missionlindahamilton

I was a little premature on that sleep entry.
The little one has more teeth coming in and they’re really keeping him awake at night (even with the Motrin and topical anesthetic). When the little guy is awake, so is Mommy. Last night, I was awake from 1-3am and then again at 4am.
So much for a restful night’s sleep!

This is clearly going to be a major hurdle toward my goal. Without the sleep, I’ll have no energy and no willpower to stay away from the carbohydrates.

What else is there to say?

I have got to find a way to get the sleep my body and mind need.

I’m working on programming myself. Yes, I just said that.
Rather than allowing the random stuff that comes at me every day feed my subconscious’ need for input, I’m using autosuggestion (also known as affirmations or neurolinguistic programming).
Oddly enough, it isn’t as hokey as it may sound.

The subconscious mind needs input. You can let it get whatever comes at it, like negative self talk about your wide load as you look at yourself in the mirror or you can choose what will fill your subconscious mind.
I’ve chosen the route of positive affirmations and positive subliminal audio as I drift off to sleep.

I’ll keep you posted.

I’ve long been an advocate of proper sleep as a weight loss tool. Unfortunately, I have very young children so I haven’t had any good sleep in several years.
Except recently.

So I’ve been working on my diet, trying to rework the workout plan and trying to get some sleep. The only thing I’ve really accomplished is the sleep portion. I’m finally getting some sleep and it doesn’t seem to matter what I eat - I still drop a pound every night that I get eight hours of sleep.

I was back down to 208 yesterday and was looking forward to 207 this morning but it turned out to be an eventful night. I managed to eek out about 6.5 hours of sleep last night.

I don’t know if my plan failed me or if I failed my plan. Either way, I’ve been considering reworking the plan.
As you may know, I fell off the low carb wagon last week. (The low carb wagon must be THE most difficult wagon to stay on!) Anyway, I’ve been slowly trying to work my way back. My recent craving for hoagies has delayed my return to the low carb lifestyle.
I’ve even discussed with my husband the possibility of actually taking time away from home and going to an actual gym. (I have access to three within five miles of my home.)

I’ll let you know what happens next…

My first low, low carb day was a bit sketchy toward the end but I held out and stayed strong.  I did not cheat.  I took in 148g of protein and 49g of carbohydrates.Of my list of seven things to do, I accomplished five.  Not so bad.

I think I drank a gallon of water.  I’ll try to keep better track of my quarts today.

The really good news is that holding out and staying strong really paid off.  I weighed in this morning at 209.  That is a loss of three pounds over yesterday and five pounds overall.  Not bad for three days!

Today is another low, low carbohydrate day.  Other than my morning bagel with cream cheese, it is pretty much made up of protein powder (mixed with water) and South Beach Diet Meal Bars.  I’m holding on to the possibility of getting out of the 200s before week’s end to keep me strong.  That and the fact that I can have a whopping 75g of carbohydrates tomorrow!

Day #3 was a success with three pounds lost.  

Day one went fairly well although there is still plenty of room for improvement.  I know I
won’t do this perfectly so I’m going to celebrate my little accomplishments rather than
focus on what I didn’t do.

I didn’t exercise.  The kids were up at 0430 and didn’t stop until 1930, which is exactly
when I stopped as well.
I didn’t drink a gallon of water.  I only drank three quarts.
I didn’t stay completely with the diet plan.  I ate potato chips last night.
I’m not beating myself up over these things because focusing on the bad doesn’t leave
room for the good.

I did stick with the diet plan right up until a few minutes before bedtime.  I ate right for
just about the whole day.  That counts for something.
I did try to exercise.  The baby was so enthralled with the bike that he had to ride on my
knee.  While this made him glow like the sun and giggle happily, it was a bit too much of
a workout for me.
I did try to accomplish everything on my task list but only two things got done.

I did lose one pound.  I weighed in this morning at 213.
I did lose one inch.  I lost it around my hips so I suspect the pound lost was water bloat
and the low carbohydrates (compared to my usual carb consumption) did it.

Day one was a success!  I lost one pound and one inch.

I have two kids.  One is pretty much sleeping through the night but still wakes and needs Mommy on occasion.  The other is still an infant and going through growth spurts so it isn’t uncommon for me to have to get up anywhere from two to four times a night just for him.  Very rarely do I get a full eight hours sleep and that is definitely a handicap for me.  I know from past experience that weight loss and low carb dieting are much easier for me if I’m getting eight hours of sleep out of twenty-four.

I will have to try to take naps and use relaxation techniques daily in order to accommodate for this handicap.

I definitely consider this an asset.  I have Comcast cable so I have any number of fitness and exercise programs available at any time using the On Demand feature.  This should come in particularly handy when I have to do my workouts around my children’s schedule. 

I’ve never been much of a stretcher but I know it helps considerably so I’ll probably try some yoga or tai chi programs.

I’ll want to know how to move my new body once I whittle down to it, so a few Carmen Electra dance programs may be in order too.  And there’s always belly dance!

I won’t succeed at this if I’m not realistic.  After all, I’m not doing this in a vacuum.  Life happens and unless you plan for it, well, you’re bound to fail. 

How do I know this?

I’ve failed more times than I care to count.

At least I learned my lesson!

My next several blogs will discuss my many handicaps and assets when it comes to reaching my goals. 

I’ll consider things that will handicap me like broken sleep, being the primary caretaker of small children, carbohydrate addiction and my need to do all my workouts at home. 

I’ll also discuss those things I have available that can be assets to my efforts such as an exercise bike, my children, two video game systems, and weights. 

After taking stock, I’ve created my shopping list and a general plan.  I’ll initially stock up on chicken breasts, eggs, frozen vegetables, brown rice, oatmeal and low-carb tortillas.  I’ll also buy enough fresh vegetables to make a homemade salsa so as to be able to add flavor without all the extra sodium.    

Here is my starting shopping list:

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Eggs

Whey Protein Powder

Frozen Broccoli, Green Beans, Spinach and Brussels Sprouts

Fresh Tomato, Onion, Bell Pepper, Jalapeno

Brown Rice

Oatmeal

Low-Carb Tortillas

Keeping the shopping list short and starting with a limited number of foods will allow me to get the hang of doing the math every night (counting carbs and protein).  As I get the system down, I’ll start expanding the menu options I allow myself.