Positive Thoughts
I am eating healthier than I have for years
- I easily eat 4-6 servings of fruits and veggies every day (that's eating- not drinking smoothies)
- In the last 13 weeks (since I started Project Momma) I naturally (meaning slowly and non-deprivationally- yes, that's a word) cut my weekly treats from about 20-25 per week to 7 per week.
I ran a 5k in my goal time of 28:00
I am now reading roughly 12 pages in my scriptures daily (10 pages in the Old Testament to catch up on my scheduled reading I follow (click here to follow too!) I also read in my Book of Mormon every day.
On the other hand, here are some negative things that have crossed my mind:
Negative Thoughts
I have tendinitis in my knee which means recovery should take more like 6 weeks than 2 or 3 like my doctor originally said. Boo. That means no squats and lunges and probably no running.
I have only lost about 5-7 pounds since I started keeping track about 3 month ago.
I am still wearing my maternity jeans.
Conclusions
I hid my scale yesterday. I didn't even own a scale until about 2 years ago. Which means I never weighed myself when losing weight with my first two babies. I do not focus enough on my other successes when I know that my weight loss is not meeting my expectations. So I put it in my closet and won't weigh myself for a while. I know I mentioned no more weekly weigh-ins, but it's hard to avoid it when I feel really good about how I've done that week.
I am not happy. The whole reason I started Project Momma was to be a healthier and happier Momma to my three beautiful children. I am too focused on the fact that I'm not losing weight and that I can't run. I am healthier, but I am not happier because I am focusing too much on the things that I can't control. As much as it kills me, I need to allow my knee to heal. I would love to get up and run five miles, but I can't. I will be able to in a couple of months, but only if I'm patient.
Not all pregnancies are created equal. I keep thinking about where I was at "this" point with my other post-pregnancy bodies. With one baby it was easy to workout because my schedule was my schedule, not hers. With the second, it was similar. With the third, I now have Lucy's schedule, Liam's schedule, my schedule and a newborn. I spend a large part of my time cleaning up toys, making lunch, putting kids in time-out, etc. I am injured (which I didn't deal with before). I would normally be running about 20 miles a week by this point. Although pushing three kids in a stroller walking for three miles is a fairly good workout, it's not quite the same as running five while pushing two. I can't compare my pregnancies.
Things I can control
I want to focus on the things I can control which means measuring what I do, not what the outcome is. This means keeping track of food, exercise, sleep, scriptures, etc.
My goals this week were:
1. Be up at 6:15 am (my kids usually wake up between 7:30 and 8:00, so this is awesome alone time)
2. Be in bed by 11:00 pm
3. Read the Book of Mormon every day
4. 10 pages of the Old Testament
5. 5 servings of fruits and veggies per day
6. 7 treats for the week, so an average of 1 per day
7. Exercise 5 times with 2 of them strength training.
Tuesday: I was up at 6:30 and met all of the other goals. I did my new BodyCombat video for exercise. I usually end up turning a show on for my kids while I do it in the other half of the living room. Molly takes a nap in her swing. This new BodyCombat video is a crazy release, but it's got a lot of jumping lunges that I can't do.
My new secret for one treat a day is to eat half a treat after lunch and another half after dinner because I often crave one earlier. I found these amazing salted chocolate covered caramels at Costco that are less than 100 calories each and about 2 is one serving. Totally worth it. I also find myself eating less after dinner when all I have left is half a serving.
Wednesday: I was up at 6:20 and went to bed at 11:10, but met all my other goals. I did my new BodyPump class then took my kids on a 3-mile walk. There's a trail with a crazy hill and my kids love to get out and run up the trail with me. There's also no way I could push them all up anyway. I know I'm a super Momma, but it's pretty steep :)
Thursday: I was up at 6:45, in bed at 11:20 and met all my other goals. I did my BodyCombat class again. I am seriously dripping sweat by the end and that's without the jumping lunges.
Friday: I was up at 6:30, in bed at midnight after date night at the temple. I didn't get all my fruits and veggies and I didn't work out, but I had planned that because I knew I had an early morning with doctor appointments.
Saturday: I was up at 7:45. This was actually the first day I didn't get up before my kids, but I rationalized it since it was Saturday. I only read 4 pages in the OT and had 1.5 treats, which means I had to take one from another day. I went to the gym today and did a BodyCombat class. It was amazing. I loved running into a bunch of my friends I haven't seen in months and it's crazy how much of a better workout you can get in a class of 40 people than by yourself in your living room, but I do what I can do. I only had 2.5 servings of fruits and veggies, but I did get to bed by 11:00 that night.
Sunday: I slept in again til 8:00 and only read 5 pages in the OT. I wish that Sundays were a rest day, but it's often more stressful than not. I only had 4 servings of fruits and veggies and, I had 1.5 treats again, so that means I can't have any on Monday. I was in bed by 11:00.
Monday: It was actually easier than I thought knowing that in order to meet my 7-treat goal I couldn't have a treat today. I did BodyPump without the squat and lunge tracks. It's not a great calorie-burner, especially without the leg tracks. However, I had the goal to get in two days of strength training. It's always easier for me to do the crazy cardio workouts, but I know that I need to do muscle building exercises.
My New Goals
Making Happiness
When I realize how frustrated I was getting, I started to think about the little things that make me "temporarily happy." Every time I got in my van, I smelled my new "fresh linen" air freshener and it made me happy. It's something so little, but it helps. So I decided to make a list of the things I could think of that make me happy.
Good smelling soap from Bath and Body Works
Empty kitchen sink
Empty hampers
Clean bathrooms
Hair and makeup done
Good chocolate
Good movie/ show
Bed made
My kids naptime/ bedtime
Being outside
Exercise
Friends
Sisters
Family
Date Night
New Clothes
Haircut/ Colored
Redecorating my house
Some of these things are hard to come by. I don't live by my sisters and family, but I can call them. I can't exercise like I would like to, but I can do what I can. I made my trip to the mall to restock my soap, I made an appointment to cut and color my hair. I have date night set up for Friday. These are the things I can control.
Spiritual/ Gratitude Moment
Monday is my Costco day. My kids love it for the samples and they are pretty well-behaved. In order to make it work, I carry Molly in a Moby and have my 4-year-old and 2-year-old in the double seated cart. As I was headed for the checkout line a lady came up to me to admire my kids. She saw Molly, then she saw the other two and started talking to them, telling them how beautiful they were. She asked their names and talked to them about their baby sister. This is all pretty normal conversation for us at the store. I waited for the usual "You really have your hands full" or "Enjoy it because they grow up too fast" comments. However, instead she said, "You must have a lot of fun with them. They are beautiful." More than once she said, "I really needed this today." Then she looked at me and said, "You are beautiful. Enjoy your day." You can't even know how much that meant to me. I teared up as I walked away. I love it when people recognize the goodness of having three little kids, because we do have fun. I know people mean well, but the "they grow up too fast" or the "hands full" comments are heard way too often and don't make me feel better about anything. Knowing that talking to my kids made her day better made my day better. Then she told me I was beautiful and it was exactly what I needed to hear. Thank you Doreen at Coscto for being my Spiritual Moment. I think the Lord put you in my path, and I hope my kids brightened
your day as well.
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