Stream of Consciousness Sunday: Post Pregnancy Weight Loss is Tough!

I'd just like to say that, yes, I was told that my body would change after pregnancy, but I had no idea what I was in for. Before Baby (B.B.) I was round-ish, but comfortable with my body. I would wear tank tops that would show off my arms, and my stomach was fairly flat - just with a little padding. I think I was about a size 10-12, and at 5 foot 7, I felt good about it. Now, After Baby (A.B.) I'm pushing size 14 and dare I say size 16 in one God-awful pair of Kohl's jeans that I'd like to cut up and burn in effigy. What the heck! I know that I'm about 10 lbs heavier than what I was B.B. but the way it sits on my body, I might as well be 30 lbs heavier. My boobs are bigger, and a bit saggish. I feel like I should be singing, "Do your boobs hang low, do they wobble to and fro, can you tie 'em in a knot, can you tie 'em in a bow..." My little monster would love mama singing that tune. I can see him clapping now, with his little chiclet grin. And let's not talk about my belly. I swear I still look 4 months pregnant. I look like a half deflated basketball. Gee, I know what I can be this Halloween. Pass me some orange paint and a black marker. In any event, I can't give up on getting my old body back. Or at least a healthier and toned version of the body I have now. I am very proud of what my body has done to birth and nourish my son. I just don't want my body to look like it's been through war either. So I press on. I will continue my journey through A.B. weight loss. I can't imagine having a 2nd baby at this starting point. They may just have to roll me into parent teacher's conferences in a wheel barrel!

This was my 5 minute Stream of Consciousness Sunday post. It’s five minutes of your time and a brain dump. Want to try it? Here are the rules…
■ Set a timer and write for 5 minutes only.
■ Write an intro to the post if you want but don’t edit the post. No proofreading or spellchecking. This is writing in the raw.
■ Publish it somewhere. Anywhere. The back door to your blog if you want. But make it accessible.
■ Add the Stream of Consciousness Sunday badge to your post.
■ Go visit http://allthingsfadra.com/ and link up and comment on other’s posts

Fit Mama Club - Week 7

I did a lot better this week with my eating! I started reading about the Paleo Diet again. (I discussed this diet HERE.) I still don't have a new scale yet, so I have no idea whether I gained or lost. I definitely will get one this Friday! Here's my update:

After my update, I'll share this week's Fit Mama Club challenge. If you wanna join up, leave a comment or tweet me @joonluv630.

Last Week's Weight Loss: No clue because I have no scale
Total Weight Loss: Not sure yet
Last Week's High: I got back on track with my eating!
Last Week's Low: I found it hard to say "no" when people offered me treats out of kindness. Such as my hubby making me waffles in bed, or my mom having an impromptu BBQ.. (I'm so glad summer's over by the way. And the overload of BBQs is one of the many reasons.) I also did log my eating into my Fitness Pal app. Tsk tsk tsk!
Plan For This Week: I will continue working on my low carb Paleo Diet eating plan. Which leads to this week's Fit Mama Challenge!

Fit Mama Challenge: Only eat healthy carbs such as fruits and vegetables. Stay away from the bad carbs like white bread, pasta, rice, etc. You can have 3 "open meals" this week, which means you can have some of those carbs.. just don't binge! So c'mon Fit Mamas! Are you up for the challenge?

Fit Mama Club - Week 6

I'm sooo totally off track! Well not totally, I actually started reading a book called "Eat to Live" by Dr. Joel Fuhrman and it talks all about how the less chicken, beef, and pork you eat, the better. It's healthier and you can lose up to 20 lbs the first 6 weeks of the plan. The problem is, though my mind says this is the healthy way to go. My heart (and my stomach) tell me that it's too drastic of a change! Ahhh! Anyway, here's my update:

After my update, I'll share this week's Fit Mama Club challenge. If you wanna join up, leave a comment or tweet me @joonluv630.

Last Week's Weight Loss: 0
Total Weight Loss: 0
Last Week's High: I worked out 3 times (20 minutes each) which is a great improvement from my total lack of cardio in the past.
Last Week's Low: My beloved Scale is dead. R.I.P. It stopped working. No matter who gets on it, me, my hubby, my little monster, it displays all of these weird characters and doesn't give the weight. So now I'm going nuts until I can purchase a new one! (next payday)
Plan For This Week: I work out 3 times again this week but increase it to 30 minutes each time. I will stick to my calorie limit (which I am keeping track with by using the wonderful Fitness Pal app!) I will also complete the Fit Mama Challenge!

Fit Mama Challenge: Only have meat (i.e. beef, chicken, pork, or even fish) once per day. So no turkey sandwich for lunch then chicken for dinner! Try to get used to eatin gmore fruits and veggies!! So C'mon Fit Mamas! Are you up for the challenge?

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But the Greatest of These is Love

It's an interesting phenomenon being a working mother. You feel guilty when you're at work for not being home enough for your family, then you feel guilty when you're at home for not focusing hard enough on work. You're in this not so comfortable limbo of not fitting completely in either life and just barely getting by.

Many a times I have fallen victim to what some call "Stinkin' Thinkin'". It's when all you can think of is what you aren't doing right. You only made dinner once this week. You didn't get a chance to scrub the ring around the tub. You didn't pay enough attention to the hubby today. You forgot to write that progress note at work. You didn't get back to your client in time. Tsk tsk tsk! And before you know it, you're in this whirlwind of a pity party because you "just can't do anything right".

The other day, in my self-induced pity party of one, I was thinking about how UN-domestic I am, yet not completely career driven like some of my co-workers either. I felt like the maladjusted middle-child, not knowing where I belonged, and feeling like a terrible mother to boot. But that's when God snatched me up by the collar and shook me out of the pool of lies I was allowing myself to drown in.

I realized that I'm doing the best that I can and my little guy loves me like crazy regardless of whether there is a cheerio (or 4) left on the living room couch. And what's more important anyway? The bit of cat hair on the carpet or the "tickle monster wars" that happen in that very same spot? Love covers over all those minor imperfections. That's what we as mothers need to think about. "...whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—think about such things." (Philippians 4:8)

My mother was a hard working single parent, and though I had my fair share of frozen fish sticks and happy meals, the memories I cherish most are the special "mommy and me" trips to the library on the weekends. The side-splitting laugher we shared over the silliest of things. The times she let me hop into her bed and cuddle - and didn't complain when I tinkled a time or two. Those are the things that fill my heart with joy, and my little monster will feel the same.

There was a study done of two groups of baby monkeys. One group was given food and water, but no interaction with their mama. The other group was given food and water and allowed to cuddle up to their mama, nurse, and interact with her freely. At the end of the study, the group of monkeys that did not feel the love from their mama failed to thrive. They were sickly, violent, and anti-social. The ones with their mama ended up just fine. It's all about LOVE. As long as we make our times with our little ones count, there's no need to sweat the small stuff. LOVE. That's what our children need. "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:13) Give your children extra hugs when you can. And while you're at it, give your hubby extra kisses too. ;)