Back on the Wagon

Ok, so now that I'm back at work, can blog a little more regularly now, and things are getting more into a routine in my life, I signed back up for WeightWatchers! I was so excited to do this because everyone knows I love WW and have had HUGE success with it so it made sense to do it again.

Now, I signed up for online only access back when Carson was born but recently (Saturday) changed my subscription to Total Access which provides me with a personal coach. I picked a gal from Iowa because it's my home state! I figured living in the midwest we could each bitch about the sucky ass weather.

I had my first call with my coach, Julie, on Monday and it was a great phone call and actually very motivating. You get an Action Plan every week to tackle obstacles that might derail you and things you want to try to work on. For me, it was adding in some kind of activity now that Carson can entertain himself more and making smart choices while I'm on a party bus this Saturday for a birthday party!

Here's what the Dashboard looks like on the website:

My next session with my coach will be Sunday afternoon. I weigh in on Saturday and it will also be the day after the party so I will be able to reflect on the week and make a plan for the following week.

So far, I'm liking the coaching!
*side note
It IS pricy. For Total Access (meetings, online tools, and coaching sessions) it is $69.95/month. So if you aren't serious about it, don't sign up for it.
*end note

Here has been my weight changes so far since being on WW since 12/4/2014:
*please note that my giant weight losses are from getting a baby removed from my belly. :)
Also, I am not ashamed of sharing my weight. Yes, I'm over 250 pounds. That number does not define me. I have run THREE HALF MARATHONS. One of them I was 240 pounds. I have run more 5K races than I can count. That number does.not.define.me. 
Therefore, I will share my weight, my progress and one day when I'm back to 165 I will jump with joy and all of you can celebrate with me!

Date:	Weight:	Difference:	Total Lost:	Notes:
12/4/2014	284.4	0	0	Baby was born! (highest adult weight EVER)
12/6/2014	276.3	-8.1	-8.1
12/13/2014	260.8	-15.5	-23.6	See, baby gone, lots of weight gone
12/20/2014	256.4	-4.4	-28
12/27/2014	257.5	+1.1	-26.9	Whoops, stupid Christmas
1/3/2015	258.1	+0.6	-26.3
1/10/2015	259	+0.9	-25.4
1/17/2015	260.1	+1.1	-24.3	Going the wrong way…
1/24/2015	257.1	-3	-27.3	Better….
1/31/2015	256.3	-0.8	-28.1
2/7/2015	254.6	-1.7	-29.8
2/14/2015	254.6	0	-29.8
2/21/2015	256.4	+1.8	28	This was my wake up point – time for coaching!
2/28/2015

I peeked at the scale this morning and was SUPER happy with what I saw. It will definitely keep my momentum going for the rest of the week. I have already planned and tracked breakfast, lunch, and snacks for today and dinner will be a veggie stir fry. I just don't know if I want rice or quinoa with it. 

Being Vegetarian is still going very well and I still feel fantastic. Here are some of the yummy things I've been eating:

Strawberry Salad from Amberjack with no chicken

Grits with a little butter and hot sauce (favorite breakfast right now)

Spinach and tofu soup with a side of roasted potatoes

Vegetable Stir Fry with brown rice

I am seriously loving all the fun food combinations and meals I've been creating. 

Until the Farmer's Market starts back up in Springfield I signed up for Farmbox Direct. I signed up for the small fruits/veggies box. It delivers fresh organic produce to your door! Again, may seem kind of pricey to some, but I'm not eating meat and get my protein from vegetables so I need lots of them. I got my first box last week and everything in it has been amazing. That stir fry picture has a lot of the veggies from the box. I have set it up so that I only get a box a month due to cost reasons. I will probably switch to a fruit only box once the farmer's market in town starts. Plus, I plan on having an epic garden this year. 

It's Been Awhile

Carson is here!

Everyone basically knows this because of Facebook but here are the details:

Born: December 4, 2014

Time: 1:59am

Weight: 7lbs 12.5oz

Length: 20.5 inches

Perfect in every way. 

My birth did NOT go as planned and I am perfectly OK with that. Having Shannon as my doula, my mom, and Andrew there to support me I did just fine. Not if you ask my mom though. After 12 hours of labor/contractions I decided that I no longer wanted to feel the pain anymore. Seriously, no more. I decided to have an epidural. They gave it to me and within minutes my pain was gone and the bottom half of my body was numb. 

What we didn't expect to happen was for my blood pressure to drop so low so fast. I went from the 150s to 160s to 110 in seconds. Baby's heart rate plummeted and they had me doing crazy acrobats to try and get his heart rate up. You know how hard it is to roll around and get on all fours when you can't feel the lower half of your body? I did it though and was crazy nauseous the entire time. Thought for sure I was going to vomit everywhere but there wasn't anything in my stomach to get rid of. So, the nurses rushed in, the doctor rushed in and she said "Get her to the OR NOW" So, off I went. Freaking out my mom and Andrew. 

*I am going to do a more in depth birthing experience but right now this is the nutshell version.*

Got into the OR and since I was already numb Carson was out within minutes. It all felt like a blur to me because of my blood pressure dropping so fast. I was so groggy and felt so tired. All I remember is the anesthesiologist telling me that Carson was out and fine he just wasn't crying! My little guy was quiet when he came out. He finally did make a little grunt and I remember at that exact moment feeling a huge wave of relief and tears came to my eyes. I finally got to meet my little boy.

Once I was back in the room and got to hold him it was surreal. I cannot put into words how amazing it was. The minute he was put into my arms he was rooting and went to the breast with barely any help from me! His latch was perfect too. He was a champ. I was in the hospital from Wednesday to Saturday and didn't mind one bit because I had all the time in the world to hold, nurse, and sleep next to Carson while people basically waited on me all day long. 

Carson is now 11 weeks old (this Thursday) and he is a happy and healthy baby. I love him so much. He's weighing in now around 12 pounds and is 100% exclusively breast fed. At first breast feeding was SUPER hard. I did not expect it to be. Wasn't it supposed to be natural and easy? I had a few moments where I wanted to give up and I did supplement 2 times but after that never again. I knew that formula was horrible for him and I was producing enough milk to meet his needs. We are still going strong and I couldn't be happier. 

___________________________________________________

Vegetarian What?

Before I got pregnant I was doing a Pescetarian diet. That's no meat except for fish and I still ate dairy. During my pregnancy I craved everything under the sun so I just ate what my body wanted. Now that Carson is here and healthy, I'm eating healthier again and decided to try Veganism for awhile. I did one whole week as a Vegan and decided that I would still like to have eggs and cheese on occasion. So, I am going to go the lacto-ovo vegetarian route. I do not miss eating meat. I really don't. I feel better when I don't and I also have read a lot of research that detail how our bodies were not meant to break down animal protein so it's just my personal preference to not eat it anymore. No, I'm not better than anyone nor do I care if others eat meat. I just personally choose not to eat it for my health and because I am very aware of how it harms my body. The very small amount of eggs and cheese I eat will not have a giant impact on my overall health. 

I have also cut out processed foods. Almost completely. Again, on ocassion I will have something processed but I'm making better choices about it. 

I'm even making my own hummus, peanut butter, and almond butter. It's really not hard at all. I'm doing all of this with a two month old... it can be done. 

I cannot put into words how GOOD I feel. People keep telling me I look well rested for having a two month old. It's not because I'm getting hours upon hours of sleep, Trust me, Carson is up two to three times in the night for a diaper change and a feeding. I look/feel rested because I'm eating what my body is supposed to be eating and fueling it correctly. 

Some documentaries I recommend people watch if they are interested in why I'm doing this (I love documentaries):

Vegucated

Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead (1&2)

Hungry For Change

Forks Over Knives

I will warn you, Vegucated is very graphic (in regards to how they get meat, eggs, and dairy) and it did make me cry. I seriously cried. Tears pouring down my face. 

Also, the book Skinny Bitch or any books by Michael Pollan are a wealth of knowledge. Even the book Born to Run by Christopher McDougall talks about nutrition as well as running. 

Real food is good. Veggies, fruit, nuts, beans, and whole grains. All incredibly delicious!