One Battle in the Weight Loss War Has Been Won

Picture it.

Fluorescent-green numbers (6:15 am, thank you very much) glowing from the face of my alarm clock.   Me, gracefully dressed in the ol’ flannel “Mom-Jammies” … curls a hot mess thanks to a night of sleeping with multiple children … doing the Dance of Joy all by myself.

(quietly, of course, so as to not wake up aforementioned Kidlets)

Oh, yes, I did the Dance of Joy, in the wee hours of the morn, because THIS Mama had a good scale day at the end of a long, good week.

Remember last Sunday, when I whined and cried about gaining three pounds during my first week of the Omron/Mamavation challenge?  Yeah, I know — I was crazy annoying, right?

Well, this week I’m singing a different tune — a much different tune.  Ready for the numbers?

Drumroll, Please

Weight —

Application weight: 210

January 13: 203.8

January 20: 206.4

January 27: 202.8

Total weight lost for challenge: -7.2 lbs

 

Inches —

January 13th Waist: 36 inches
January 27th Waist: 34.25 inches

January 13th Hips: 48.5 inches
January 27th Hips: 47.5 inches

Total Body Inches Lost: -2.75

After a loss of 3.6 pounds this week, I’m happy but I’m ecstatic knowing I’m losing inches … and it isn’t just the knowledge that my body is really melting away, but with the proof that the changes I made this week are working.

What did I do to drop weight and inches?

• Wore my Omron Pedometer every. single. day.  My daily goal is 10,000 steps, or roughly 5 miles.  In my daily routine, it’s honestly hard for me to get those steps in naturally.  So, through out the day (usually during Baby Barney’s naps), I hop on my treadmill, turn on a show via Netflix, and walk.  At a speed of 4.0 mph, I average about 121 steps a minute (another tidbit of info my pedometer tracks for me).

By dinner-time, I’m usually close to 8,000 “steps”, so one more treadmill session before bed gets me to 10,000.  And, then, I sleep.  Hard.

Exercise and activity wears this girl out!

• I changed how and when I eat certain foods. After some reading of various articles and talking with friends, I decided to stop eating whole grains, fruit, and added sugars past 4pm.  That’s right — my evening meals became very different.  No bread, no rice, no pasta … no apples, no blueberries, no pineapple … no chocolate, no desserts, NO CHOCOLATE.

Instead, whole grains and fruit exclusively come during breakfast and lunch — the parts of the day when my body can utilize those carbs and calories more effectively thanks to activity.  At dinner, I focus on appropriate portions sizes of protein but load up on dark greens, asparagus, brussels spouts and roasted sweet potatoes (the only “potato” I allow myself (at night) since they are so full of fiber, antioxidants, beta-carotene . . . and they regulate blood-sugar).

Honestly, this dietary change was my BIGGEST alteration to my fitness plan this week … and I think it is what is really responsible for weight and inches falling away.  More proof that it worked?  One night, I cheated and had pizza.  Not only was I bloated the rest of the night, but the next day I stepped on the scale just to see what happened from eating carbs at night.  My weight was more than it had been the previous morning.

Now, I realize our weight can greatly fluctuate at any given time and any given day, but this week, during my 4 pm experiment, I monitored my weight daily and only saw an increase the morning after NOT sticking to my protein/vegetable dinners.  Otherwise, each morning, I saw my weight whittling away.

Where Do I Go From Here?

• I hope to continue seeing the numbers drop and I’m hoping my cravings (yes, still get sugar and bread cravings) will go away as I work on REALLY eliminating the last of the refined/processed items in my home.

• I will continue with my 4pm Diet and will continue drinking lots of water…. fyi, I recently purchased an infusion water pitcher and I LOVE it.  I’ve tried a variety of fruit/vegetable/herb combos and have realized I’m a simple girl…. I love water with lime.  It is soooo good, especially when I’m hot and sweaty on the treadmill.  I stop at ten minute intervals for water breaks and take in about 30 ounces each time I’m on that machine.

• And, of course, I’m going to continue meeting (and hopefully exceeding) my 10,000 steps goal AND I’m going to continue the strength training/fat burning plan I’ve been given through Mamavation.  I’ll share it next week for those who are interested!

• P.S. I have a “Healthy Living” Pinterest board where I pin healthy living articles, recipes, work-outs, and more if you want to follow along for ideas.  We can all be a little healthier, right?

 Now — what have you done for your health this week?

ETA: If you’re interested in learning more about what we #iheartOmron ambassadors have been doing, tips, AND a chance to win some of the Omron products we have been using, join us for the official celebratory Twitter Party on February 20, 2013 (Wednesday) between 8-10pm EST (5-7pm PST).  Our overall focus is about working out SMARTER not longer!  Please RSVP and get full details on the giveaway component here.

This post is sponsored Omron Fitness as a collaboration with Bookieboo Blogging Network and Mamavation – a community dedicated to weight loss for women and obesity prevention for families.  I was provided with product and compensation for my time and honest opinions.