I’m using Michele’s guideline (found here) for writing this weekly post because I really like the accountability it lends to the whole process. It won’t be super specific for me yet since I can’t yet institute a diet/exercise routine, but once I’m hopefully given the A-OK at my 6wk check-up on Jan19th, I’ll definitely be adding that all in to start my 30s with a plan!

1. Reiterate my goal and where I stand in reference to this goal: 20# to go!

Starting Weight: 166#
Last Week’s Weight: 164#
Current Weight: 162# — a 2# loss
Goal Weight: 142# (“normal” is 122#-164#)

Starting BMI: 25.2
Last Week’s BMI: 24.9
Current BMI: 24.6
Goal BMI: 21.6 (“normal” is 18.5-24.9)

2. Discuss what I am going to do to achieve my goals:

Progress on last week’s activities:
*Drink a glass of water every time I breastfeed Stella. — Failed miserably. I need to define how many ounces constitutes a glass and pour that glass before I sit down to feed her.
*Not skip meals just because I’m preoccupied with baby stuff. — I did a little better at this. There were a couple of days that lunch was forgotten, but overall I ate plenty through the holidays.
*Listen to my body, and walk if I can, rest if I can’t. — I stayed pretty mellow this week, but I’m finally not taking iBuprofen to deal with the stitches anymore, so hopefully this week I can start walking more. I checked, and Stella’s car seat fits with the adapter that came with my secondhand BOB, so I have no excuse to not get out!

Activities for this coming week:
*She eats 10-12x/day, so I’m going to drink 8oz every time I sit down to nurse her (half of my insulated water mug that Mom got me for Christmas!)
The guide to how much fluid to drink while nursing is to “drink to thirst”. There is no evidence to show that forcing fluids will increase your milk supply. (Another”old wives tale”.)  Drinking too much water (over 12 glasses a day) can actually decrease your milk supply.
*Eat mindfully. I’m not counting calories or anything, but I don’t need to grab unhealthy food to snack on either!
*Try out the stroller/car seat combo at least once!

3. Try to motivate others to join in on trying to lose weight
*If you’re in TTC hell, being at a healthy weight can up your conception chances (especially for PCOSers who tend to struggle with it!).
*If you’re post-pregnancy, feeling good physically will help with your mental and emotional health while taking care of a newborn.
*If you’re not anywhere near wanting a kid, feeling and looking good will boost your confidence for work, relationships, etc. and make you look hot in your clothes!

Just do it!

4. Post a (reasonably healthy) recipe that I’ve tried, a cooking tip, a new idea for working out for people to try, a photo update of my weight loss, or anything else I feel like sharing.

Here’s a link to an awesome article I found. A reader commented that she was curious how weight loss could affect breastfeeding… seems to not be an issue with my current plan, but I’ll let you know!
http://www.breastfeedingbasics.com/articles/nutrition-exercise-and-weight-loss
Losing weight too quickly (more than one to one and one half pounds per week) isn’t good for you, especially during the early weeks of breastfeeding. Extreme dieting won’t have much effect on your milk supply, but it does depletes your energy levels, and you need as much energy as possible to get through the early weeks of mothering and breastfeeding.

I can’t remember who all is joining in this little weigh-in accountability scheme, but please leave me a note in the comments if you want me to add you to the list below!

Michele @ Nowhere in NM (TTCer)
Holly @ Holly G. and Co. (TTCer)
Gee @ Gee Baby (TTCer)
Nico @ Phred, Fwed, and Schweffel (pregnant)
Kristy @ Relaxing Doesn’t Get You Pregnant (post-partum)
Donor Diva @ Motherhood via Egg Donation (post-partum)
One Day @ Are We There Yet? (post-partum)
Laura @ Legos and Jets (post-partum)