This post is more of a breeze-by than anything else. Tomorrow I’m getting on a plane and waving goodbye to Chicago. That Husband will climb into our overloaded car and drive across the country to Washington, where T1 and I will be waiting for him. We’ll have one more day together as a family, and then I will take that fully loaded car and drive it down to Utah for my 6 week school stint. It’s going to be a jam-packed week!

We cleaned out the fridge yesterday, giving away our bottles of ketchup and leftover cheese to our friends downstairs. This week I’m trying to make choices that help me feel good and strong and energized, but I’m not going to worry so much about low-carb or vegetable heavy or any of the other things I try to do on a regular basis. I’m starting Whole30 on the 18th of June, so there is plenty of time to be hardcore. For now I’m going to eat out a lot and enjoy meals with friends and family, focusing in on eating small portions of things I find really delicious.

Lucky for me, my running schedule has me doing three 3 mile runs before I ramp it up to 8 miles on the 23rd. After my 6 mile run this weekend, a 5k sounds really nice!

Time to go finish packing and crossing things off my list. Shoutout to That Husband, he graduated with high honors with an MBA from the University of Chicago this weekend! I’ll have more pictures to share from that soon.

The winner of the May Google Doc weigh-in contest can be found at the bottom of this post!

This week the weather was finally warm enough to go out and take some 2 year pictures of T1 in this spot I’ve had my eye on for weeks (the same spot we did some of our family pictures). Here’s a picture of the two of us taken by my friend. It was hard work getting two adults and 4 kids under 5 out the door for these pictures, but definitely worth it. I’m so glad she suggested I hand the camera over to her!

Writing these posts, and thinking about what I’m going to say each week, has been really helpful for me. I find myself paying more attention to the choices I make throughout the week, and why I make them, so I can better identify the changes I need to make moving forward. This week I was fighting off the PMS monster and I found myself making excuses for bad choices because “I’m not going to lose any weight this week anyway”. What a horrible approach! I’m never going to get anywhere with an attitude like that. I know that there is a pattern to my weight loss, that I hold steady through my period and often drop a few pounds 3 days after menstruation ends, but that drop isn’t going to happen if I’m eating poorly. I’m naturally hungrier during certain parts of my cycle, and it’s fine to take in more during those times (number one rule for me is always, always, always listen to what your body is telling you (not your mouth hunger, your actual needs!)) as long as the things I’m eating are nourishing in some way.

I haven’t been updating much on the exercise side of things. Only about a month before I run my half-marathon! I ran 6 miles this weekend and so far I’ve felt grateful that I put the money down for this race already because it’s forced me to keep my training consistent, since I really want to be able to run the whole thing. On the other days I’ve been doing a marginal job doing HIIT. I’m looking forward to working with my personal trainer friend so she can work me really hard!

Read more →

Another week down. Another fantastic photo shoot (my last in Chicago *sniff*). Another day closer to finishing my last online course and moving away from this stage of life. I only have one paper, 3 quizzes, and a final left to go! I’m going to do the final in Utah where I can do it for free in the testing center, and I’m hopeful that I might actually be able to finish everything else up this week.

These last few weeks I feel like I’ve really been fighting the Last Supper mindset. Not because I’m starting a new diet in the morning (although I am going to do the Whole30 challenge next month) but because we’re moving and I have kitchen full of food that we can’t possibly eat before we leave. It’s painful for me to think about throwing out my bread cheese or snack foods, and so I find myself snacking on them not because I’m hungry or craving them, but because I’m stressed about throwing them away! As That Husband would tell me it’s really just a sunk cost, and I’m sure our friends will be happy to take the food from our cupboards and use it up in their own home.

Best nutrition choice of the last week: Read more →

Only one post last week? That’s the way I think it might go for the next little while as we gear up for a move across the country and the summer of a lifetime. As of today we have less than 30 days left, and in the next few weeks I need to finish editing my last wedding, shoot and edit three portrait sessions (on my new custom built computer, hoorah!), finish my British Literature online course (only about 1/3 of the way through right now), sell or give away dozens of things, and then pack up and move us to Washington/Utah. And through all of this I’ve got to keep running and lifting and push-upping and watching what I eat so I can continue my weight loss!

We’re starting our 5th week. The fervor is starting to wear off, the initial loss that comes with shocking your system with healthier choices is almost forgotten, and I know from the Facebook group that a lot of people are starting to get frustrated. Unfortunately I think that is a normal part of the process. I’m trying hard to put myself in a mindset that will help me push through. I finally saw the number 155 on the scale again, and I definitely can feel a difference in the way my jeans fit. No more buttoning them up and then stretching them up as high as possible to stuff my muffin top inside.

I’m trying really hard to focus my thoughts on the way I feel, not on what the scale says or how I look. On days where I eat 90% vegetables and very small amounts, I feel awesome. Depending where I am in my menstrual cycle my body seems to need really small amounts of food, and if I overindulge on carbohydrates or fats (cheese mostly) even by a little bit I wake up feeling it down deep in my stomach the next day. I need to keep focusing on how vibrant and alive I feel when I eat and exercise the right way for my body, and not get wrapped up in how slowly I feel like I’m seeing results, otherwise I resort to self-sabotage in some strange attempt at having a pity party for one that does nothing to make me feel better and only sets my progress back yet again.

This week I made my best and worst choices back to back, falling victim to one of my most common mindsets, that making Good Choice X means I can reward myself with Poor Choice Y (I’ve since realized that weight loss doesn’t work that way). Read more →

{See the end of this post to find out the winner of the April TWLC3 Google Doc drawing!)

This weekend was a tough one for me, and I knew it would be. Travelling and eating out are areas where I don’t usually excel when it comes to making good nutrition choices, and sadly this weekend was yet another instance where I came away with regrets (on the plus side, I think we may have found a house to rent just minutes away from TH’s office in Menlo Park!!!!). I posted in the Facebook group about some things I realized on the plane ride home.

1. When doing potlucks/buffets, especially when it’s with new friends/coworkers sampling and showing appreciate for the effort made is important, but I don’t need to fill my plate on the first trip. I can sample the things I’d like in small portions, and then go back for another round to put more small portions on my plate. Multiple trips will get embarrassing over time which should help me cut back. And I think keeping a drink in my hand could help me avoid dessert (no one would even notice if I didn’t have any!)
2. While reading the section in Utopia on pleasure I was struck by how easily More’s theories can translate to weight loss. It’s only true pleasure if it doesn’t cause me pain afterward.

I’m down about 3 pounds since the challenge started, which is 1 lb/week (these posts go up at the beginning of the week) but I’d ideally like that number to double. I feel really good about my eating overall though, and I actually feel fantastic. I’m running my half marathon two months from today (crazy!) and I’ve been working toward 10,000 steps/day along with strength training. I think the 6 weeks that I’m in Utah are going to be time when I see the most progress. I’ll have a fridge and kitchen all to myself, and I can keep them stocked exclusively with things I’d like to eat. I’m actually considering going full-out paleo during that time because my BFF Megan (among others) has enjoyed it and seen such great results. For now I’m going to keep muddling my way through a low-meat/low-carb/high-vegetable amalgamation I created. It makes me feel good and it’s something I can manage while feeding the husband and baby and trying to pack and finish school all at the same time.

Best nutrition choice of the last week: Read more →