Pamper Yourself!

Lucy loves having a bath!  Her eyes sparkle, she giggles, I sing to her, it’s bathtime bliss!  Which made me think, maybe you could use a bath to pamper yourself today.  It’s an inexpensive escape.

Here in San Diego, it’s actually cool enough that a hot bath at night would be relaxing.  But I’ve been on the East Coast this summer and a hot bath would be like torturing yourself.  So maybe a nice, cool bath would be a much better solution.

Take time to pamper yourself in a non-food way.  Maybe a manicure or pedicure.  Or better yet, look for a local massage school and book an appointment for an inexpensive but wonderful back rub.

Oh and even better yet, use a pampering time as a reward for either meeting a short term exercise or eating goal.

Now that’s something to smile about!

Reward Yourself with a Bubble Bath

Okay I talked about hitting the bathtub in my last post when you are sore.  I’m here again to say – if you enjoy baths – make time to soak in a hot bubble bath this week. 

Whether you’re sore or stressed, a few minutes in the bathtub will work wonders.  You don’t have to leave your house.  It’s totally inexpensive and totally relaxing. 

When you slip underneath the bubbles, breathe deeply and forget about the things you’re worried about.  Instead just relax and think about a few things you are thankful for. 

Hope the picture above of my baby Lucy will be an inspiration to you – take time to pamper yourself!  A hot bath isn’t caloric and you won’t regret doing it the next day.  It’s a great reward when you’re losing weight after baby!  Now if we could just get a big ducky bathrobe like Lucy’s…

6 Weeks Postpartum

Many nights, I go to bed thinking about things I want to blog about.  But then another day goes by, and I’m back in bed with “blog” on my to-do list still. 

I think you understand because you’re a mom!  I realize with a newborn and 3 and 5 year old, many days it’s just about getting everyone fed   But today, before I go to bed, I must write something!

Today marks six weeks after baby!  Wow, how time has flown.  I absolutely love having a baby.  Lucy is the sweetest thing.  I do miss being able to leave the house in under an hour (ha, ha, remember how long it takes to pack up little kids and a baby in a car?). 

So, now that I am done pampering myself after my c-section (not working out, eating whatever I feel like)…it’s time to start exercising again and think NUTRITION! 

The plan is:

1.  Exercise at least 4 times a week for 30 minutes.  I’ll start with easier exercise videos and then ramp up (I just bought Jillian’s 30 Day Shred – I’ll let you know how I like it).  I will go back to spin class in January. 

2.  Write down what I eat and keep my food journal an open book.  My husband is my accountable partner (he wants to lose those sympathy pregnancy pounds too!). 

3.  Say no to sugar.  I am allowing exceptions (Thanksgiving, upcoming birthday party) but will “eat clean” when at home. 

4.  Listen to my own audio course each day, Losing Weight After Baby: 31 Days to a New You beginning December 1. 

My goal is to be back to my pre-pregnancy weight/size in 6 months.  So that means I’ll be able to zip up my skinny jeans on May 10, 2010. 

What’s your goal?  Let’s help each other get there!

My Chocolate Free Day!

Confession time…for the last few days weeks months, I’ve been enjoying a little something sweet each day – usually something chocolate.  Dark chocolate being my favorite.  You know, when you’re pregnant, you’ve got cravings.  Then after baby is born, you need a little pick me up for those late night feedings. 

Well, I’m realizing that I cannot go on like this forever (my 6 week recovery period after c-section is almost over).  A few things woke me up yesterday.  Talking about one of his patients, my father who is a physician said, “If you need to have chocolate every day, you’re depressed.”  Hmmm….I didn’t like the sound of that much.

Then I started reading the book, Fit for My King: His Princess 30-Day Diet Plan and Devotional by Sheri Rose Shepherd.  Convicting.  Got to get back on the bandwagon.  Pregnancy cravings must die.   

So I decided to have a chocolate free, sugar free day today.  I made it all day long and before going to bed, I picked up a hoodie to hang in the closet.  There was something in the pocket.  I reached in…it was a Kit Kat from Halloween!  Can you believe it?  Chocolate found ME!  But I’m happy to say, I laughed about it and DID NOT eat the Kit Kat!

So one victory down…a chocolate free day!  If you can meet a small goal, someday you’ll meet a big one.  I’m taking it one chocolate free day at a time.

We All Need Somebody to Lean On

My big girl Noelle loves to help with baby Lucy.  She say excitedly, “Oh no!  Our baby is crying!”  Then she’ll say things like, “It’s okay baby Lucy.  We are here.  It’s going to be all right.”

Someday there will be sibling rivalry between my girls, but so far, there’s just lots of love and support.

Which reminds me that we all need lots of love and support when it comes to losing weight after baby.  (But sometimes we may get caught up in comparisons instead – kind of like sibling rivalry).  Encouragement makes a big difference.  You need to surround yourself with encouraging friends.  People who lift you up and believe that you can reach your goals.  Without support or encouragement from your spouse, family member, or friends, it is all too easy to give up and say “This is just too hard!”  But when you have someone cheering for you, you have a reason to push through the quitting points. 

Having an exercise partner is a great way to stay motivated.  Put your exercise times in your calendar as non-negotiable appointments.  And/or subscribe to my 31 Days to a New You course for daily encouragement and motivation.  Why  not start on December 1 for added protection against Christmas pounds and to start the New Year right?  Because we all need somebody to lean on!

Happy Birthday to My Firstborn!

If it wasn’t for this little boy, Losing Weight After Baby would have never happened!  After all, I wouldn’t have had the baby fat to lose.  (I guess without my son my blog would have to be call “Losing Weight in Your 30s” instead since we all know how easy it is to pack on the pounds)

My son has looked forward to his birthday for months and it’s finally here.  As it’s been said about raising young children, “The days are long but the years are short.”  Have you found that to be true?  These years with my son have flown by and I treasure being a mom to my wonderful son. 

We go to a year round kindergarten, so he’s already started.  When my husband or I drop him off at school, he points to his cheek.  He still wants a kiss from us!  I love that so much!  Fast forward to the tape, and that kiss will turn into a cool glance/acknowledgement when he’s in high school I imagine

I read something in a magazine from No Greater Joy Ministries that caught my attention: 

To the tired mother, repeating the same chores day after day, struggling to keep peace with the children, aware of her fading youth and her failure to have achieved the self-expression she expected…today is just another burden to be borne.  Whereas to the mother with a vision for eternity, today is an opportunity to be God’s nanny, teaching His kids to honor Him.  She doesn’t carry the burden of personal ambition.

That quote reminded me that all the little things that go into raising my son are not mundane or useless.  If I can parent with the big picture in mind, I’ll remember that I’m raising a future hero, great husband, loyal friend, industrious worker, lover of God, and so much more.  It takes the pressure off the daily stresses, and puts the emphasis of the joy that is coming.  So happy birthday to my sweet son – I’m so thankful to have him for these years to love him and teach him!

Are Your Girlfriends Making You Skinnier or Fatter?

I’m almost 32 weeks pregnant now and I’m content with my weight gain (which has been about 30 pounds).  It’s funny though, I find myself comparing myself to other pregnant women.  If I see other women who have gained more weight, I think “Phew, I’m doing really good!  Let me have a bowl of cookies and cream!” 

But if I see a really fit pregnant woman (like the one I saw yesterday at the doctor’s office), I think, “Wow, I better do one of those pregnancy workout videos!”

Isn’t it easy as a woman to compare yourself to other women?  We tend to see where we fall in comparison to our friends, and gauge our success based on that, instead of our own personal goals.

If your girlfriends love to eat fast food and are carrying an extra 10+ pounds, you’re going to feel pretty comfortable joining in the party.  But if your girlfriends eat veggies and run marathons for fun, you’re probably going to order differently (healthier) when you have lunch together.

Statistics show that your friends play a big part in your weight loss journey.  So ask yourself – are your friends (the ones you see most often) encouraging you to lose weight or to gain weight?  Of course, no one is going to say “Come on, let’s pig out and gain 5 pounds this month!”  But what do they say with their actions?  With their eating and exercise choices?  Do they have a victim mentality?  A sarcastic attitude about losing weight? 

If so, you may want to limit your meal times together until you reach your ideal size/weight.  Would that be a sacrifice?  Absolutely!  But when attempting to lose weight, do you need all the help you can get?  Absolutely!   

You want to be around friends (especially at meal, snack, and coffee time) who are going to encourage you to make wise choices!

Who Decides Your Weight Loss Fate

A friend of my son’s gave him an adorable picture of a….what do you think it is?  I think it is a monkey.  I mean, look at that TAIL!

Well my son is convinced it is a bear.  He tells me over and over, “It is not a monkey.  It’s a bear. Just the tail is wrong, but the rest of the body is exactly like a bear.”

It reminded me of something I read in Dale Carnegie’s classic bestseller, How to Win Friends and Influence People.  He wrote something like “He who is convinced against his will, is of the same opinion still.” 

No matter how many times I try to convince my son that it’s a monkey, he still believes it is a bear. 

You know, it works the same with weight loss.  Someone (like me) can try to convince you to eat less and move more and lose weight, but unless you come to that conclusion yourself, it’s no use.  YOU have got to decide for yourself, with your own free will, before you will see lasting changes in your life.   No one else can convince you.  The ball is in your court!

How Goals Have Worked for Me

Every August for several years, my husband and I have attended a fabulous personal growth conference called Mastermind Summit, put on by Brian Buffini and Buffini & Co.  It’s in San Diego and has featured such notables as Bill Cosby and Sinbad for entertainment, and Zig Ziglar, Neil Armstrong, Lou Holtz, and Jack Canfield as speakers. 

The friends we’ve made along the way have noticed something about me:  I’m usually pregnant at this event. 

• In 2004, I was about 36 weeks pregnant with my first. 
• In 2005, I was pregnant with my Angel Rose, who we lost at 26 weeks.
• In 2006, I was pregnant with our second daughter. 
• In 2008, I was pregnant but then miscarried at 12 weeks.
• And now in 2009, I was 29 weeks pregnant with a little girl.

It’s especially meaningful to be pregnant at Mastermind since a family goal my husband and I set was to have more children.  And Mastermind is also about trying again when you don’t succeed, and we’ve been trying!

The beauty of Mastermind is that it includes goal writing in the actual conference.  They don’t leave it up to chance that you will write goals at home.  They make you sit down and write goals in 5 important areas of life:

• Spiritual
• Family
• Business
• Financial
• Personal

Then you write short, mid, and long range goals in each area.  10-10-10 they call it.  10 day goals, 10 month goals, and 10 year goals. 

So for example, my 10 day personal goal was to do 2 workout videos.  My 10 month goal was to lose my baby weight.  My 10 year goal was to exercise at least 2 1/2 hours each week. 

What goals can you write down today?  What do you want to accomplish in the next 10 days?  10 months?  10 years? 

Do You Have Time to Clean Your House?

I was shopping for some toys on Craigslist and found a toy I wanted to get for my son.  When the seller opened her door, I was struck with how neat and clean her home was.  The carpet looked freshly vacuumed.  The countertops were clutter free and sparkly.  While we were picking out the items for sale, my 2 year old daughter blurted out “I have to go to the bathroom!”  The lady was gracious to offer her bathroom which was…you guessed it…clean as a whistle. 

Okay, even when I have guests over, my house is never THAT clean.  When I returned to my messy home, I felt dejected.  How can I have sparkling countertops like that lady?  Granted, she only had one child who is 9, and I have 2 children under 5 and pregnant with another.  But enough with excuses.  You know what I did?  I cleaned my kitchen sink first, and then the kitchen countertops.  There…I felt better.

The next day, I cleaned the bathroom upstairs.  And you know what I realized?  I may not be able to transform my house into that woman’s house overnight, but slowly I can clean up an area at a time, and that’s okay.  Without her example, I would not have been motivated to clean up my own home.  But with her welcoming, clutter free, clean home in my mind, I wanted to do something to make my home a little more like hers.

I share that story because sometimes we can feel helpless in the face of housework, parenting, work, and of course, losing weight.  Instead of being paralyzed by how far you have to go, just take a few baby steps in the direction you want to go.  Those baby steps count and will do wonders for your attitude. 

So if your house is a mess, just tackle the kitchen sink today and tackle another small area tomorrow.  If your eating is out of control (too much junk food for instance), skip one serving of chips today.  Take baby steps – you can do it!