"Hello, Pants, Good to See You Again"

I seem to have fallen into the "wedding planning vat" and can't get out. I never knew how much there was to do in getting ready for a wedding, and this is my son--can't imagine when it's a daughter. Whew! Things seem to be coming along (if they'd stop making changes that'd help). I've been sewing dresses, calling to make plans, making reservations, finding addresses, figuring out the Open House, etc. It's a bit mind-boggling.

At this point, I've lost 29 lbs. I still have 7 lbs to go to meet my goal weight and think I may try for a few more after that just to cushion myself in case I gain some back. I've been able to pull clothes, even pants, out of my closet that I haven't seen in ages. My kids tell me not to wear them because they're all outdated now, but I reply that the fact that I can wear them again completely overshadows their fashionability.

After so many years trying to lose that baby weight, I'm really excited to have found a way that works for me. Since it isn't too radically different from how I was eating before, I think I can stick with it. Mostly, I've cut out the nightly bowls of ice cream, Oreos (we had two bags of Oreos the other day and I was sorely tempted to eat some but I refrained), brownies, and other junk food. I have replaced the junk food with sugar-free fudgesicles and ice cream bars so I don't feel deprived.

I exercise about 45 minutes a day to my DVDs, but have knocked that back to 30 minutes because I have so many things to do at the moment (sometimes I even count painting or other physical projects in place of my regular exercise).

I'm still hoping to reach my goal before my son's wedding, but since it's now less than 3 weeks away I'm not sure I can lose another 7 lbs. However, any more weight I can lose will be good and as long as I can fit into the dress my daughters talked me into buying I'll be happy.

My Weight Loss Goal

My name is Rebecca Talley and I'm a chocaholic.

I'm also an ice creamaholic.

In high school I was on the bigger side and was ridiculed for my "jello butt" (shhhh, don't tell my kids I just used the bu-word).

After my first baby, I dropped a lot of weight. I guess my metabolism changed when I started breastfeeding. I'd gain weight with each pregnancy and then it'd fall off after the birth until baby #8. I had to work at losing the weight after that birth. Baby #9 and the impending 40 age mark both seemed to do me in as far as weight. I never lost all the weight after #9, though I did lose the weight I gained with #10.

After #10 I still had the weight from #9 to lose and thought I would. I was sorely disappointed when I found that I had not only not lost the weight but had packed on 20 more lbs.

In January I decided to cut out chocolate, ice cream, Oreos, and other junk food and lost 8 lbs. But, then I drifted away from that resolve and gained 3 lbs back. In June, my oldest daughters and I decided to try the South Beach diet. On June 8 we started Phase I, also known as the strict phase. SB is essentially cutting out white sugar and white flour and replacing them with vegetables, lean meats, cheese, nonfat milk, beans, and fruits. It isn't very different from the way I'd been eating, sans the junk food.

To date, I've lost 16 lbs on the SB diet and 21 lbs total. My goal is to lose another 15 lbs, for a total of 36 lbs.

I have always exercised. I have many exercise DVDs and videos. My favorites are The Firm and Tae Bo. I'm pretty active chasing my kids around and constantly cleaning the house, but for me, turning 40 seemed to slow my metabolism to zero. The SB diet has seemed to kick up my metabolism and allow me to lose weight I've been hanging onto for years.

Today, I went back on Phase I which consists of vegetables, eggs, beans, lean meat, and cheese because my son is getting married in September and I want to lose as much weight as I can before then. I'm hoping to lose 2-3 lbs by next Monday.

Breakfast: scrambled eggs with cheese, water.
Lunch: salad with ranch dressing, water.
Snack: almonds, string cheese, water

I plan to post a before and after picture when I hit my goal because the before picture is just too embarrassing.

Here's to attaining weight loss goals to enjoy better health and activity.

Weight Loss/Exercise

In my post yesterday, I mentioned something on my wish list: to lose 25 lbs.

After my first baby was born, I was amazed that all the weight I'd gained during pregnancy, and even some extra pounds, just fell off. After subsequent births, I lost all the baby weight and became accustomed to my new, lower weight.

That all changed after baby #9 when I could no longer lose the weight. I lost the weight I'd gained with #10, but still couldn't shake the weight from #9. Maybe it's because I'm old now (at least according to my kids) that it seems much more difficult to lose the weight.

I've always liked to exercise. My favorite exercise DVDs are The Firm, Tae Bo, and Walk off the Pounds. While in Walmart the other day, I saw some new walking DVDs and decided to purchase them in an effort to motivate myself to increase my exercise time. I've decided to commit to using my walking DVD everyday for the next two months and see if it makes a difference. The DVD (with Leslie Sansone) is an hour long and is the equivalent of 4 miles. I'm hoping it'll jump start some weight loss and help me get in better shape (so I can chase my 2 year old around and actually be faster than he is).

I'll keep you posted.