Down 7 Pounds in 2012

It’s official.  I’m under the 200 mark — 196, to be precise.  Seven pounds lost since my last weigh-in (December 30th) of 203 pounds.

Happy, happy, joy, joy!

7 pounds lost in a few weeks?  I’ll take that — it is a good beginning to a new journey of being healthier.

I’ve been down the weight-loss road before.  I *know* how to do it: hard work and perseverance.  But, this time, after having Barney Kneeknuckles, I was afraid of starting all over.  I worried about not succeeding given how busy I am with three kids.  That time spent worrying was a waste — getting to the point of seeing numbers fall was easy.

How I Lost The Weight

Water — I have always been a fan of water.  (Just plain ol’ water, mind you.  None of this flavored watery stuff.)  It wasn’t hard to raise my intake a few glasses during the day; I am in the habit of drinking water, in these enormous 24 oz glasses, all day long.

For me, the primary reason I’m a water fan is it helps me while nursing … but in addition, water flushes everything out of your system AND helps perceived hunger pains.  Did you know that most of the time you “think” you are hungry, you’re really thirsty?  It’s true!

 

Breakfast — I am NOT a breakfast person.  I can easily wait till mid-morning or even lunch time for my first meal of the day, but that is one of the worst habits to have when trying to lose weight.

Our metabolisms need something, witin 30 minutes of waking, to get revved up and productive at burning away the calories we consume through out the day.

 

Colorful Fruits and Vegetables — vitamins, fiber, calcium, antioxidants … fruit and veggies provide so stinkin’ much for the human body.  And, like most people, I’m baaaad about enough (1.5-3 cups of fruit and 2-4 cups of vegetables) through out the day.  During the past two weeks, I made it a “habit” to eat at least 2 cups of salad (no iceberg — dark greens like spinach and romaine) with both lunch and dinner.  I also prepared “grab and go” snacks of carrots, cucumbers, apples, grapes … measured in appropriate serving sizes and packaged in ziplock snack bags.  when I needed something to much on, I simply grabbed a back out of my fridge and I was set.  No excuses.

 

Serving Size Awareness – in the United States, we’ve been trained to “eat all we can eat” from enormous plates and buffet lines.  Restaurants bring heaping helpings of everything — sometimes 3 or 4 times as much food as our bodies need.  Calories rack up quickly with our super-size me mentality.

I have been carefully measuring my portions out at each meal over the past two weeks; when I lost my baby weight after Mr. Boy, portion control was key for me.  Whether I was eating a grain, dried fruit and nuts, dry cereal, or whole grain pasta and sauce, I made sure that I was only consuming what a healthy portion is for someone of my age and stature.  No hidden calorie sabotage — I checked and measured EVERYTHING before I ate it.

The Special K Plan Helped

For the first time ever, I successfully completed a two week Special K weight loss plan.  (Yes, I’ve tried them in the past and never stuck to it.  Will power isn’t my strong suit.)  And I know that it did play a vital role in this first seven pounds lost.

What I Liked About the Special K Plan

• The official meal plan is based around the concept of breaking your daily calorie intake into small meals and snacks spread evenly through out the day.  Because of this, your body is constantly burning calories and you avoid the “crash and burn” effect of not keeping your body fueled.

• Fruits and Vegetables are encouraged.  Feeling hungry after your protein drink?  Eat a salad, gnaw on an apple, crunch a carrot.  On the Special K plan, you can eat as many fruits and vegetables as you want.

• With the exception of their dry cereals and chips, which you must measure yourself, every product is pre-measured, taking the guesswork out of portion control.

• The online plan tells you what to eat for every meal, so if you’re busy chasing after two mobile children and nursing a baby, you don’t have to work too hard to plan out each meal and snack.

• The Special K Plan is flexible.  You can switch out products from day to day and choose different evening meal recipes from the Special K recipe index.  I loved how easy it was to add EXTRA calories into the plan.  Since I am nursing, I need an extra 300-ish calories to keep my supply going while nursing.  It was a piece of cake to add that in with fruit, vegetables, and healthy fats.  Some days, I added in a few extra protein bars to help meet my nursing needs.

The Game-Plan From Here?

The Special K Weight Loss Plan was a great way to jump-start my mind and body back into healthy eating patterns.  I have decided to continue with a few of their products as I continue to work toward my ultimate goals; their dry cereal is a favorite in our house for breakfast and the protein bars are a great snack or easy lunch option for me as I stay busy with the kidlets.

As far as the plan itself, I’m going to use it as a model, rather than  a mandate, for my meal planning and eating patterns over the next few months.  My main goal for the next several weeks is to up my activity level; nutrition is key for healthy living but so is being active and I am woefully lacking in that area of my lifestyle.

Here’s to continued healthy living in 2012!

Consult your physician before starting any diet or exercise program.  Average weight loss when replacing meals with two cereal meals is 4.8 pounds.  Weight loss may vary. Average waist circumference reduction when replacing meals with two cereal meals is 1.3 inches. Weight loss may vary.

Disclosure: I participated in this program through a partnership with TheMotherhood on behalf of Special K. I received product and supplies to complete the plan. All opinions and statements are based on my own opinion and experience.

 

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