I Thought This Might Happen

Putting off Monday's weigh-in post until Tuesday doesn't really change this week's results: I'm up 1.7 pounds. ARGH! I knew it had been a rough week, but I thought I might gain a little, even break even. No such luck. Almost 2 pounds up. If healthy weight loss = 1-2 pounds a week, I'm already two weeks away from seeing any progress.

The thing I have to focus on now, though, is not letting one gain get me down. Or else I feel bad about myself, and then I eat more, and it's a vicious cycle I can't escape. I need to focus on the positive - I will get healthy, I will look fabulous, and I will beat this.

Rough Week

I thought after Monday, my food week would improve. But I thought wrong. Along with lunch from the cafeteria, lunch at my company often means homework in the evenings and earlier-than-usual starts in the mornings. So, needless to say, my time in the kitchen has been limited, as has my opportunity to exercise. But, to look on the bright side, I made the best possible choices I could, and I'll keep pushing to get better. Tomorrow, Scarlett, is another day!

Weigh-In Day and Food Frustrations

Monday, Monday. Can't trust that day...

Mondays are my weigh-in days. When I first started WW, that was when I weighed in for the week. And because I am SUCH a creature of habit, I have continued to weigh in every Monday. My preferred time is before I eat breakfast but after I dry my hair while I'm still wearing my nightgown.

This morning was good - down 0.8 pounds. Good, not great. I had been very good last week, but the weekend just killed me. That is my hardest time! How do you maintain healthy habits on the weekends?

So Monday. Time to start fresh for the week. Unfortunately, I'm in training at work this week, so I'm at the mercy of others' food choices. Today for lunch I ended up with Arby's. Roast beef with cheddar cheese and half a medium curly fries. UGH! That is NOT how I wanted to start my week. But I will not use this as an excuse to derail my healthy habits for the entire week. One bad day, and I'm movin' on.

Sometimes it just turns out that way...

I Do Run Run

I have never been a runner before. It was always one of those things I wanted to do, I'd start, and then I would stop. More times than I can count, I'd have a bad run and that would be the end of me. Rather than recovering the next time, a little set back would keep me off the pavement.

But now that the weather here is FINALLY starting to get warm (80-degree April in Pittsburgh - love it!), I want to get outside to exercise. Factor that in with the fact that I want to spend time with Nicholas in the evenings after work, and running is the most logical workout. And so, armed with new shoes and a Nike+, I started again, baby and husband in tow.

So far things have been going well. We live in a quiet residential neighborhood, so it's easy to get out and do a quick 2 miles around the neighborhood. We're starting slow - walking some, then running, then back to walking, and so on. I never imagined I would feel a runner's high, but I do. Even after these short runs, I so do. It's awesome!

This morning was a bit tougher. We took a different route, and our first two runs were up hills. I can't lie, they were rough. But with Joe cheering me on, I made it! And I'm going to do it again!

Where I've been, Where I'm going

Back in 2006, I joined Weight Watchers and lost around 30 pounds.

That's me on our honeymoon in Aruba in October, 2007. Pretty foxy huh?

However, not long after that I started gaining the dreaded post-wedding weight. What is it about getting married that makes women think it's ok to eat like our husbands? Add that to starting a new job, and BAM. Those 30 pounds came right back on and brought a couple more of their friends with them.

So after that I would half-ass follow Weight Watchers, but I wasn't being honest with myself. I would claim that I was SO perfect that week, but could just not understand why I gained. Riiiiiight. And that piece of Cheesecake Factory cheesecake I inhaled the night before had only 8 points and counted as a dairy serving.

Then, in April, 2009, I found out that I was pregnant with my son, Nicholas. Score! A baby AND a year off from trying to lose weight! A few weeks before he was born, I was diagnosed with gestational hypertension, a precursor to preeclampsia. Once Nicholas was born, the condition should have rectified itself. However, it didn't. It improved, but didn't go away.

Now, things are different. Now it's not a matter of vanity, it's a matter of life. I WILL get my health in check because I WILL be here to watch my son grow up.

So this is me (with my beautiful family) on Easter.


Twenty-five pounds of the 30 I gained during pregnancy are gone. But as you can see, there's still a lot more to go. And that's why we're here. Keep me honest. Keep me on track. Keep me healthy. And I will try to do the same for you.

All about me

Hi there! My name is Betsy, and this is my healthy living/weight loss/fitness blog. I'm no doctor, not a registered dietician (although if I had to do it all over again, I would have considered going down this path), really not affiliated with the medical profession at all.

However, I am a new mom. My beautiful baby boy Nicholas was born last December. He is an absolute doll and the single greatest thing I ever did.
But with the cute new baby comes the not-so-cute new baby weight. (See picture below, complete with terrified mom-to-be expression.)
Which really brings us to why I'm here. First and foremost, I want to use this blog to hold myself accountable. I used to belong to Weight Watchers, where I weighed in every week. But now that I'm doing it on my own (still following the old WW materials, just not going to meetings every week), I don't have anyone to be accountable to for my success. So now I have you!

Second, I find reading about others' success SO inspiring. So I hope that you find what I have to say informative or inspiring as well. I plan to talk about everything from healthy eating to exercise, everything that I'm doing to lead a more healthy life and be a good example for my son. And I hope that you'll share your thoughts with me as well!

So that's me in a very little nutshell. Here's to a healthy life!!