Half MARATHON!!!!!

You guys I did something crazy. 

Yeah....on a whim, I decided I want to run another half marathon! 

I've been feeling healthy. My stomach has been so much better than the last time I was running (haven't had wheat/corn/soy/peanuts in almost 6 months!). I just want to run. And I need a boost in the pants. 

I signed up for the San Luis Obispo Half marathon, on April 26, 2015! I'm so excited because I actually have two friends running it with me! One of them being my Pastor's wife :) it will be both my friends first, but I am starting from ground 0 too so we are all on the same page. 

I will be altering my carb Intake to eat more carbs on running days. Training starts Jan 3!! I have it all written out in my calendar. 

Speaking of carbs....I got down to 182!! I haven't weighed in a while though. 

Life is so busy. I am DONE Christmas shopping! Whoo hoo! How about you?? I've been out everyday for like 2 weeks shopping/mailing gifts & cards ect. Needless to say our laundry is pile high and I'm broke now. Ha! 

My husband and I at the church staff Christmas party last night.

 

Collecting the pounds

***I'm going to let you in on a SECRET that has helped me to lose 61lbs.****

Ok it's not really a secret... ;-)  

Ok it's been way to long and I promise to blog more often. If anyone still reads it! Ha! Thanksgiving Day :) 

After thanksgiving I was up to 187 again. Ugh. I was teeter tottering between what to do and how to lose weight. IIFYM is great, and I think I WILL be doing it consistently soon. But it's VERY time consuming at first. I was not wanting to weigh and measure everything so precisely and plan ahead to hit my macros. I really do think it works and it's great especially for gaining muscle and losing fat...or "getting lean" WHILE being able to eat A LOT! 

So what I decided was I HAVE to do something. I didn't want to wait a whole month till my busy photography season was over. So I decided to go back to low carb. It's been great!!! It works! And it works fast. It just makes sense for me because I can't have bread and wheat and corn anyways so it's really not that hard for me and I don't have to weigh or plan or anything. 

I'm back down to 183 in just a few days. 

Which led me to write this post about "collecting the pounds". This is the "secret" (and it's not a secret nor is it new) on how I lost my weight and how I think about it....

 I can be good for a few days and lose a pound or two, but if I decided to just give in the third or fourth day (or however long it's takes to lose a couple pounds!) and not eat low carb (or on whatever plan you are on) in one day I'll undo what I did in two-three days, and maybe even then some. So FOR ME, the key to success is **momentum.** 

Collecting the pounds. So it's been a few days I've been eating back on low carb and I am down 4 lbs (a lot was water weight I'm sure). Instead of having a high carb day today because I feel like I deserve it and I want some ice cream (lol) I will wait until I lose another 3 lbs. Because if I'm down 7 lbs {from the start if this time!} and have a high carb day (which is important to me because knowing I can have chocolate or whatever on a certain day keeps me on track and not feeling like I'm on a "diet") then I won't gain 7 lbs back in one day. It's impossible. (Now the scale will be up a little after a high carb day but it's just bloating and water and will go away after a day or two, for me!). 

I "collect" a 7 lbs. Loss, then I have a cheat day. So then maybe the start of that week I will be at a 5-6lb loss, but then after being consistent all week and drinking all my water I will lose another 3-4lbs that week. (Sounds like a lot but remember I didn't REALLY gain 1-2 pounds of fat from one day, so the bloating and water weight goes away then I lose another 2 lbs BUT ONLY IF I'm really consistent!!) so at the end of that week I'm at a 9 lb loss! 

See the pounds collecting? But the trick FOR ME is not to have a cheat day (and by cheat day I don't mean an all out binge day! NO! I mean just have more than normal, some chips and Ice cream and some chocolate :) if I've only lost 2-4 lbs because then I feel like I haven't gotten anywhere. 

Below: LEFT: April 2014 214 lbs RIGHT: Nov 2014 184 lbs 30 lbs difference! 

Before anyone says anything, this is basically what Weight Watchers is, with eating activity and weekly points after your weigh in. So no it's not new, but maybe it will help someone to think about it like this. It works for ME. 

This may not work for everyone but it REALLY helps me stay consistent. Summary: I have to----

1. Get momentum by seeing at least a 6-7 pound loss 

2. Allow a cheat day after that once a week 

3. It's not an all out binge day 

4. Right back on plan the next day 

:) 

I'll leave you with some family photos we had done! Hopefully next time I blog (next week!) I'll be in the 170's!!!! 

Update on IIFYM

It's been going ok...trying to figure out HOW to hit my fat, protein and carbs with out going over is tricky. It's a learning process. I lost another pound though! Whoo hoo! So 61 total, and I am confident next week I'll be down ever more. 

I've been doing body pump regularly. Ouch! I love it of course but I want up start lifting heavy in the weight room...but I'm too scared to go in there :/ 

Maybe eventually :) 

Tonight I am going w my sister in laws and mom in law on a girls get a way night! Eeek! 

Nervous for my hubby lol. 

I tried on some skinny jeans just for fun. They were a size 16, and fit :/ but I tried on some plaid pants and they were a 14 & fit! And that's a big deal cause baby's got back ykwim? ;-) 

Here are some recent photos :) if you follow me on IG you've probably seen these all haha. 

Will be back soon! 

IIFYM

Yesterday was William Noah's one year birthday!!!!! I CAN'T believe it.  We were/are sick so we didn't do much. :( I have been so sick with an awful cold for 8 days.  It's really been kicking my booty. Poor baby Will had a 103.7 fever the other night :(

I have been doing a lot of research on what I should do to get these last 40 pounds off.  Low carb isn't very appealing these days and I have very low energy doing it, and I really don't want to do Whole 30 again LOL.

I have been following Skinny Meg since she had her last baby (8 months ago) and she does IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros).  She has had amazing success!!! Seriously, go check out her post here about how this time around (she lost 100 lbs before her last baby!) weights and IIFYM has changed her body!  As soon as this cold is gone (hopefully by tomorrow morning at 5am) I am going back to the gym for weights, and I started IIFYM today.

I know a while ago I mentioned it before and how it was the opposite of Paleo... it's modo is :flexible dieting. You can eat whatever you want as long as it fits your macros. I kinda turned my nose up to it....  (LOL) A lot of people get so tired of clean eating that they eat crud all day and just count it.  But you can do that on WW too.  It's actually a little similar to WW expect you hit a target for your carbs, proteins and fats. I have learned one thing....you eat healthy food to be healthy. You can lose weight eating junk but it wouldn't be healthy. 

Sometimes you need a big KICK IN THE PANTS to get going again.  I went and bought a few new gym clothes to motivate me and I planned out this whole IIFYM thing.  It seems very time consuming. You have to weigh and measure all your foods and track everything.  I can't say I recommend it yet because today is day one.  But I get to eat 1900 cals a day! I will be posting more often again and I will keep you posted. :)

I got ready today to go walking but then my head felt like it was going to explode :( I am 184.3 today.  I have 40 pounds left I want to lose.  I will measure myself right now and give this IIFYM thing a go.  I am so so so excited to get back to Body Pump. 

Here are my Macro goals for a day.

If you want to learn more about IIFYM go to this website.

Say goodbye to the post baby belly! Yes I am still post baby ok! :)

And I would just like to say... I know I've done several different things to lose weight.  I get bored easily and as life changes so do our wants, needs, goals, ect.  It's my journey and I can try differnt things if I want to ;) Of course with caution and with a goal to be healthy and fit! 

Love, The Curvy Housewife

Life Lately.

Well I finally hit -60lbs!!!!! Whoo hoo! 

I really really need to plow through and keep going. I haven't been very focused on losingweight, I've been so busy with the boys, their homework, all their sports, housework, husband!, and trying to grow my photography bus. I assisted at two weddings the last two Saturdays! It was awesome :) I am learning so much. 

HOW can I lose weight with out it being my MAIN focus in life? It's hard. I just need to set it on auto piolet. I've been paying for my gym membership that I don't go to, and walking only once a week or so. But this week so far I havent eaten after 6pm and I think it's helping. 

I'm 184 and want to see 179!!!!! 

I am going to log all my food I to MFP, (I already eat pretty clean...not enough veggies but I would say it's pretty good). So I just need something to jump start me again. Here we go! :) how are you all?! 

I'm not fat.

It's been too long. I'm a horrible blogger. I always think to write sooner but then I don't get a chance! 

I have been maintaining my weight really well :) actually lost a pound. I'm now 185. 1 away from -60. I have been waking some with friends but not really watching my carbs :( I NEED an intervention lol!!! 

Actually I just need motivation again. Where did it go?? I know busyness took it!!!! Seriously though we are having family photos done in 5 weeks and I want to be 10-15 lbs lighter so I am going for it! 

Okay....I'm about to get a little deep here... Sorry. But negative self talk HAS TO GO. 

I totally still think if myself as 60 lbs heavier. 

I am so SO SO SO hard on myself. About everything. It actually physically wears on me...my horrible thoughts. I think "I'm such a failure!" "I'm a pathetic mother/wife.." "I'm such a joke, look at all I have to do..." "Everyone knows you're a joke of a photographer...look at your work. You started 5 years ago, you should be so amazing by now!" (So sad...and harsh. Real thoughts people...I KNOW they are bad..but I can't stop them.) 

And when it comes to my weight it's no different. I always think "why even put on make up?! I'm so fat anyways." 

I have been practicing my photography a lot. I got a new camera and love it!!!!! While out practicing my friend took this of me for my website. 

When I got home I was like, wow...I'm not that fat. I mean YES I have plenty of fat (hello hips and stomach)... But maybe i'm close to average?? Maybe not.. Idk. :)

So again, while at tj maxx yesterday I glanced in the mirror and was surprised at how "not fat" I looked. So I snapped a photo and I said to myself "I'm NOT fat." (In my head...and i repeated it!) 

Ok I know I have 40 lbs still that need to come off, but I still think everyone sees me as 60 lbs heavier. 

I use to be confident before I gained weight.  But when I was my heaviest I literally felt like a failure at EVERYTHING because of my weight. 

Shedding weight doesn't shed the insecurities. Imagine that in ladies bible studies on Tuesday it was about what..?? Yes! Being hard on yourself (and others). I need to give myself grace..and I need to remember that the ONLY ONE that matters what they think of me is GOD. He is the only one I need affirmation from. And HE LOVES ME. It's sad, but sometimes I don't believe that ....gasp! I know... Satan is good at lying to me. Well... HIS word tells me he loves me. A LOT. So I better stop treating myself like a worthless nothing. After all...He lives in me. 

REPEAT after me. I'm not fat. {yes I have some fat!} but IM NOT FAT. 

The End. 

7 day challenge

I have been 187 for a couple weeks now. I wouldn't call it a plateau, because I have not been trying very hard to lose. 

The good news is that I've been able to maintain! So, some ladies and I were chatting in our "Ladies Losing It" Facebook group and starting tomorrow we are gonna eat low carb, no cheating, for 7 days. It's just a restart...a kick in the pants! 

Want to join in?? It's 100 or less carbs a day, starting tomorrow. I'm aiming for 50. 

I had a dream the other night that I was skinny. My stomach was flat....but I still had some stretch marks and inperfections but I felt amazing. Then I woke up. Sigh. It was motivating enough to start kicking it into gear!