My personal FitBit Review

***If you don't struggle with weight, this post will probably be very boring to you; just a warning*** :)

Confession time: I’ve really struggled with my weight this year. After I had Nathan, I started tracking my calories at 2 weeks post partum and working out at 6 weeks pp and lost the weight within 2 months. He was a very hungry baby, nursing every 2-3 hours during the day until he was almost 6 months old, and every 3-4 hours at night until close to 7 months. My others slept through the night at 6 and 8 weeks—not him. Needless to say, I could pretty much eat whatever I wanted (which was a clean diet) and keep the weight off without trying.

 However, as soon as I stopped nursing I expected to keep eating the same amount and it was not happening. Over the past 10 months I’ve slowly gained about 10 pounds. Now, I’m sure you know how health conscious I am, so I haven’t done it by eating cake and cookies and ice cream every day, although I have had my days like that. You see, you can eat healthy and gain weight, because healthy foods still contain calories.

 Anyway, after a frustrating few weeks of carefully tracking every calorie on loseit (something I’ve had success with in the past) and working out like crazy, I wasn’t seeing any results and was beyond frustrated. I knew I didn’t want to do a crash diet like no carb, no grain, juicing or only fruits and veggies, because I would just gain it all back. The way I lose weight MUST be the way I maintain it—that’s just me.

 After a little research, I discovered something called fitbit. Basically it tracks the calories you burn throughout the day so you can know exactly what you are putting out from walking around your house, doing laundry, laying on the couch, going up stairs or working out. It also tracks your sleep patterns, which is a big part of weight loss. Manually, you can track the calories you eat and the water you drink. I don't even notice I'm wearing it, which I like too!

 What I loved about it was watching my calorie count go up throughout the day, which allowed me to eat more as the day went on—woohoo! For example, I started out my day at around 1100 calories. At the end of the day I was over 1600 because of simple activities, and I’ve been really sick this week so I didn’t even work out. This is 300-500 calories MORE than I was getting before, just because it knows exactly what I’m doing. I love that! I am now thinking that my problem was I wasn’t eating enough so my body went into “starvation mode”. I was going to bed really hungry and waking up almost sick feeling because I was so hungry. After one day wearing this I haven’t felt like that at all. I’m down almost 3 pounds in 3 days after eating a lot more than I normally do and not working out! Yay!

 As soon as I read reviews about it, I looked on Craigslist for one. It just so happened that there was one that had just been posted that day that had only been used once and was 50% less than buying it new. Of course I felt that it was a sign ;) and my very sweet and generous husband bought and programmed it all for me!

 I know I don’t normally write about products on my blog, but I wanted to share because I know there are a lot of people out there who struggle with weight and this is a great tool. Weight Watchers taught me so much about eating, and I loved doing it, but it’s very pricey. For the cost of a few months of Weight Watchers this product is helping me get back to my goals, while using a lot of what WW taught me. And for what we paid, it was about one month of Weight Watchers. Well worth it!

 So, in case you’re interested, here is my current weight loss plan:

11)   No white flour or sugar (I do this on a pretty regular basis, but it’s nice to get “strict” again)

22)  Tracking every bite 6 days a week. One day a week I give myself a break from tracking, but still don’t eat white flour or sugar..

33)Work out 4 days a week. With 3 kids, this seems to be about all I can manage right now! On off days we usually take evening walks.

4 4) No eating after 7pm—unless I have a lot of calories left that I need to eat, because NOT eating them will slow down weight loss.

I’ve lost 4.5 pounds in 2 weeks and already feel so much more toned doing Jillian Michaels 30 day shred (level 2), 2-3 days and my elliptical on the other days. Another one of Jillian’s dvd’s I enjoy is Ripped in 30, level 3.

 Maybe if you are struggling right now, this will be the tool or motivation you need to start your weight loss journey, even if you’ve just crept up a few pounds. Hope this helps!

After the Rain

It’s been a rainy week. In Texas, this means it has rained for approximately 6.2 minutes over a span of 3 days, and it is a novelty here.

 “Can we play out in the rain?” the kids begged as it started to downpour again.

“No,” I replied quickly. “It’s lightning out.”

 After a few minutes, the lightning stopped and within a few minutes the kids were in their swim clothes, jumping in puddles, filling up cups with streams from the gutter and yelling “IT’S RAINING!” as loud as they could. Because, obviously when it rains, you have to scream loudly for the full effect. 

Because of the rain, the weather cooled off a little at night so we’ve been sitting in the driveway, letting the kids ride bikes and trying to keep our toes from being eaten by fire ants.

Don't you play outside at night in your boxers?

Learning to ride a 2-wheeler. I remember when I learned how to ride, and now I have a child old enough to do this?

Brooke started attending Music Class at our Christian school once a week, and I’m really thankful for this opportunity. She eats lunch with the First Grader’s and spends a few hours in their class doing quiet activities until Music starts. It’s definitely a highlight in her week!

This past week, 2 different couples I know through Facebook lost their daughters at age 2 and 3. One nearly drowned last year and remained in a coma until she woke up and saw Jesus' face. The other battled a horrible, rare disease until she graduated to Heaven where she is now playing, talking and laughing and Jesus’ feet. News like this really knocks the wind out of me. Both sets of parents have incredible testimonies of faith and are amazingly strong, as they’ve endured what I cannot fathom, but I wonder how they cope? My life is perfect. Absolutely perfect, and I can's even begin to grasp going through something so crushing.

  All we can do is rally around these suffering people, pray for them, cry for them and appreciate the little things our children do each day. When they arch their back trying to wiggle out of your arms in protest, be thankful that they have the muscle strength to do so. When their whines escalate to screams, rejoice in their strong lungs. When they unfold fresh laundry piece by piece, be amazed that their brain is communicating with their arms to complete such a task. When they spit out food they don’t like, appreciate the fact that you are feeding them with a spoon and not through a feeding tube. I think that is what these Parents would want us to do: appreciate the things we see as obstacles, and as always, love more, hug more, cuddle more, enjoy more.

After the rain comes the rainbow, God's reminder to us that he keeps his promises. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. This is the hope we cling to.