Tag: Weight Loss

Posted in Health & Wellness

Step In the Right Direction

Posted on by Mama

I had every intention of doing a movie and television show review, and I will at some point this week, however it’s not going to be right now.

I took, what I think, is another step in the right direction for my weight loss journey. I’ve booked an appointment to see a Holistic Nutritionist. I know what you are probably thinking, “Why?”, well I’m going to tell you.

For years, I’ve been struggling to figure out how to manage and lose weight, all the while having my (now retired) family doctor tell me I’m over-weight. Then would never offer any type of solution or help. Smart right?

Before I got pregnant, my husband was kind enough to help me to improve and work on my weight loss journey. He saw that I was determined and worked with me to find a workout plan that I was comfortable with, and tried to get my eating in check.

But now that I went through a pregnancy and I’m currently postpartum, I feel like this has definitely made a shift in my body and hormones in more ways then one. Yes, I know I just created a little human in my body and things of course changed, but I’m struggling more then before.

That’s why I decided to make the conscious decision to go and see a Holistic Nutritionist. I’m hoping to get some answers and a lot of help to make the necessary dietary changes I need to get my butt rolling. Cause nothing I’m currently doing is working. I want to be healthy, but I’m at a standstill here. I’m also hoping that changing my way of looking at food will hopefully health my eczema as well, which stems from stress and I believe gluten.

Goodness, an Italian with a potential gluten sensitivity, Dio Mio! I love pasta too much to give it up!!

I see her on March 4th, and the assessment is an hour long for the first visit. I opted for in-person, not a video call. I feel like video calls are not as personal and I tend to like zone out to be honest. I’m hoping I mesh well with her, her profile on the clinic website seemed great, so I’m really looking forward to this.

On another positive note, my re-adjusted workout yesterday went well. I put some exercises aside for the time being until my muscles get back to the way they were and muscle soreness lessens when in recovery. Sounds strange, I know; but when you add extra stuff and your too sore the next gym day or on the third day to do those exercises again, it’s rough and discouraging. I just need to build up my strength. I have debated throwing in cardio somewhere, but I have to look at my workout schedule. All in all I’m happy with it at the moment!

I’m going to end it here and maybe start writing up my reviews, maybe. Valeria is having a tough day so I expect an equally rough night. Teething is brutal!

Ciao!!

Posted in Health & Wellness

Back to the Gym

Posted on by Mama

This will be a short post, but yesterday my husband and I were able to start going to the gym again.

Trying to figure out a schedule and someone to watch Valeria as we go to the gym was a bit of a struggle. My mom was kind enough to help us out and we planned out a schedule that worked for her. She is doing us a huge favour after all, though she sees it as grandma/granddaughter time. Her office for work is at my nonna’s house (my nonna has dementia), so sometimes she needs to stay late after work. So we made it simple and worry free for her.

Our schedule is:

Monday – 7 PM

Wednesday – 7 PM

Saturday – Sometime in the Afternoon (I’m thinking around 2 or 3 PM

Yesterday I was getting anxiety about going back, like bad anxiety. I was getting worried about how I looked, about being judged, about how much strength I lost, etc. My husband assured me that I would be okay, and if anyone judged or said anything about me, he’d say something. My husband has been going to the gym for years, however it’s been a whole year and a few months for me. I wasn’t able to go during my pregnancy, it was a bit much for me.

We tested my strength, starting with bench press and oof did I lose some strength. I started with the bar which was fine. Then my husband put 5 LB plates on each side, I lifted it but dropped it too quickly, refocusing and recovering myself but making my husband nervous in the process, I was able to lift it three times. We dropped the plates to 2.5 LB on each side and I lift that three times as well. My arms were noodles after that. We went on with the workout: chest flies, ankle strap kickbacks, lateral raises, tricep extension, leg curl and leg extension. I finished and felt okay, a little exhausted but I knew I would feel it today.

And boy did I!

My muscles were sore today, not unbearable but enough to feel them. Picking up Valeria, holding and swaying her made my arms and legs ache. A good ache I have to admit. My muscles need to remember.

I’m looking forward to continuing to go to the gym with my husband, I’ll keep ya posted on how it goes. I have it marked off in my agenda calendar, so I’m determined!

Also, we went for a walk today, which was beautiful. We finally got to see the sun for the first time in a long time, it felt more like an early Spring day then Winter. I hope the weather stays like this, I am so ready for sunny days.

Hope you had a wonderful Tuesday!

Ciao!

Posted in Daily Life as a Parent

Calm Friday

Posted on by Mama

Not much really to report today, it’s a typical Friday, fairly quiet. Valeria woke up very happy this morning, though I would hope so after a 13 hour sleep.

She was so exhausted after her bath last night and the pain from her gums, that she passed out by about 8 PM. We honestly thought she would wake up around 10 or 11 for a little while then back to bed, but she only fussed a few times within the night and woke up for a quick feed and back to sleep. It’s astonishing to us she slept that long, man I don’t even sleep that long these days. I’m lucky if I get 8 hours most nights. Light sleepers unite!

I did manage to wake up before her and my husband, completing my morning routine and then I heard her little giggle from the bedroom. Always a silly girl! Morning cuddles and a diaper change later, she was up and about.

I ran to start the coffee, wash dishes and get the bread mixed and rising while my husband watched her for 15 to 20 minutes. We are really fortunate he works from home let me tell you. To be fair, not sure how I accomplished all of that in such a short amount of time, it’s like I was running on magic I swear! I took over so that my husband could get back to work.

Not much to report since that really; I’m out of flour so we have to go visit the local flour mill to pick up some more this weekend, Valeria was a bit fussy today from her teeth and I scared her by sneezing. That was quiet the debacle, she got so scared and was crying so hard; so mommy to the rescue for soothing. I’m don’t usually sneeze loud, so not sure what that was about today. Now just writing this quick blog post and listening to some tunes while Valeria naps. I have headphones in so I don’t disturb her.

My weekend seems to be getting busier by the second. I have a friend of mine coming on Saturday at 10 AM to adjust my husband’s bracelet, she will be taking a few links out so it fits him better. I have a hair appointment Saturday at 11 AM for a very drastic change, I’ll keep all of you in suspense until it’s completed. Cleaning, laundry, flour mill trip, maybe some groceries thrown in there somewhere. Also, I’d like to spend some time with my mom and Valeria, but that’s been difficult right now for many reasons. I do have to admit Valeria spent some time with her yesterday.

What else….Oh my cousin had a strange dream. I looked up the potential interpretation. Seems the advice I’ve been giving her may be accurate, her subconscious seems to agree. Doesn’t make me happy to say that, but the mind and heart know before we want to admit it.

Weight Loss update:

Not much to report, my weight hasn’t dropped much at all. I hate the scale; my husband is convinced it’s broken cause apparently he says physically he notices a difference. I do not however. My eating has definitely become a lot cleaner; trying not to buy processed or per-packaged foods and sticking more to fruits, vegetables, meats, cheese, and some carbs. I’m definitely making healthier choices and being more conscious of what I’m putting into my body. But my coffee I can not give up, not doing it! I refuse to give up my occasional Starbucks too, yeah no way! I’ve been slacking a bit on my water as well so I filled up my 40 oz tumbler this morning for motivation. Otherwise I will be sticking to what I’m doing, things are sure to pick up in time.

I’m going to end it here, but I hope you all have a wonderful day wherever you are in the world.

Ciao!

Posted in Health & Wellness

Trying To Find Balance

Posted on by Mama

Today was a rough day for me, extremely emotional to say the least. I wasn’t sure I was even in the mood to write my post today, but I couldn’t bring myself to break this new habit. It’s a bit of a reflective and candid blog post today.

Since the birth of my daughter, I’ve been quiet about the emotional turmoil going on inside. Before you say, “POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION!”, trust me it’s not that. I know depression all too well from my teens and early twenties. What I’ve been feeling is different, almost lonesome and poor self-image.

I had to admit this to my husband today. Not an easy conversation for us to have and one that was very self-reflecting for him as well.

And hold that thought….laundry needs to be put in the dryer! *Plays cute hold music* Okay, where was I…ah yes, revealing to my husband how unbalanced my life seems and how my emotions have been wreaking havoc internally.

Now please don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love my life, but I don’t feel myself. I feel unbalanced and what I mean by that is, I don’t have an outlet other than blogging every day. Leaving the house has been…difficult with this terrible weather recently. I don’t have an activity or class to attend once a week. My close friends and family all live far, except for one, but I don’t see her often any more. The weight gain after the pregnancy was due to the stress of breastfeeding, so that is winding down some, but definitely making my weight loss a bit of a struggle to get rolling. That blasted scale is evil I tell you!

I need to find balance.

My photography is a great outlet for my creative side, along with my wood burning…’I should really get back to that soon‘. Reading has been good lately as well, keeping my mind focused and imaginative. But my physical and social is the real problem.

My weight loss journey will be a long one; Rome wasn’t built in a day, after all. I need to have patience. And I know the pregnancy changed my body in a lot of ways. But it’s hard to look at a picture from before the pregnancy, where I had started my weight loss journey initially and then now. I need my gym outlet back! It was extremely therapeutic for me to go in with my workout plan and just lift weights. The stress, anxiety, everything just melted away and I felt great. I miss it quite a bit. However, now I have to think; When can I go? Who will watch the baby for us? Can I change my schedule to go super early in the morning? All good questions and all without an answer. Unbalanced.

The social aspect; well I thought about mommy support groups and such, but to be completely honest, it doesn’t feel like something I’d enjoy. I thought about taking a class, my husband also suggested it today as well. A cooking class would be nice, or maybe a language class, but not sure where I’d go for that. I do try to keep in touch with my friends and family the best I can, but everyone has their own lives. Understandably so. But what do I do? How do I fix it? Unbalanced.

This doesn’t just happen to pregnant women, I’m sure everyone goes through this at some point in their lives. Maybe I’m just abnormal in this postpartum recovery and this is my time to restructure and re-balance.

How do you deal with your life when it becomes unbalanced?

Ciao!

Posted in Daily Life as a Parent

Baby It’s Cold Outside…

Posted on by Mama

This morning we woke up to a wonderful snowfall, actually a little bit of a winter storm. As we gazed out the window, baby girl was mesmerized the the snow; little fluffy pillows of snow fell from the grey sky, blanketing our barren trees and shrubs. Depressing and beautiful all at the same time.

I sat there thinking “Another day inside, how boring…” and it’s true. It’s exactly how I felt, I’m tired of being inside in this frigid cold recently. I miss our daily walks with the baby, now we sit around like couch potatoes. Not ideal when you are a mama trying to lose weight! Our dog on the other hand is loving the snow, the little fluff ball is 14 and acts like a puppy when it comes to this weather. Silly girl!

What a better way to pass the time than to go out in the front yard and take some photos. The photos above this paragraph is the start of the snowfall. It continued throughout the day, stopping only briefly once or twice. The photos below are later in the day.

Valeria had a tough time napping again, taking 20-30 minute naps at a time. Not really sure why, but I’m finding weekends are her toughest days. I wonder if it’s because my parents are home and she hears more noise throughout the house. We are fortunate that she was in a good mood all day, even with the little sleep she had.

Baby girl spent some time with grandma and grandpa as well. My parents love spending time with her. My dad’s face just lights up whenever he sees her, and he adores playing with her and making her smile. Mom doesn’t want to put her down whenever she is spending time with her, it’s so cute to watch them with her.

My husband cleaning his car – FYI this is not his usual winter attire, however not surprising to see in Canada!

This afternoon, I suggested that my husband to clean off his car so it doesn’t pile up too much and potentially freeze. That’s what you are witnessing above.

The rest of the day was pretty quiet and fairly boring. We had hoped to do some errands, but with the weather that changed our plans. I uploaded my photos to my Instagram, I think I got some good shots.

Weight loss journey update – I’ve been on a streak for logging my food and drinking at least 10 glasses of water a day. Sadly, my steps have dwindled since we can’t do our hour walks lately. I should really figure out a workout plan I can do inside for days like these. Maybe I can find some suggestions online. If you have any suggestions let me know! My husband says it seems like I’ve slimmed down, but the scale says otherwise. Who knows!

Baby girl is wailing and I hear mad shushing from my husband, so it’s time for mom energy.

Ciao!

Posted in Health & Wellness

A little Sleep Deprived

Posted on by Mama

Just to give you a heads up, I’m not as chipper as I usually am today. Had a bit of a rough night with the little one and hardly got any sleep. Between the constant stirring, wiggling herself horizontal, cries, whines, slapping and kicking mommy/daddy, well she didn’t get a great sleep either. Somehow she always manages to get horizontal with her head toward me, slowly pushing me to the edge of the bed. For someone so tiny, I swear she takes up more space then my husband and I!

Now, I did have topics on hand that I wanted to discuss, but I have to do a little more research and reading before I can make a post about it and to give my honest opinion. But for now I’m going to keep it light.

We woke up to snow falling in big fluffy flakes, blanketing our yard beautifully, but sadly didn’t last long. I really wish I had captured a photo of it, it truly made me smile and I’m not one for winter.

The day went as usual, feeding and nap for baby girl, our daily walk, a bit of reading, dishes washed and dinner made. We also did some tummy time with baby girl, which she is trying to roll over more and more, so that will hopefully be happening soon. I’ll have to catch a video of it when it happens, at least I will have to be quick enough to catch it.

I took my progress pictures and did my measurements as well. That….was hard. To see myself in those photos was difficult, my husband was loving every moment, I however was mortified. Then came the measurements, I compared them to my measurements a year ago and it was only up one or two inches, but it still hurt. My husband reminded me, which I already knew, that my body just went through a pregnancy and a lot of physical changes from it. I keep having to remind myself of that, but my negative self image tends to take over in those moments.

Remember, weight loss isn’t just physical but mental as well. And my mental has been hurting me since completing those tough but necessary tasks. So now, I didn’t go crazy measuring every little thing, but I measured the things I felt were important. You measure what YOU feel is important. My measurements are as follows:

  • Thigh – 25 Inches
  • Butt – 52 Inches
  • Hips – 52.5 Inches
  • Waist – 40 Inches
  • Stomach – 48 Inches
  • Chest – 47 Inches
  • Arm – 16 Inches

Even though I’m very sleep deprived and my decision making is altered, that took a lot of courage for me to share that. But I want to be completely open with my weight loss journey and where I’m starting. I will not be sharing my photos, those are for my own personal use. Sorry not sorry!

I have about a thousand steps to go to hit my daily goal, so I’m going to get that accomplished before my daughter wakes from her nap. Than probably will head to bed early since I’m utterly exhausted. Hopefully my mind will be a little more clear and my thoughts more coherent tomorrow.

Ciao!

Posted in Health & Wellness

Plus Size Mama and Her Weight Loss Journey

Posted on by Mama

Let’s start this post with a bit about my day. It was boring! My daughter woke up very happy and cuddled up right against me. We snuggled in bed for a bit before my husband joined us for 10 minutes, it was a nice family moment for a Monday morning. The rest of the day was fairly quiet. Play time, nap struggles, prepping some hard boiled eggs and bacon so they are on hand, saving the bacon grease (Liquid Gold!), a nice long walk and dinner made. Prepped some spicy taco seasoned ground beef for quick meals for hubby as well.

As you can tell, we are trying to make meals a bit healthier and easier. Especially for myself; since I’m on a bit of a health journey again. So, let me get real with all of you.

Before I got pregnant, I was on a weight loss journey. My initial motivation was to look good in a bikini and not feel ashamed of my body any more. It had only been about four or five months before I found out I was pregnant. Throughout my pregnancy I ate healthy, putting on about 10lbs and having my beautiful healthy baby girl. Despite certain doctors looking down on me for being plus size and pregnant. Though, I was constantly told by my family physician I needed to lose weight, without offering me suggestions or help. Anyway, sorry about the bit of a rant, but back to the topic at hand.

My motivation has since changed and I’d like to be able to run around with my kids and not be out of breath. I want to live a long healthy life and set a good example. If I’m eating crap and my kids are eating healthy, what kind of message does that send?

Not to mention, as your pregnant your body changes, you gain weight and yes, thankfully you lose some weight once the baby comes out. BUT…I was stressed with breastfeeding and gained some weight back from it. Stress does terrible things to your body.

I’ve taken matters into my own hands: downloaded a calorie counting app, did some grocery shopping, increased my water intake and trying to be a little more physically active every day. Baby girl definitely helps me with that. I have decided to do more than one walk in a day and hopefully soon I can get back into the gym to lift weights again. That literally made me so happy to have that hour and a half of just focusing on weight lifting, taking care of myself, relieving some stress and spending time with my husband. To see the changes in my body, both physically and mentally, was impressive. Needless to say, I can not wait to get back in the gym.

I’ve learned that a good support system and consistency is key to changing your life. Also, don’t let anyone discourage you from changing your life for the better. Just because you are plus size, people presume that you are unhealthy, lazy and so many other negatives. You are beautiful (at any size!), strong and can do anything you set your mind to.

Prove them wrong! Find your why and stick to it. And you can accomplish anything. And please don’t think you need to start it as a new year’s resolution, you can start any time and not just in January.

To be honest, most people who start resolutions, especially those who start extremely restrictive diets and exercise regimes, tend to fail and quit shortly after starting. My advice, find what works for you because everyone is different. What works for Nancy down the street, might not work for you. I know I can’t give up my pasta and breads, so calorie counting works for me. And find an exercise you enjoy, don’t just go to the gym and have no plan. Plan out your workouts, for the week, it makes life so much easier! Last but certainly not least; a buddy system helps as well, not only for accountability, but support when you need it most.

Now here is where I’m starting:

  1. Weight – 247.4 lbs, my starting weight at pregnancy was 240 lbs
  2. Calorie intake per day – 1,771
  3. Exercise – approximately 5000-6000 steps a day, 1 walk with baby girl
  4. Diet – Lots of lean protein, veggies, fruits, nuts and little bit of carbs
  5. Measurements – Haven’t done them yet…woops!
  6. Progress photos – Haven’t done those yet either…eek!
  7. Water intake – about 10 glasses a day
  8. Sleep – What is that?! I get what I can, when I can. Baby girl dictates my sleep some nights…and some days as well as a matter of fact…
  9. Number of days into my journey – Two

Now before I bore you to the absolute high heavens, I will call it here. But if you are starting a weight loss journey too, I will be your support buddy. Let’s take this roller coaster ride together!

Ciao!!