Week4

So I'm on day 3 of week 4.

So far things are going really well. I've lost 3.4kg but the cm I have lost is the main thing. 

So far 6.5cm off my waist, 5cm off my bum and 6cm off my hips and thighs! 

I'm feeling slimmer. Don't get me wrong I still have a very long way to go but every day I get one step closer. 

So I joined a gym last week. I need to build the big muscles in my body, tone and sculpt. 

So I run to and from its a good warm up and warm down. I don't enjoy cardio at the gym. I have an assessment tomorrow to outline my program etc. looking forward to that. I've been doing my own weights but it will be good to set the program so I can head toward achieving my goal. 

I have no specific weightloss goal for this challange I'm just giving it all I can and then I know I've achieved the best I can. 

I'm upping the intensity every week. Don't want to go full throttle straight up or I will burn out. 

I had a rest day today my body did need it. I just did a really good stretch session. It's frustrating though as u feel like ur letting urself down etc but I just have to tell myself it's a good thing it's needed and it will make me able to train harder and stronger next week. 

Since having Zach I've lost 15.3kg and I have 18.4kg to go! Almost half way! 

It's been a while but the snail did win the race!

So it has been a while since I posted. Lots has been going on mainly my youngest Zach ende up in PICU at 6 weeks and now at 11 weeks still easily gets every upper respiratory infection around. The middle Blake is still getting recurrent ear infections even though grommets were placed in in January.

But being a mum o 3 under 3 I knew this journey to get fit and healthy would be a rough one at times. 

So I have decided to embark on a 12 week challenge to help motivate myself. I am only just fishing up day 3 but already this week I have lost 2.2kg! 

I am being strict and pushing myself with the exercise. In that I mean I am exercising every day but I am listening to my body. I only had a baby 11 weeks ago and I am not that fit so although I am pushing myself I do know when to stop before I cause myself injury.

I am now working out at 6am as that's the best time of day to fit around B's work and the kids demands. 

I went for my first road run about 2 weeks ago. Was fantastic. I did 5.5km all up jogging around 3km. I burnt 801cal and completed it in 1hour! 

I have a training schedual set out and a diet plan and I will outline both when I get a chance. 

I also brought a polar loop today. It's a fitness band u wear 24/7 to help see how u do physically through out the day and how u can improve :) looking forward to seeing what it says. 

I'm excited about this 12 week challenge. I have already had my fair share of u won't be able to do it. 

Just watch me! 

A minor set back

So my weight seems to have stalled here at 89.2kg which is pretty good for post baby weight loss. 

Earlier this week I realised I was struggling. I honestly thought I had PND. Zach was feeding 2hourly around the clock and I was exhausted. I really didn't know how I was going to keep going. 

I broke down at Zach's CHN appt on the Wednesday. I was a mess. We had a good chat and decided I should try an iron supplement. I had tried a tablet one but all I did was make me constipated and hurt Zach's tummy. 

She suggested a liquid one. Well I picked up some spatone on the way home it said gentle on the stomach and gently absorbed. Well within an hour of taking it my mind started to feel clearer. I didn't click it was the iron until a day or 2 later. Omg I can't believe the difference. I must have been low on iron for so long. 

I feel like I am in control of my life again. I'm still not getting any sleep but I am not daunted by the whole prospect of life. I'm not yelling at the kids or B for no reason. I've done house work, cooked, cleaned, done washing, played with the kids etc. I can function again. 

But yeah even though I am feeling better both physically and mentally I am trying to give my body some time to bounce back. 

I did some basic core strengthening exercises yoga kind of stuff whilst playing building blocks with Tyler this morning. Oh yeah I have a lot of muscle to build. 

I had a chat to B about getting an hour a day to work out. I am simply not finding time. Its hard when Tyler doesn't nap and at this point I have nothing set up in Blake's room to tell me if he wakes whilst I am working out. I don't want him stuck in his room crying. 

Both Blake and Zach are down for a sleep now and have been for a couple of hours but Tyler is having time out watching tv but I don't want to leave him unsupervised in the house while i work out in the garage. Although the house is baby proofed when he knows I'm not in the house like out at the clothes line he does all those thing he knows he isn't allowed to do.

I'm sure I will figure it out eventually but I do have to say I am tired of feeling so flabby all the time. Yuk! 2 more weeks and my body should be healed enough to start doing some decent exercise I just have to work out how! 

Planning

So in order for this to work I need to put things into place to make it easier. 

Firstly I weighed in at 90.8kg on Monday yay! I weigh myself everyday I know I shouldn't but I find it keeps me focused. On Tuesday I actually weighed 89.8! Was good to see that 89. It's back up to 90 but I think that's a combo of no sleep and slipping on the diet due to no sleep. 

Most nights I only get 2-3 hours at most. Once I am up for the day I can handle the no sleep but during the night omg I am so exhausted. 

Zach got his tongue tie cut yesterday so I am thinking his restlessness last night was perhaps a bit of pain and sucking in air due to the new tongue movement he isn't used to. 

So I did my first workout on Tuesday but it was too much for my body. It's just not ready. So it was only a light walk on the treadmill as a decent ride on the spin bike. Felt really good at the time especially the ride but after I got bad cramps and my pp bleeding came back heavier. So I decided to just ease up for a bit until it stops properly which it basically has now. 

As much as I want this I need to listen to my body.

Starting tomorrow I'm going to start recording calories. If I stick to my diet it's fine because I plan to eat the same everyday. Most people find it boring but I find it the esiest way to stick to things. Healthy food is just food to me.

I love sweets so if I am good all week I may allow myself a treat every now and again but I find once I break that sweet tooth hold I can go with out easily. 

The other thing I need to do is set up an area for my Treadmil and bike so that I can workout whilst the kids are awake. Best time is mid morning if I can get Zach down to sleep. The best way to do this is to put a Wooden play pen up and pull the bike and Treadmil out of the garage just a bit won't take much effort at all a few minutes to set up every day but this will allow me full view of the yard. The boys can then play in the yard which is fully shaded at that time of day and I can workout without them gettig to me and the equipment. The boys will probably whinge at first Because they cannot get to me but hopefully they will get bored of it and go play.

Then I just need to get a bolt for the back door. Put it up the top so Tyler can't get to it. The lock we had he figured out and I need to make sure they can't get inside where i can't see them. 

There are daily hiccups at the moment but I do have to remember not to be so hard on myself right now. Zach is only 2 weeks old after all. 

Focus and motivation

Well the little man arrived on the 17/3. He is absolutely gorgeous and at 2 weeks post partum we are finally starting to settle in a bit. I know things can also go pair shaped at 2 weeks so we will see how we go. 

So my weight going in on the day he was born was 98.7kg. That was 3.7kg over my goal but realistically it wasn't bad. 

I weigh in again tomorrow but as of Monday last week I was 91.7kg! That's 7kg down already. I doubt I have lost anything this week between all 3 boys I haven't had much sleep and find myself looking for empty calories. Doesn't help that because I am always breast feeding I got a heap of snack kinds of foods for the boys eg muffins etc so if it's meal time and I can't get a full meal for them I can give them a snack until I can. Problem is I'm eating it too! Grrr. 

I need to refocus and find my motivation again. Not being able to exercise doesn't help. When I exercise I eat better as it all makes me feel better. No exercising I still feel fat and flabby and in turn just eat crap. Spending an hour working my butt off the last thing I want to do is blow it in empty calories. 

I have been eating well for breakfast having my smoothly and also dinner I have been having the frozen meals I did and they turned out great. 

My smoothly is 

1 banana, 1/4 quick oats, 100ml no fat milk, 1 tablespoon chia seeds, 1 table spoon natural bran, 2 tablespoons no fat natural greet yogurt, tablespoon honey and col water up to 550ml. 

dinner is 

Steamed chicken 1/4 of a double breast 

Steamed cabage, broccoli, zucchini

1/2 cup cooked brown rice 

Roast pumpkin and sweet potato. 

My lunch is naughty It was my craving while pregnant and I need to kick it. 

2 slices white bread, ham, cheese slice, avocado and lemon pepper. 

I have also been having icecream for dessert. Another pregnancy craving I need to kick. Tomorrow is Monday! The start of a new week and a good day to start new habits! 

I bought stuff to make salads for lunch but it's hard when breast feeding as I can get very hungry very quick and don't always have the time to make a salad. Going to try and make time next week though. Perhaps tomorrow I can do some prep to help make the process easier. Eg cut the chicken into portions so I just have to quickly grill it. 

The next challenge is finding the time to exercise. Little Zach is still establishing a breast feeding regime so it's all over the place. This makes it hard to allocate a certain time every day. 

In the morning from 4-7 and at night from 5-8 he can cluster feed so that creates issues of going for a walk during these times. Through out the day Tyler doesn't nap so how can I go for a walk then? Even on the Treadmil. It's in the garage at the moment so I cannot really go in there and leave him play in the house. 

There is no where in the house to set it up. 

I might have to have a chat to B about what we can do. I need it for my sanity. He has taken on a business but still gets time out. I need it as well. I know it will get easier as Zach gets bigger. Once he is about 6-8weeks I want to review our finances and see if we can afford me to join the gym. That will be about $63 a week including crèche. 

That and I need to feel comfortable leaving Zach for an hour at 6 weeks old. That might be a little hard. It's always good in theory especially while pregnant. Oh yeah I can do it. But once u hold bub ur mummy instincts kick in and u become so protective. At 6 weeks he will still be so young and tiny. 

I have a Treadmil and a spin bike surely I can allocate 1 hour a day for a work out? Even until he is 12weeks or something? I can do my own HIIT sessions in the back yard which might get even easier as winter hits as I can do that while the kids play in the back yard during the day. It's still a bit hot here at the moment so they only go out after 3:30pm and then I am preparing dinner for them. 

Having 3 kids under 2.5 is hard and fitting in gettig fit was always going to he a challenge but that was the whole point of this blog! 

Now that little Zach is here though I plan to blog here regularly in aim to keep my motivation up and my goals fresh in my mind. Also to but out the challenges that think process is undoubtedly going to come across. 

First goal is B's brother is getting married in 4 weeks. I would like to be 85kg by then. Seeing as I still have some birth fluid to lose and with a change in diet I think its possible. Just need to try and do a daily walk. 

Goal 1 - completion date 26/4 

           - lose 6.7kg (85kg)

Goal 2 - 12weeks post partum 

           - completion date 9/6

           - 75-80kg 

Goal 3 - 24weeks post partum 

           - completion date 1/9

           - 65-70kg 

Goal 4 - reach goal weight 60-65kg 

           - completion date 14/11 

           - reach goal weight by 32nd birthday. 

I know the final KGs are the hardest to lose so I am giving myself a little more time to lose those last few kg. :) 

Goal 3 will be the most intense and I might look at doing a 12 week challenge. Perhaps the gym will have one. 

I am very determined to reach my goals it is all going to come down to things I can't plan and those 3 little things can most certainly be the most unpredictable in life. 

I can and I will because I want it! 

Had a break now time to refocus

So I had a bit of a break not intentionally its kinda been forced. 

So I'm 33+4 now so time is slowly ticking away. I was calorie counting and it was going great but then we had an incident with my mum and then I got hit with severe migraines and that was the end of that. Most days I struggle to get off the couch to look after the kids so giving any thought to what I'm eating simply was not happening. 

Whilst I was calorie counting though I was very surprised at how fast the calories can rise. Even when u think u are eating well. My biggest down fall was my snacking but being pregnant i wasn't too concerned over this. I can't lose weight right now so just tracking for knowledge. 

I am lookin forward to getting past this last 6weeks and bub being here. Getting back to healthier eating. I am trying still I have my healthy breakfast but I'm just so starving all the time at the moment. Eating far too much sweet food especially icecream! Naughty naughty. I'm all for eating treats in moderation etc this isn't in moderation. So this had lead to me putting on some extra weight :( just means I have more work ahead me after bub is born. 

I'm looking forward to having the energy again to put the time into healthier fresher cooking. I forgot how exhausting the end of pregnancy is especially with 2 little ones to look after. 

One thing I am really excited about is getting back into exercise. I miss it so much. To go for a run or swim or a weight session. To push myself so hard it hurts. To feel strong again and not a round ball of pregnant blubber. It's going to be a long slow road for me 3 pregnancies in 3 years I have lost a lot of muscle but I'm just looking forward to getting started. 

I have to wait at least 6 weeks post partum to do too much. Might be able to go for light walks or bike rides but not much else. After that 6 weeks though I will slowly build intensity up to the 12week mark when I can really get right back into it. 

Over the next few weeks I'm going to research some fresh healthy foods that help milk supply. I want to start the diet change immediately but don't want to jeopardise my milk supply. Eating healthier will benifit bub too.

At the 6 week mark I will assess my progress and if I can join the gym then or wait until 12weeks. No point joining and wasting money because I can't put enough effort in. I also have to make sure I feel comfortable putting bub into crèche.  The older 2 I am fine with but bub will be so little. I just don't have anyone to watch him for even an hour during the day. 

Either way in 18weeks we should be 100% into this. Bring it on! 

The new year begins

So Christmas and new year have passed and we are beginning  another new year. I am very hopeful about this one I feel its going to be a great year. I am buzzing with excitement and participation on what is to come. 

So I'm 29+5 with bub now so still just trying to learn everything I can about my lifestyle change. I have been reading a lot and making some changes. I haven't had the best diet lately I have been suffering a bout of bad migraines and tiredness which is normal for the end of pregnancy. These last 10 weeks are going to be long but bub will also be here before I know it.

I started calorie tracking just over a week ago. So I am doing the recommended 1800cal a day for the 3rd trimester and I am putting on about 200g a week so that's really good cause that's basically all baby. Most people I see say i look like I have lost weight and I guess my pants are looser it's just my belly that's huge so although I know I have gained as the baby is most definitely not 8kg haha I know I will lose most if it quickly after baby is born.

So anyway 1800cal a day and I am not altering my diet at all at this point as I am tracking to learn. I use my fitness pal which is awesome and they allocate me my portions of carbs/protein/fats and I 

Usually pretty close to these targets I'm not exactly happy with the percent allocation. I would prefer to have more protein but again I'm just tracking so i won't be making any changes yet. 

I have been following www.dailydosefitness.com.au as she is a real inspiration and has a really great outlook on lifestyle weightloss rather than dieting. I do not want to diet. I want this change to be a perminant one. 

I was going to join the gym I wanted to start some swimming etc and also walking in the aircon etc because its been so hot here in qld i can't exercise during the day and I haven't been able to get the kids down before 8pm and when they get up at 4:30-5am there is no way I want to work out till 9pm then it would take me an hour or 2 to wind down. I wouldn't get any sleep and at this end of the pregnancy I'm tried enough as it is and I need all the sleep I can get. 

I started getting painful Braxton hicks on New Year's Day and have been having some bad pains on and off since so I think its better I just take it easy. I can join the gym when bub comes I know me and I love exercise so I have no doubt I will do it. :) 

I have set my sights on the think pink mini triathlons at the end of the year so I will just be building my fitness up for them. I am also looking into HIIT style training. I love my cardio so I'm not going that up but in terms of weight training it's seems very effective. I will continue to nut this out. I won't be able to return to weights for probably 6-12weeks post partum but its a really good thing for me to learn because then I might be able to slow pass it onto other mums one day :)