Baby weight-loss update and pics

So week 1 was harder than I thought. I never got the memo to stop eating whatever I wanted after the baby. I know, being preggo isn't a reason to eat whatever you want but I used being pregnant to do many things I wasn't supposed to...i.e. eating cake for dinner, leaving work an hour early because I didn't "feel good", sleeping in late, getting Daniel to carry things that were "too heavy," you know, things like that.

I did great on my 1 soda per week and on getting in walks, and zumba-ing and doing core and strength workouts during B's morning nap. Where I did not do so great was the "something sweet once or twice a week". It was more like oh, maybe...6 times a week. Also, the "drink more water" was more than what I normally drink, but not the goal I was hoping for.

So here's how it's going after week 1:

Date: 4/23/12     Height: 5' 5"      Weight: 138.6 lbs (-2.0 lbs!)
Waist: 36.25 in. (- 3/4 in)     Arm:11 in.        Thigh: 23 in.

Weight and waist are down and no change in the arms or thighs. I can't wait to see what happens when I cut back on those sweets this week!

And for friends and family back home here are some pics I took this weekend of Miss Brooklyn.

Brooklyn "talking" before her nap (at least we know the sound lights work)

"Look Ma! I can pull myself up" (with a little help!)

playing Airplane with Daddy

The following three were taken over a 1 minute time span...

Content....

Happy...

and mad.....

The last seven pounds.

As I've mentioned before I'm stuck with my last seven pounds of baby weight. It's. driving. me. nuts. So I figured I need some accountability and what better accountability than the interwebs! I'm attacking this last seven with a fierceness and a plan. I'm putting the fat on notice: it has 4 weeks to vacate my body!

Here's my plan:

Instead of depriving myself of sweets, sodas and take out  I will be "excessively limiting" myself. Because I know I'd be able to do the hardcore thing for a week or 2 but then one day my husband will come home to find me next to an empty bag of Double Stuf Oreos (because let's face it - regular Oreos should be called Diet Oreos) saying "but I was just going to have one" and all hope will be lost. I just want to tweak my habits a bit. I'm turning my soda a day habit to a soda a week habit. Going from having some type of sweet every day to only treating myself once maaaaybe twice a week. Moderation is the name of the game my friends.

Except when it comes to getting off this tush. NO more excuses with that one (I used my entire pregnancy as an excuse to not move a muscle for 9 months). I'm no longer letting rain be an excuse not to get out and walk, that's why they make rain covers for strollers and waterproof jackets for moms. Making a point to do strength and core workouts 5 days a week during Brooklyn's morning nap. I'll also be doing a Zumba workout 3 times per week.

I'm tired of complaining about my jiggliness while eating a cupcake. It's time to stop complaining and start sweating.

The hardest part for me is motivation and accountability. Brooklyn doesn't to so well in holding me accountable (ha ha!) so it's easy for me to be distracted during her naps by pinterest and twitter and such so I'm using the pressure of a reasonable deadline and the potential internet shame as my accountability partner and motivator. I'll post my sad before picture today and each week I'll post an update. At the end of 4 weeks I will post the "after" photo which will hopefully show me 7 lbs lighter! :)

So without further adieu- here is my starting photos, weight and measurements (wow- I can't believe I'm posting this on the internet. This confirms it. I really am crazy.).

Before

Date: 4/16/12     Height: 5' 5"      Weight: 140.6 lbs
Waist: 37 in.     Arm:11 in.        Thigh: 23 in.

Like my "scary" face? Hehe!

Yikes!

Ok- well after seeing that nightmare- I'm going to get crackin'. Wish me luck!

Week 1 gone wild

Oh my goodness it's not even fair!


So we started out our month of living on only what we need just great...for about 1 day. I hopped on gilt.com (bad idea #1) just to "see" what designers they had  featured. And there it was in all it's glory....Kenneth Jay Lane jewelry, my fave!!!

Ok, who called the people at Gilt and told them to tempt me with beautiful bracelets, earrings, and fun necklaces???

Who wouldn't want one of these for over half off retail?!?!

But I was good and said "NO pretty jewelry! I do NOT neeeeeeed you on my ears to make me feel trendy and cute... but if you'd just come back to this site in exactly 1 month I'll be sure you get a great home."


Adrienne: 1, temptation of buying things I don't need : 0


Then came my mid-week saving grace in the form of a 11x13 in. pan filled with homemade Milky Way bars! My co-workers Melissa and Karen (and Melvin!) didn't want me to go without my afternoon Milky Way for an entire month so they made me what looks like a lifetime supply. I have no idea where they got the recipe but they taste goooood!

Friday we went to the Goo Goo Dolls concert (tickets I'd bought back in January) they played at a Casino about 25 minutes from our house. It was neat because the venue only seated 1,700 so every seat was a great seat. I will admit after the concert ended we each put a dollar in the slot machine on our way to the car. I'm the dummy that won $10 and let it ride (bad idea #2) and lost it....so Friday we spent $2.

So far this week I'd say we've done well! We haven't eaten out, I've resisted the urge to shop online, and we are foregoing our weekly post-church Sunday movie trip (which normally runs us $22.50 after popcorn and soda!) for a $1 Redbox rental and taking in some WOU baseball.

Day 13: Goals-schmoals

Day 13-Goals

I kinda did this one in my non-resolution post. But I'll recap that for ya here (with a few others)....

1.) Cook more. (I already cook a lot but to branch out -especially more of the things that scare me...i.e. different fish, bread from scratch, scallops, homemade ice cream, and trying candy!)

2.) Travel more. (nothing major - but to enjoy the beauty that is the state of Oregon! Rivers, mountains, beaches, small towns, big cities, valleys, lakes, wineries etc.)

3.) Love harder.

4.) Shop less, buy nicer pieces that will be in our home many many moons. :)

5.) Read more, TV less.

6.) Get a friggin' dog. 

When we moved into the house, (we're renting) I was like "oh, no dogs?? no problem!" Then 1 month passed and I was like, "Daniel, we've gotta have a dog, I need a dog, we are boring let's get a dog!" and Daniel was like, "Hey genius, remember that one time we drove by the pretty blue house and you said 'ooohh I like that one... GET ME IT!' and I did, and the landlord said no pets and you were like 'ok - I can make it a year and a half with no dog' ."Well our lease is up in October and the 1st thing we're doing is going to the pound to get a dog and I'm naming him Farfel!

I wouldn't call them resolutions

I prefer to just call it my To-do list for 2011. With the final days of 2010 quickly winding down, I thought about how much has changed in the past 12 months and wondered what would be in store for the next 12 so I thought I'd share a few of the things that came to mind. Nothing crazy major just a few small, achievable (I hope) things. Here's what I've got so far:

1.) Reach 150 blog posts. I'm over 50 posts in 2010 so I'm shooting for 100 more posts to make 150 by the end of 2011.

2.) Start a young alumni giving program at the University where I work. Young alums make up a huge part of any schools alumni base, and it's vital to find ways to to keep them involved.

3.) Learn my camera. I mean really learn my camera. I want to really understand how to achieve the perfect exposure. These first several months have been both incredibly fun and frustrating. I'm excited to finally have a hobby that when I do get frustrated instead of giving up, I am motivated to keep fiddling and figure out how to fix the problem.

4.) Buy fewer... but nicer things. I think I have a tendency to be a bit on the material side (gasp) so I'm hoping that this year I can focus on  buying a few really nice, quality things and fight the urge to buy things that are fads, or that are appealing mostly because they are on sale, or just buying things to buy things. I want the things that fill our home to not only be things that we need but things that we can enjoy for a long time. Just because there's an empty nook in the living room or empty wall in the dining room doesn't mean I have to buy something to put there this second.

5.) Learn what my style is. Both in decorating and fashion. I'm a little "schizo" when it comes to home decor, I love modern, traditional, rustic, and french inspired interiors. And it turns out- when you put them all together in one room it doesn't equal pretty. I think I'm getting there but figuring it out very slowly. When it comes to clothing I'm a sucker for trends.  I read a magazine, see Rihanna wearing the newest mega monster shoe, go try one on and realize that "normal" people don't wear metallic platform over-the-knee moon boots with fur fringe. Or I buy something that looks super cute on and is stylish and all but obviously is not "my style" because it never leaves the closet. Maybe it's a little too form fitting and I feel self conscious, or it's a little too low cut for work and can't figure out if layering it over something more covering would look cute.

6.) Be a better wife. I think that is something that will be on my list every year :)

7.) Cook more. It's so easy to use the excuse that there are only 2 of us and we're always busy. But I am determined to go from cooking 2 meals a week (which usually covers 4 meals with leftovers!) to 4 meals a week. I think that's a lot of cooking for 1 week considering there are some weeks this fall where I've cooked 0 meals. (I don't count heating up frozen skillet meals, making sandwiches, pouring cereal, or toasting a bagel cooking!)

8.) Trying new things as a couple. I hope this one is on D's list or I may not be getting this one done ;). We aren't very outdoorsy but we happen to live in one of the most breathtaking parts of the country. So I plan on 2011 being the year for my 1st hike, whale watching excursion, trip to Crater Lake, and maybe if I'm super brave (or if someone drugs my Dr. Pepper) a weekend of camping...hopefully not in a tent (eek, typing that made me nauseous)

What do you have planned for 2011?