Week 3 and 4

Week 3 was rather unremarkable in terms of weight loss for me. It was the week of our office Christmas party and I had planned on dinner out at P.F. Changs as well as my first post baby martini. I stuck pretty much to my plan but I had 2 additional drinks and ate an unplanned appetizer. It wasn't my finest choice but I knew that my calories still were not over enough to merit the 0.6 lb gain I saw.

Dinner at P.F. Changs with the office crew

Week 3 was a great week in the terms of exercise. It was my first week back to hip hop and I went twice before my weigh in. This is why I assume I saw a gain, muscle soreness. When you work out your muscles get little tears that then need water to repair them. I was so sore and my body was working overtime to heal itself and therefore it showed as a gain on the scale. Luckily, I am far enough along in my journey that these little fluctuations don't get to me like they used to. It's easy to get discouraged when you're doing more right than not and not to see the results. But, you must realize that weight loss is not and will never be completely linear. It's an up and down process and you must look at much more than the scale to determine your progress.

My biggest struggle in week 3 was my water intake. I kept meaning to get to Walmart and buy my decaf instant iced tea mix. It helps me get more water in because it tastes better than just plain water. The first few weeks after I delivered Reyna I was really good about staying hydrated but as fatigue set in, I got lazy.

Week 4 was great. I lost 3 pounds on the dot. I even had lunch out at Chipotle and was able to customize my order to fit within my daily caloric allotment. I love any and all restaurants that offer nutrition calculators online (such as Chipotle and Subway) I made a few meals instead of relying on the frozen. Now, I still leave room for error because no one making my Chipotle order is actually measuring what they're scooping for me.

4 oz grilled chicken with Bayou Bourbon Glaze and Chicken/broccoli flavored pasta with zoodles

I was also really good about logging the majority of my food first thing in the morning. I left a little bit of wiggle room for some freedom in which fruits/veggies I chose. I kept a paper log as well as myfitnesspal. It really helps me to physically WRITE everything down. It makes me more aware and I have to stop and reflect before I eat anything. My goal is to always write it down PRIOR to consuming it. Waiting to log until later can be very dangerous for me.

This week was also a measurement week. Jenny Craig measures bust, waist, abdomen and hips. In total of those areas I lost 10.6 inches over the past four weeks. That is the number I am most proud of. Since starting on Dec. 12 I've lost just over 13 pounds total. I am very proud of this.

As I start back at work on Monday I will focus on keeping my food on point. Temptation will be real to eat out during lunch but honestly, I plan on napping most of my lunch hour to catch up on sleep. I will not be breastfeeding as much and will see how well pumping at work goes. I am bumping down my calories soon as well with the guidance of my Jenny Craig counselor. I hope to get to hip hop at least twice a week. Saturday is my certain day since I combine my weigh in with my workout. I just need to see if I can lockdown a week day where either Moctar or my parents may be able to watch the girls for me. I can take Henna with me but honestly, I don't usually get as good a workout because I'm constantly having to move her out of the way of others.

Here's to an awesome week 5!

Cherishing our nursing time