SELF HELP: The Weight Challenge

I don't have much time to blog today, but I do have lots and lots of topic ideas that I would love to write about. The first one that I thought I'd better get going with is my First 10 or Last 10 Weight Challenge. I am now 4.5 months post-partum and think that I am finally getting into the swing of things enough to deal with my nutrition and fitness issues. What does that mean? It means that I will try some old tricks to lose a few more inches in hopes of getting back into the loads of clothes that are awaiting me in bins and stacks in my closet.

I don't get on the scale very often, but I did today and it seems that I have about 10lbs to go to get back into at least one batch of my old pants (I have a very wide range of sizes!). Having said that, most of us with children know that it is not all about the weight, but in fact, it is also about the changes that happen to our body shape.

Anyway, I am calling this First 10 or last 10 because it doesn't really matter where you are on the spectrum...all of us with some weight to lose are bound by many common strings. Do you have trouble staying motivated? Eat more when you are tired? Poor nutrition because of being so busy chasing kids around? Buying snacks because they look so good in the store or are on sale? Crave sugar? Addicted to chocolate? I just described myself!!!

Okay, so what I wanted to write about is the little things that I think I can do (perhaps you also) to get things moving along on the post-partum weight issue. Most of these are things that all of us have heard a million times, some are new ideas. Regardless, I find that I can be so tired and busy so much of the time that reminders can be helpful. I will be doing the following (if I can stay committed and motivated). I will keep you posted. Please let me know if you decide to "play" along:

- Substitute sugar in coffee with sweetener or Splenda: (Oprah suggests Splenda instead of sugar or sweetener in baking and everything else. I find it makes my coffee a little fizzy and sometimes I can't stand it, but I have a box that I will try to use. It is supposed to be a healthier alternative than traditional sweeteners.)

- NO full-fat ice cream: This has been my weakness lately. It doesn't help that Zehrs has Nestle ice cream on sale for $2.50 this week. We are just polishing off the Rolo now. I say "we", but I mean, "I". I think Chris has had one or two servings. On my "Last 10" plan I will only eat fat reduced ice cream or No Sugar Added Fudge Pops. The fudge pops were also featured on Oprah. They are so yummy and great. They are only 50 calories in one serving and are really great for satisfying chocolate cravings. Chapmans makes a great low-fat ice cream. I like the chocolate fudge swirl or Neapolitan.Yummy. It seriously has almost half the fat,but still tastes GREAT...Not as great as Rolo, but great. Speaking of which, I actually allowed myself to walk by the $2.50 Nestle ice cream at Zehrs today without picking up a container to "re stock" before the sale is over (today). I will keep you updated if I can get through until store closing (10pm??) without running over there to get some. You see, for me, the fact that it is so cheap is the real draw. I would never pay full price, but on sale and so yummy - let me at it!!!

A chocolate lover's dream - rich, creamy and low fat ice cream with a fudgy ripple swirl and 40% less fat than regular ice cream. Available in 2 Litre plastic containers.
Ingredients:Concentrated Skim Milk, Cream, Sugar, Glucose, Chocolate Sauce (corn syrup, water, glucose-fructose, cocoa, soybean oil, caramel, salt, sodium alginate, natural flavour, potassium sorbate, soy lecithin, disodium phosphate), Cocoa, Mono and Diglycerides, Carob Bean Gum, Guar Gum, Carrageenan, Natural Flavour Source: http://www.chapmans.on.ca/products.aspx

My list (continued)

- Water, water, water: I do not know why I have not felt like water lately, but I am going to try to get drinking a glass when I wake up and one with every meal (minimum).

- Fruit: Again, not sure why I am off of the fruit - but I am going to eat at least one fruit per day. Gosh, do I ever sound unhealthy!

Anyway, it was important for me to embark on this journey because I did not want this blog to be all about just the easy things to do. I really do have some areas of my life that I need to look long and hard at and start making some plans to "turn a new leaf". (I am looking for a blogger application that would allow me to keep track of a list in my sidebar.)

The weight thing is not one that I have to put too much thought into, which explains why I have chosen it today, and not one of my more difficult issues, behaviors or thought patterns!

I would love to hear from you if you are "turning a new leaf" in your life today!!!