Flab To Freaking Fab?

I haven't posted in ages. But thought I'd tell all 2 of you who read this (2 may be an exaggeration) that I am in a Flab-To-Fab challenge at my gym and down 8+ lbs in 3 weeks. As of last week I was ranked #19 out of 140-ish people....I didn't lose this week nor did I gain...but I did make it to boot camp 5 times and I am chalking it up to gaining muscle and not getting discouraged.

It's a low carb, high protein diet but def not carb free thank God. It's been awesome and an easy adjustment to be honest. If you have any low carb recipes to share please send them my way!! Sadly, wine and alcohol are OFF limits. I just keep thinking about my girls baptism over Easter, my 20 year high school class reunion in June and our family vacation in Colorado in July....cute, sassy dresses and a fun new swimsuit will be in order! Can't wait.

Down by a baby...

I'm officially down the size of a baby. My precious daughter, Hope, was 5lb, 15oz when she was born. Today I passed the 6lb lost mark. Now onwards to be down the size of both my babies...5 more to go to hit that goal.

Wow

We ate here last night. It was amazing. I totally cheated on my diet. And I savored every..single...delicious...bite. Amazing I tell you. It. Was. Amazing.

3 Down, SO Many More to Go!

First week went well....made it to class 3x, was very good about tracking what I ate and, alas, it worked. I am down 3 lbs in my first week. While I still have so many more to go I am super stoked about being 3 lbs down. I've lost a toaster, blender or half gallon of milk in this case. Naturally, all my comparisons still belong to kitchen related items. Haha.

Mini goals - To be able to do a real push up and not knee-supported ones, to be able to do burpees without looking like a crazed clown and to be able to use my foam roller without wincing in pain. That $hit hurts!

Long-term goal - To find a way to incorporate wine into this process! I wonder if I could use this as my weekly glass?

Day 1 Complete

I managed to complete my first day of bootcamp yesterday. It's possible (and most likely) I will not be able to walk by tomorrow. My entire body is SO sore. Like probably even my eyelids. But it's not enough to keep me from going...tomorrow will be Session 2. I've been told I should plan 2-3 times a week for the first few weeks. And after that see how I feel and increase sessions as my body adjusts.

My friend, Sara, who encouraged me to start the class texted me last night to see how it went. She said "Didn't you feel like a badass when it was over?" Haha. I told her I was just happy to be a) breathing and b) standing upright. Kidding aside, it was actually really good. Sure, I was slower than others, but also give myself credit as these are exercises I've never done before so there is sure to be a learning curve. It went quick with the format...15 minutes stretching with these to start. Then workout #1 was 4 different stations (squats, burpees, lunges and restraint cords). We did 8 sets....1 minute workout, 30 seconds rest on each station. Workout #2 was also 4 different stations with 3 rotations of 45 seconds workout then 20 seconds rest while switching stations. It was fast, but that meant the time went by fast. So, all in all, a win for me.

The best part of the class for me was at the end when we were all beat he picked a few people to rattle off how much they'd lost since starting bootcamp. The girl I chatted with in front of me is down 24 lbs in 10 weeks. Others were 90lb, 60lb, 40lb, etc. down. It was motivation for sure. Everyone was SO super friendly, SO super supportive and SO motivated.

Tomorrow I'll take more water with me no doubt, I will not be 15 mins early for fear of getting lost again and am planning to do the 5:15 am or 6:15 am class. That way I don't miss any of my daughters awake time (since they are sleeping 7p-7a these days Praise The Lord) or miss any work time....and it also means tomorrow night I can soak in a hot bath after the girls go down. If only this program could find a way to make it work while still enjoying an evening glass of vino. :-)

Battle of the Bulge

Not only have I been a lazy blogger (or really more like non-existent blogger) but apparently I've been pretty lazy in my real life too. I work from a home office, only move enough to chase my two 14-month old pieces of perfection around the yard/house, and quite frankly, have not been watching what I eat for months. I've been paying for Weight Watchers since I had the babies and haven't been to a meeting in nearly a year. Yep. That is my reality.

And slowly but surely I've felt my expanding waistline expand even more. So I weighed myself last week. And today I start here. I've been assured it's a place where no one is judged, people of all weights/sizes join together as a team and I am honestly hoping it's a place that can help change the way I feel about my body after babies and my eating and exercise habits.

Hoping by putting it out there I'll hold myself even more accountable and be able to write about the absolute truth of conquering the battle of being overweight.

I will let (all two of) you know how it goes...in the meantime I am going to eat my salad for lunch and pretend it's french fries. Ummm....yummy! :-)

Introducing...

My two beautiful girls....born July 27 via scheduled c-section at 38 weeks.

Hope Antonia (left) was 5lb, 15 oz and Lindsey Rae (right) was 5lb even. I am so in love with them!!

I can't believe they are already 7 weeks old. They have been the most challenging 7 weeks of my life and also the most rewarding. The girls are smiling now and really "know their momma" now and it melts my heart every time they grin at me.

I am still feeding them breastmilk and pumping 60+ oz each day. I feel like a cow and my boobs resemble cow udders but oh well...I am going to keep it up for however long I can and go from there. Formula is looking more and more attractive from a simplicity standpoint alone so I have a feeling it's going to be in our near future.

We have a good schedule going so far and the girls are tandem in all areas (sleeping time, awake time, feedings, etc) so that has made life much easier and assisted with my sanity.  Visitors are abundant around here and we love every minute of it...and I love the extra hands that want to help feed, change and play with the girls. They are so loved by so many and it's been so special to have so many people come see us to meet our new additions.

So life is crazy in a great way and I am happier than I've ever been. I think back to a year ago this time and the tears of frustration I felt wondering if this day would ever be possible. And then to think here we are now, new parents to healthy, beautiful girls and then I catch myself fast forwarding to next year this time...with two girls on their way to being toddlers running around the house. It's hard to believe it's all happened, is happening and will continue to happen....watch this space. The fun is just beginning around here!