Off the wagon, on the wagon

This has been a tough week for me.  I started going back to work and have been struggling with keeping my asthma under control from being sick.  I haven't exercised in several weeks and with all the craziness of work, I think I lost some focus on my goal and on my eating habits.  We also left work early Thursday so we could hit the road with Mark, Steph and all our kids on a trip to Kansas City for the weekend.  It was a night of little sleep but we made it here and got to bed at around 4am.

I weighed yesterday morning and was 177.0 lbs.  I can tell I haven't been exercising and I also think the lack of sleep lately makes my body feel so sluggish.

I'm trying to be encouraged to keep at it and am feeling some sanity return as I try to get rested up again.

Another week

What a funny day it's been.

To start, I realized just how too-short I cut my bangs last night, but I'm hoping I can work with it and make it seem like I planned their length!  Ha!

I took the boys grocery shopping with me this morning.  While riding in his favorite cart that looks like a car (complete with steering wheel), Mason had a blast "driving" around Dominick's while Max slept peacefully.  Mason kept wanting to hold the items I was putting in the cart, so finally I gave him a sturdy bunch of 5 or 6 bananas (after I found him with a can of tuna I had no intention of buying).  By the time we got to the check-out line and Mason began innocently handing the bananas back to me, I couldn't help but chuckle when I realized they were no longer attached to each other.  Earlier I had noticed him pulling a couple off from the bunch, but I wasn't too worried.  What made me start laughing, however, was that as I took the bananas from him one by one, I realized that each one was soft and squishy with bruises, far beyond edible and one was even split halfway open with the gooey, sticky, insides bulging out!  The store was kind enough to dismiss the situation despite my offer to pay for them.  Let's just say I learned my lesson!  Luckily we were heading to Trader Joe's next and I picked up some fresh bananas there that didn't get Mason's "special" handling.

At my weekly weigh-in this morning I was 175.2 lbs, 26.1% body fat, and 55.5% body water.  Yay!

One down, Eleven to go!

I've made it 1/12 of the way through my resolution!  January is over and I've made it to my first goal of reaching 177.5 lbs.  This morning I weighed in at 176.6 lbs.  Here's what the numbers are so far: (and yes, I'm using Friday's weigh-in)

Starting Weight: 182.4
January Goal: 177.5
January Actual: 176.4
Lost this month: 6 pounds
February Goal: 175
First Qtr goal: 172.5 by March 31
Final Goal: 150 by December 31
Total to lose this year: 32.4
Currently left to lose: 26.4

And my first month's goal is...DEMOLISHED!!!

I'm so excited to report that I stepped on the scale this morning for my weekly weigh-in and found that I'm now 176.4 lbs! My goal was to get down to 177.5 this month and I'm so thrilled to be a pound lighter than that. I will check-in on the 31st, but this means that come Sunday morning, if I am still lower than 177.5 (pending I don't do too much celebrating with food...ha) that I get to finally wear the red puffer jacket and black skirt I purchased. Although, I don't plan on wearing them together.

We are beside ourselves with happiness that Mark, Steph and Monroe arrived last night. It feels so good to have them here, and for good. This morning their moving truck arrived with their belongings and although their house isn't yet arranged, at least their things are there.

It's been fun having them here already. We got the regular kid-gang together tonight at Sweet Tomatoes. Jen, Jared, Maria, Brandon and all the kids joined our two Murrill families. Monroe made it an even 3-3 for boys and girls when it came to the kids. Having been outnumbered ever since Max was born, Blythe and Ella were thankful to add another girl to the mix.

It's great to think of all the fun times we have ahead of us with the Murrill's here. Mike and Mark grew up in Hinsdale and Clarendon Hills before they moved to Kansas City when Mike was 7 and Mark was 5. I bet they never thought they'd end up back in the same place with their own wives and children.

Weigh-in Friday

I was pleasantly surprised at my weigh-in this morning when I found out I actually did lose a little bit this week and am down to 178.2 lbs, body fat percentage is 26.8 and body water is 55%. I'm glad the scale measures more precisely than whole pounds or I wouldn't always know if I was making progress.

I have to be honest that I got myself a prize already for when I meet my goal at the end of this month. I am confident it's going to happen. It better happen! I just need to lose .8 of a pound and I'll get to use the new red puffer coat and black skirt I got in the mail today from Gap. This will not be a regular thing each month, but I wanted to celebrate completing the first month and my success losing the first 5 pounds. Rather than monthly prizes, I'm opting for quarterly prizes to keep costs down, especially considering the final prize I've chosen.

I've decided that what I want, after I've lost my 30 pounds, is a flat panel TV. I don't think Mike will mind too much either! I've also decided what I want to get for my 6-month prize. I need some new luggage so I want to get a carry-on size suitcase and one a little bigger. I want something in a fun color or pattern and I'm very excited to be able to pick those out.

Now it's Sabbath and we just spent over an hour on Skype talking with my sis Renee and her family. I even got to read bedtime stories to my nieces, Amelie and Elianne. Now it's bedtime for me.

Wait, what day is it?

My Friday weigh-in days come way too fast. I had a blast today up at Woodfield Mall with Maria and our 4 kids. We got lots of walking in, but also had a very yummy meal at Red Robin. I weighed a few days ago and was actually up a little. I'm not feeling bad about that though, because I realize it's all about the long-term loss not short-term. I went into the concept of weekly weigh-in's knowing that I may not see loss every week, but it still helps me track it better.

Time to sleep. After-all, that will help my body get rid of the french fries I scarfed down today. But, they were so worth it! Ha!

Cookies and Pilates

I have to admit that I LOVE cookies and I've narrowed it down to three of my favorite "cookie-cooks" that I need to tell you about. If I've not mentioned someone here that makes excellent cookies it just means I need to eat more of them to continue my quest for the perfect cookies! The first of my favorites is Grandpa Hallam, Mike's mom's dad, who makes all kinds of delicious cookies including peanut butter and oatmeal. His cookies are so delicious. Even cookies that usually aren't my favorite flavor are cookies I will devour quickly when he makes them. He just knows how to make any kind absolutely irresistible. We love it when he sends them to us with Mom and Dad. The next favorite I discovered only a couple of weeks ago, is Danielle Muhlenbeck's chocolate chip cookies. I truly have been on a mission to find the perfect chocolate chip cookie and I must say I have found my favorite. Her cookies have the perfect texture, are soft, chocolately, and with a delicious dough, are the perfect balance. My final favorite is Maria Nudd's special cookies. I have to admit that I can't even say exactly what is in them (besides chocolate and maybe some coconut?), but I was lucky enough to come home with a plate of them last night and I've been enjoying them immensely! Hers are also very soft and have something in them that acts like potato chips in that you can't have just one.

On that note, after enjoying so many cookies lately, I was excited to be invited to try a Pilates class with Danielle and Kelsey this morning. I haven't done pilates before, but have wanted to see what it's all about. I found it peaceful and relaxing, yet still a good workout. It was similar to yoga and I may try to do the class more regularly. I can tell I used the muscles in my core. It was fun to try something new and to do it with friends.

I have just over two weeks to meet my first goal weight of 177.5 lbs.

My Boys!

We had a nice visit with Mark this week. He was here for a short visit looking for housing options for the family. Hopefully, one of their favorite homes will work out. We are so excited they will be here in only about 2 weeks!

This was a pretty bad week for me when it comes to working out. I did walk this morning on my treadmill, but I've been tired all week since my workout on Sunday. I may have overdone it a tad. I guess I really need to work up to it slowly after all my body's been through and with such a lack of sleep.

Speaking of sleep, we've reached a major milestone this week! Max is finally sleeping longer. He can go about 6 hours between his night feedings. I need my body to adjust because I still wake up when he used to eat! I'm not worried, though. I think that will change soon.

I weighed this morning and am 178.8lbs. My body water is 55% and I already forgot my body fat percentage but I do remember it was down just a little. I'm very excited to still see the numbers creeping lower. I'd like to lose more in the next week though, so I'm going to try to pay more attention to my eating habits. I've been getting the munchies at night!

Bankrupt?

My picture day for Max didn't turn out exactly like I'd planned yesterday. Although he still had a photo shoot, it wasn't at Kiddie Kandids. We arrived on time for Max's appointment to find out that Sunday night the company had declared bankruptcy and when the employees arrived Monday morning, they were sent home and all the Kiddie Kandids are now shut down. I was thinking of the inconvenience for me since I'd gone to all the work of getting the kids ready, planning to have Kelsey along to help and driving to the store until I thought about the employees who may not receive paychecks this week and who have lost their jobs. What a sad situation. My situation, on the other hand, was much easier remedied. We took the kids to JC Penney's and had a great experience getting Max's pictures taken at their studio. It was also less expensive. I will definitely go back.

I did better today with eating, but have been very exhausted since waking up this morning. I considered exercising for about 5 seconds, and didn't even try getting on the scale. Friday's weigh-in is coming too fast, I'm afraid.

Picture Day

We had a great weekend. After a fun time at Sabbath School and a valiant effort at church (Max was fussy and Mason was wiggly) we had lunch with the Nudds and then headed to the sledding hill. I hung out with Max while Mike, Brandon and Maria took the other 3 kids up the sledding hill and came down with delightful screams of excitement! Then we came home for dessert and games.

Sunday morning I went to the gym and worked out. Having been "blessed" by my doctor, in addition to walking, I added leg presses, shoulder presses, bicep curls and crunches. I read that adding muscle mass will help me burn calories all day even when I'm not exercising. That sounds great to me.

I weighed this morning and am 179.2. I'm glad I didn't gain over the weekend. I wasn't as careful with my eating habits so I wasn't sure what this morning would look like! I'd feel good if I lost one pound this week.

Today my friend Kelsey is helping me take the boys to Kiddie Kandids where I'm going to get Max's first professional pictures taken! I'm so excited because it's always been so fun to take Mason. I'm dressing him in an outfit from my grandmother that she sent for me to open at my baby shower even though she couldn't be there herself. Hopefully Max will be in a good mood!

The First Hurdle

Today was my first weekly weigh-in and I am happy to say that I have been successful so far. I weighed in at 179.4 this morning! This is very exciting to me as this means I've lost 3 pounds already and I'm on track to meet my goal of 177.5 by the end of this month (plus it's nice to say farewell to the 180's). It's especially exciting for me as I had gained a few extra "holiday" pounds and had a little extra to lose than my original goal.

I really have to say how encouraging it has been to receive your comments and emails as you read about my progress. I've had moments where I feel discouraged when I realize how easy it is for some moms and wonder why it's not as easy for me. It definitely helps me stay positive and keep going when I have so much support. Thank you so much!

Doctor's Orders

I had my official post-partum appointment today with my OB/GYN and have been cleared for active duty! She said I am healing great and I can safely resume regular activities. I didn't expect anything otherwise, but I am very excited to feel free to focus more intently on my workouts, although I still need to work up to it. Also, I'm finding it a challenge to have energy to workout when I'm still up several times at night with Max. At least I've been able to get some naps here and there.

The word is out and we are so excited that Mark, Stephanie and Monroe Murrill are moving to Chicago! They will be here in about 3 weeks and we couldn't be happier to finally live close to them. I'm having visions of Sabbath lunches together, cousin playdates at the park and picnics at the beach this summer! We may even have to try camping with our little ones.

I just enjoyed a huge bowl of Grandma Murrill's lentil soup. It's SO delicious. Of all the things I could be eating a huge bowl of, I think this was a good choice!

Tomorrow morning I'm going to do my weekly weigh-in and post the results. Let's hope I'm on track still!

Feelings...nothing more than feelings?

Today (Tuesday, the 5th) has been kind of a weird day. It's way too late for me to be up, but here I am.

I got in another good workout of walking. I did feel some uncomfortable pulling on my incision, so I think I will be taking tomorrow off from exercise - but I wouldn't have time for a workout anyway. By the way, my weight this morning was 180.2 and I'm feeling great about that. My goal for this month was to get down to 177.5 and I'm already about halfway there with the majority of the month left.

Tomorrow morning I'm taking the boys to storytime at Barnes & Noble, then I'm off to the Regional Human Resources Christmas Party at Maggiano's. This is my first work function since having Max, and I hope it's going to be a fun one. My good friend Maria will be watching the boys, as well as her two kiddos (she's a saint) while I'm at the party.

Part of the reason this has been a "weird" day is that I'm a little anxious about going to this party, but I'm not really sure why. I do feel like I need to go and I am excited to see everyone... I wonder if my trepidation is because I don't feel quite ready to be actually back in the office yet, and I'm afraid of how this will affect me. I've been having such a wonderful time with my boys and I know going back to work will be a change. I'm going to try to forget about all that tomorrow, though, and just try to enjoy seeing my coworkers and have a fun time. It's funny, I never thought I could be a full-time stay-at-home mom, but I've been having so much fun!

One of my struggles is emotional eating. I think I did a little of that tonight while trying to work through these feelings. Anyone have ideas on how to overcome emotional eating? I'll have to do some research on another night and see what I can find.

Timber!!!

The Christmas tree and all the other holiday decorations have come down in our house. I'm a little sad because the lights from the tree were so calming. But, I also had fun rolling around in the extra floor space today wrestling with Mason.

We had a blast playing games last night with friends. I forgot how much I love games. Although I was eating plenty of Danielle's AMAZING chocolate chip cookies, I'm pretty sure my abs got a great workout from all the laughing!

I was hoping to try out my first pilates class this afternoon with Kelsey and Danielle, who are also members at Lifetime Fitness. Unfortunately, we all had to cancel but I was able to get in a 35 minute walk on my treadmill.

I have a coupon for Jamba Juice that expires tonight so naturally we're going to go use it. Sounds like a suitable outing now that it's warmed up to 15 degrees!

With the close of this weekend, I'm starting back to work part-time from home. The time has flown by, but I'm also excited to get working on my newsletter again.

Time to get the kids in the car to go get our freezing treat!

Body Percentages

I tried the Body Fat Percentage and Body Water Percentage functions on my new scale this morning. According to the scale, my body fat is 27.5% and my body water is 54.5%. These number didn't mean much to me so this evening I've done a little research to determine how I should use these numbers.

I reviewed a number of websites I found on Google regarding body fat percentage and they varied a bit on what percentage would be ideal for me. Charts for body fat percentage are based on your gender and age. The charts varied based on which website I was looking at, but most were around the same general range. If I take an average of their suggestions I think I'd like to see my body fat percentage close to 21.

Body water percentage is something I haven't heard much about so I wanted to do a little more research. I again used Google and learned that the more fat you have in your body and the less lean muscle mass, the higher your body water percentage will be. Of course, the opposite is also true, that the less body fat and more lean muscle mass you have, the lower your body water percentage will be. It doesn't mean you don't want a lot of water in your body, but rather that you don't want to carry it in your fat cells. Muscle cells hold more water than fat cells. I'm going to shoot for a body water percentage close to 50%, based on average recommendations.

One thing is certain, drinking water is very important. The more water you drink, the easier you make it on your body. Fat and other wastes are released out of your body more effectively when you stay hydrated. It's also important for me to drink a lot of water since I'm breast-feeding Max.

No workout today, but I'm already thinking of what I'll do tomorrow.

Ready, Set, Go!

Today started out just like the first day of any new journey should. I felt excited and ready to burn some calories despite ending 2009 last night with pizza and popcorn.

I haven't been officially cleared by my doctor to resume exercising after my surgery (cesarean section on November 13). I go in on January 7 to see her. Until then, I am going slow but still starting my habit of being more active.

This morning I left Mike to watch the boys and I went to the gym. I had to reinstate my membership since I had been placed on a medical leave (as had my dues). After I'd completed that, I headed upstairs to the treadmills. I walked for 35 minutes and then used an abdominal cruncher to start working on my flabby abs. If any of you saw the pictures of my stomach taken the week before I delivered Max, you'll understand why I say that. I have had two large babies that took up a lot of space.

After my workout, I headed to Target where I wanted to look at their scales. I was excited to find quite a variety. Apparently I'm not the only one hoping to get in shape this year! Ha! I found one I really liked that not only measures weight, but also measures body fat and body water. It sends a harmless signal through the fat and muscle tissues in my body to calculate the numbers. I think this feature will be helpful in gauging my progress.

Today is a big day for another reason. As it is the start of my journey, I had to do my first official weigh-in. Yikes. 182.4 pounds. Sharing my weight with anyone other than myself is not exactly comfortable for me, but I have decided that it will help hold me accountable. Tomorrow I'll use the features on my new scale and start tracking my body fat and body water as well. Tonight I got it set up by entering the fact that I'm a female, my age (29) and my height (5'11").

I started a notebook for myself tonight to track my measurements so I can easily look back and see my progress. I also calculated each quarterly goal weight and monthly goal weight. Before Christmas and New Year's I had been hovering around 180 pounds so I had based my goals on that weight. Now that I've gained 2.4 pounds since then (thank you, Holiday meals), I will actually be attempting to lose a total of 32.4 pounds. (My goals are set up to get me down to 150 pounds.) My first goal is to be 177.5 pounds by January 31. I'm going to try to get the extra 2.4 pounds off right away and get on track with my initial plan.

Thank you to those of you who have signed on to follow my blog. I'm excited to share my progress with you!

Resolutions...and a new Me?

It's that time already! I can hardly believe it, but Christmas is over, and my sis Renee is long gone as are Mike's parents. Luckily, Mom's famous potato soup is still here (or was until this evening) and my house is still festively decorated for the holidays. If only Renee was here to take it all down for me.

The past two years, 2008 and 2009, have been full of incredible change and life-altering moments with the births of our two sons, Mason and Max. We couldn't be more blessed or more happy to have them in our lives.

This year, I'm looking in a new direction as I think of new year's resolutions. While I'd never consider trying to "return" my boys, I wouldn't mind returning a few of the extra pounds they've left me with. I'm done having babies and ready to lose the weight and feel energetic again. This is why I've decided that 2010 is the year I take my body back!

I've come up with a formula to help track my progress and keep me motivated. My blog will continue to focus on my family but will also be the journal for my resolution.

Here's the deal:

I want to lose 30 pounds by January 1, 2011. This means losing 2.5 pounds per month. I've also broken this down into quarters since it may not always come off at the same rate. My quarterly loss goal will be 7.5 pounds. I've heard it's often easier to lose at the beginning, but harder once you get closer to your goal weight so I might have to try to get ahead of my schedule at some point in case that happens.

How I'm going to do it:

Plain and simple - exercise and eating habits. For exercise, I pay for a gym membership I am vowing to justify and a treadmill in the den I like to use. I'm going to have to be creative since I have a 6-week-old (the c-section is healing nicely) and a 20-month-old. This will probably include workouts of dancing to sesame street songs and pacing the room holding my baby at 2 am. As far as eating habits, I'm not one to go on fad diets or completely cut anything out of my diet (yes, including dessert) but I am a firm believer that natural foods and portion control are your best friends.

How I'm staying motivated:

As if trying on my pre-pregnancy clothes isn't motivation enough, I think it will be satisfying to have prizes for myself as I reach different levels in my weight loss journey. I haven't decided where these will be or what they will be...so stay tuned.

I'm excited to begin the journey to "Take My Body Back". I hope you won't mind my honesty in the ups and downs as I go, and I hope to hear from you along the way.

Happy New Year!

Today was my first outing alone with both boys where I also took them out of the car. Ha! Up until now, I've ventured out with them, but haven't been brave enough to take my screaming infant and curious toddler into a store where I also had to get something done. We tackled Costco, even if it was for only a few minutes, and I felt very proud. When we first arrived, I drove around for a while to find a good parking spot because I forgot mittens for Mason and it was only 20 degrees outside. Found a close one, then I got everyone in the new double-stroller (my first time using this too) and we made it safely inside. I was picking up some photos and then turned right around and was ready to go home. We got home in a chorus of crying from the backseat, but it was still a success! What an adventurous life I lead!

Welcome, Max!

We are so excited to welcome a new member to our family. Max Lincoln Murrill was born November 13, 2009 at 11:11am weighing 8 lbs. 11 oz. and measuring 21 3/4 inches long. It's been a busy 4 weeks as a family of four, but I will say that we are adjusting quite well. Mason has been nothing but sweet to Max and throughout the day goes over to him and strokes his head very gently. He also wants to hold him a lot which I find quite adorable. We went out to eat at Olive Garden last night for the first time since Max was born. It was our first time in that kind of restaurant with all of us and luckily Max slept the entire time and Mason had lots of fun and was mostly good. Ha.

For those of you who "tease" us that we need to try for a girl now, don't get too excited. I am 99 percent sure we are done having kids. Maybe you should ask me in 3 years, but I think we'll have our hands full with these two little boys. Plus, I'm not really into the idea of being pregnant again. It was wonderful, but I won't miss craving candy, bean burritos, or salads (not that it means I won't ever eat them again), horrible insomnia, being too hot all the time, not being able to sleep on my stomach, getting faint at work, waddling, tripping over the safety gate to get to the kitchen (oh wait, that still happens), and outgrowing my clothes every few months. Ok, so while those minor annoyances don't matter when I look at the beautiful face of my baby, there are actually a few things I'll miss. I loved feeling baby movements, knowing that a new life was beginning, being filled with so much wonder about who this person would be, and not worrying if my stomach stuck out after eating a big meal.

Now that I'm finished with that phase of my life, I suppose I'm utterly and completely entering the life of parenthood. I have a toddler who tells me when he's filling up his diaper (potty training advice, anyone?) and a baby counting on me for those middle-of-the-night feedings. I never thought taking a shower would be the highlight of "me-time" in my day.