Winter Shed: Week Two

Welcome to the second Friday check-in for the Winter Shed!

Here is the back story about this support group/blog hop for those trying to be accountable for the positive changes we intend to make in our lives in 2013. Whether you are trying to shed weight, find more balance or let go of something else that is dragging you down in the New Year… We can do this — together!

Now to report on how I did during week two:

1) Keeping Fit & Shedding Weight

• I exercised 4 out of 7 days this week.
• This included teaching one group fitness class (dance aerobics), participating in a yoga class, running 5K in our neighborhood and hiking with my family at a nearby forest preserve.
• The three days that I did not do “formal exercise,” I was still very active running errands and doing things around the house. One of the days I logged over 7,000 steps on my pedometer and another day I hit over 8,000.
• I continued to use the My Net Diary Pro app on my phone to track what I ate and watch my calories/portion control.
• I did well eating 2 – 3 portions of veggies every day and at least 2 servings of fruit.
• I noticed the more my body and appetite gets used to consuming smaller portions, I am not as hungry and get full faster. This certainly helps me not to overeat most of the time.
• Saturday night we ended up going to our friends’ house for dinner and ordered Chinese Food. Not unlike last week when we ordered pizza with friends, carry-in meals can be my downfall. I ate past feeling full and though it was delicious, I paid for it on the scale the next day.
• Apparently I needed learn the hard way that I can still enjoy food like that, but if I want to make progress towards my goals, I have to try harder to control my portions, especially when eating out or ordering in.
• I weighed myself every morning.
• On Saturday morning I had lost 0.5 lbs. from the day before and had hit my goal for this week! I was ecstatic!
• Then Sunday morning, after the Chinese food for dinner the previous night, I was up 1.5 lbs.! 🙁
• I tried to “be good” on Sunday night during Bob and my Golden Globes TV dinner, forgoing our original plan of having one of my favorite meals, Cheddar and Beer Fondue, in effort to get back on track. But I still had a beer with dinner and the next morning was up another 0.5 lbs.! 🙁
• So I spent the rest of the week working off those 2 lbs. to get back where I was last Friday!
• I was proud of myself mid-week when I was in situations where I was tempted to eat things that would not have helped my cause and I passed on the opportunities.
• I held steady this week and have lost 3 lbs. total since Friday, December 28th!
• I was frustrated not to lose more this week, but it was another learning experience for me.
• I also started my period this morning, which could be contributing to my feeling bloated and the slower progress with weight loss.
• I am 0.5 lbs. above where I hoped/intended to be today.
• My goal for this week is to lose 1.5 lbs. by next Friday.
• I attended physical therapy (PT) again this week to help with my urinary tract and bladder issues.
• I continue to feel good about what I am learning and am trying to practice the exercises she is giving me.
• I also have been using a home remedy/recipe to help with constipation caused by a medication that I am taking and have been pleased to see results/be more regular.

2) Housekeeping

• I am happy to share that I did so much better in this area this week!
• In addition to “basic tasks” (like washing dishes and laundry), I did a lot of cleaning, straightening and organizing around the house this week!
• On Sunday we spent much of the day taking down and putting away all of our Christmas decorations.
• On Thursday, while Abby was a preschool, I devoted the entire 2 1/2 hours to cleaning!
• This week I did a lot of vacuuming, sorted through piles of papers that had accumulated in our office, as well as on our dining room table and kitchen counter. I filed some and recycled a lot more.
• I also cleaned a bathroom this week, which is one of my least favorite tasks, but not that bad, once I get going.
• I discovered this week, that just as I have found that for me writing begets writing, cleaning also seems to beget cleaning!
• I am optimistic that I will continue to do well with my housekeeping tasks next week and intend to devote Thursday morning while Abby is at preschool again to cleaning.
• Finally, I started using an app on my phone again that I downloaded two years ago, but hadn’t used consistently in a while. It’s called Toodledo and is a great way to organize my to do list. I love that I get to check things off as I complete them. I also like how I can set each task to regenerate at whatever interval I want it to (such as daily or weekly from the time I get it done).

3) Balance & Harmony

• It was another hectic week for Bob at work and our family at home, especially getting our kids to/from their extracurricular activities.
• That said, it didn’t feel quite as crazy as last week and I did feel like we got to spend quality time together as a family and as a couple.
• I really enjoyed attending an event at our local forest preserve on Saturday for families. We went with members of Bob and Sean’s Cub Scout troop. We got to go on a nature hike with a naturalist who taught the kids about how animals survive during the winter. It was cold and we were not dressed warmly enough, but still had a lot of fun.
• Saturday night Bob, the kids and I ditched our original plans for a family dinner at our house when some friends invited us at the last minute to their home. The kids enjoyed playing together and we always appreciate time with our adult friends too. We even got a game of Euchre in after dinner, which was fun.
• A highlight of the week for me, was relaxing on the couch and watching the Golden Globes Red Carpet interviews and award show on Sunday evening with Bob. I joke that the Golden Globes and Oscars are like my “Super Bowl” and my family knows how much I enjoy watching it all live.
• This week I also remembered how much I love to practice yoga and what it does for my mind, body and spirit. Even if I can only make it to one class each week, it is so worth it. I may even try to practice more on my own at home. I haven’t done that much over the years, but think it would be good for me to try.
• We got to see and spend time with my parents this week, which was nice.
• At MOPS last night I got to hear a friend/one of our members give her testimony about her life and faith journey. Her story was inspiring and moving. I could relate to a lot of what she talked about and as she said in her talk, we never know what those around us might be going through in their lives and that everyone has a story to tell.

How was your week? 

Did you make progress towards your goals for 2013?

What helped you to succeed?

What challenges did you face?

What do you plan to focus on in the week to come?

As I shared in my introductory post, when I reflect on what has helped me to shed weight, get/stay in shape in the past, prioritize housekeeping tasks and find more balance in my life, accountability is huge! I have kept myself accountable various ways in the past, but this time I am doing so publicly here on my blog.

Once a week, on Fridays, until at least mid-March/Spring, I will check in and share how my week has gone in the key areas I am working on. My hope and intention is that knowing I have this self-imposed report card to file will motivate me to stay focused on my goals.

If any of you want to join me in this “Winter Shed,” you are welcome to link up to your Winter Shed blog entries below and/or you can comment here on how you are doing from week to week, so we can support and encourage each other, as well as share what works and what doesn’t for each of us when it comes to striving towards our goals. You are welcome to participate every week or when you have the time/the spirit moves you.

Please join me and we can cheer each other on as we start 2013 strong and stay the course!

We can do this — TOGETHER!

See you next Friday (if not before)!

You are welcome to grab the code for the Winter Shed button by clicking here and put it on your blog. The link will take you to a Google Doc where you can copy the code. If your browser does not allow access to your computer’s clipboard, you can use Ctrl-C for Copy and Ctrl-V for Paste, or use your browser’s Edit menu.

1. Week 1 & 2

2. Winter Shed: W2