don't know if that's ...