You think I would learn!

So, I have been endeavoring to eat relatively clean now for about 4 weeks. I have been doing pretty well with my meals. It's the snacks that get me! Well, last night, I was craving carbs big time. (It's that Special week for me and this usually happens.) So, there is a box of bacon and ranch pasta salad on the pantry shelf. So, what the heck. I make it for dinner because my 2 year old will eat it along with me. I put in a can of chicken, like that will make it all healthy with some protein. I then proceeded to take a bite of it. It tasted horrible! Needless to say, I only got about 4 bites of it down before I had to switch to a bowl of cereal. I don't know how my husband can eat that stuff for lunch on purpose. Needless to say, this was a good thing for me because it means that my body is starting to not like the junky stuff that I would eat regularly. I am starting to notice more and more that eating junk has begun to not sit well with me anymore. But, you think I would learn this lesson instead of constantly going back for the junk!

Serious pondering

So I have been doing some serious pondering the last few days. More and more I keep hearing about the Paleo Diet and I must say, I am intrigued. The testimonials are all wonderful. That's true of a lot of diets also, but I really agree with most of what they say about that way of eating. We definitely eat way too many processed foods. I agree that our bodies were never meant to run on large amounts of grains. Fruits and veggies have way more nutrients than whole wheat bread. I also know that for the past couple of weeks, since I have started incorporating more veggies into my eating that I have noticed a difference when I don't eat them. When I eat a truly unhealthy meal it just does not sit right with me anymore. I am really considering giving this paleo thing a try. I know I will definitely miss some things, like my Greek yogurt. But, if it can help jump start my weight loss it may just be the kick in the pants I need right now.

Time for an update

So here we are 3 months into my Year of Fitness. So far, I don't know how much weight I have lost. I am afraid to get on the scale! The last time I did, I weighed 3 pounds MORE than when I started. Didn't quite understand that one, because all of my clothes are getting looser. Needless to say, I don't really want to get on a scale again for a while. I am just going by the way my clothes fit. I can definitely tell that I have lost some inches. I am losing my weight from the "top down" as they say. My bras are looser, and not just in the circumference. I can definitely tell that my boobies are shrinking. I was hoping to keep them after all of the hard work I went through to get them (3 pregnancies). Oh well, if that's the price I have to pay to fit into my old clothes again then so be it. I finally got an android phone and loaded it up with a couple of apps to help me track my caloric intake. That's the reason why my weight loss is not coming along as fast as I would like. I just take in too many calories! So my goal for the rest of March is to track my eating as accurately as possible and try to cut my calories down to what they should be. I definitely like the workout program I am doing. It's not always feasible for me to do it 5 days a week. I usually average 3-4 days. I don't miss my strength training workouts if I can help it, but I have no qualms about skipping my cardio workouts. I really need to get those in. I know that I need both to get this weight off. That's most likely another reason that I am not seeing the weight loss I want to see. Skipping my workouts. Sometimes it just can't be helped. With 3 small kids, one of them is inevitably always sick or coming down with something. So I inevitably end up fighting off some type of sickness like every other week.

Checking in

Well, here it is December already. My youngest daughter is 3 months old, my middle daughter is almost 2 and my oldest daughter is in the midst of potty training. So where am I on my journey? I am in week 2 of ChaLean Extreme. I decided to use this program after not really being thrilled with Power 90. It's a sound program, just not for me. I really like Chalene after watching some footage of her on the Beachbody website and viewing the Turbo Fire program online. I wanted to start with that one, but after watching a few minutes of some of the workouts, I decided to try ChaLean Extreme and build some muscle first. Being 36 and not having worked out consistently for almost 4 years now, I have really lost a lot of the muscle I had before my pregnancies. So, I took pictures, which was not a pleasant thing to look at, and I took all of my measurements. I started the program last week and have been sticking to the eating plan about 75% of the time. I have definitely noticed a difference in the way I feel now that I am not eating as much junk. I just plain have more energy! That definitely helps with 3 kids to keep up with. I will take my pictures at the 30 day mark and weigh myself then. I am holding off until that time because women tend to focus so much on what the scale says instead of what our clothes say. I would much rather listen to my clothes! I have a weight in mind that I would like to achieve, but I also have a closet full of clothes that I would like to fit into. I don't care how much I weigh as long as I my clothes fit me the way they used to.

planning

So, I had my 3rd daughter 11 days ago. I am now trying to get back into planning mode for my meals. I have been basically eating whatever for the last 6 weeks. I honestly have been too tired to really watch what I ate. Now that's going to change. I planned out my meals for the next week. I also factored in 2 cheat meals because there is no way I could survive without them at this point. I will be starting a post natal workout on the 4th of October that will last 6 weeks. After that, I will move onto to Power 90, and eventually onto P90x. We will see how everything goes. Right now, my biggest hurdle is keeping to a clean eating regimen when I am sleep deprived and have 2 other children to take care of. These next few months are going to be a challenge, but I think I am up for it!

5 weeks and counting

Well, I am now 35 weeks pregnant and feeling it! I hope she decides to come 2 weeks early like her sisters. I haven't put on as much weight this time around, which is a good thing. Either way, I will have a good bit of weight to lose. I have decided on my course of action once I have had my 6 week checkup. I will be doing the Power 90 program. After that, I will move on to P90X. I have checked out both of these programs and they both look effective. Of course, I will have to do my part also. I can't just buy the dvds and miraculously lose 45 pounds. It's going to take a good bit of effort on my part. It will also take a lot of commitment. Now that it's almost time for Karina to arrive, I am thinking about this more and more. I don't want to be fit just so I can look good again. I am going to need all of the energy I can get with 3 children under the age of 4. I know I have an uphill battle ahead of me. But, nothing is worth having if you don't work to get it.

Checking in at the halfway mark

So here it is, halfway through my pregnancy. We found out on Tuesday that we are having another girl. We have decided to name here Karina Rose. My first trimester was not as productive as I had hoped. I only got to exercise maybe 2 days a week. I am going to make an effort now that I an approaching the halfway point of this trimester to weight train 2 days a week. So far, I have only gained 9 pounds which is great for me! With both of my previous pregnancies I had put on at least 15 by this point. I am still going to make an effort to keep my weight gain under 25 pounds this time around. I have one pair of pants from my last pregnancy and they still fit me, which is a good sign. I definitely do NOT need to gain anymore weight in my hips and thighs this time around! I am doing some research on what to do once the baby is born, and I think I will be going back to the Female Body Breakthrough. I was going to try ChaLean until I found out we are moving and I lost my exercise room. I will be joining a gym in October, so that will be when I start my program. Until then, I will be doing a post-pregnancy workout I have. It's all body weight exercises to get you body used to exercising again after pregnancy. I will check in again once I am in my 3rd trimerster.