Two of everyone’s favorite 3 Moms are on a mission to lose 20 pounds. (Why only two of the three? Because our dear Toni should be gaining 20 pounds and not losing them!) We all know that weight loss is easier achieved when we have a support system in place. A support system motivates, encourages and keeps us accountable.

That is why Joy and Kate decided to take on this mission together. And now we’d like for you to join us. We’ll meet here every week to give a brief rundown of our week using the formula below. Let’s do this together ladies!

If you want to know more about Joy and Kate’s plans, you can read them here and here.

Food

JOY: Since January 1st I’ve been keeping a food diary of everything I eat. Not necessarily the amounts, just what I eat. This has really helped me control the amount I eat, which until 2009 was pretty out of control. For my food diary I’m using a little daily planner that I got for Christmas; it has the perfect-sized spaces for me to record my food, morning weight, and my water intake.

I haven’t changed what I eat very much, but I’ve changed how much and how often I eat. I’ve been following the basic rule: Only eat when you’re hungry (What an earth-shattering idea, huh?). This has worked really well for me, and it’s actually turned out that I’ve been eating only three times a day because I’m not hungry more often than that. It’s really highlighted that fact that previously I’ve been snacking out of habit, not out of hunger.

One thing I haven’t denied myself entirely is one of my favorite desserts: semi-sweet chocolate chips! The only thing I’m doing different than before is to limit the amount I eat, something I’ve not really done before. I realize that it’s important I don’t deny myself too much when it comes to food or I’ll become discouraged. I figure the amount I eat is often more important than what I eat. My motto is definitely “Everything in moderation.”

KATE: I have been keeping track of my food since only Sunday, but I can already tell that the process has made a difference in my eating habits. Just knowing that I’ll have to write down something if I eat it, and that then I’ll have to see it there on paper at the end of the day, has been a great motivator.

I am keeping track of the amount of food I eat, but I’m not weighing or measuring anything. I’m using my best guess and some interesting units of measurement. For example, for my snack today I had a teacup of cereal with a dribble of milk. Honestly, that’s what I wrote I down. I’m doing this for myself though, and I don’t have to show the book to anyone, so I figure as long as I know what I’m talking about, that’s all that matters.

One of my biggest trouble areas is night time snacking after the kids go to bed and before my husband gets home. I’ve countered this by just accepting the fact that I will snack and making a production out of it. Instead of just grabbing a handful of something every time I walk into the kitchen, I now pull out a plate a fill it with my healthy snack of the night. I make sure I get a protein in there, and I round it out with something sweet, like 1 hershey kiss.

Water

JOY: My water intake is getting a little bit better each day. I’m a big milk drinker…well, I guess I can say I was a big milk drinker since I’ve really cut down on my milk consumption to only one or two cups a day (believe it or not, I’ve been known to drink up to a gallon a day!). This reduction in milk consumption has definitely helped keep my calorie intake down.

Replacing the milk with water, however, has been a little tough for me. Today was a good day, though, since I broke out my old 74 ounce water bottle and filled it up at the beginning of the day. This really motivated to drink it all, and I’m proud to say that I was able to consume all 74 ounces — a first for me! Hopefully I’ll be able to down the whole bottle tomorrow, too.

KATE: I’ve always been pretty good about drinking water. Most days it and coffee (which does count as some of my water requirement) are the only things I drink. But, my usual drinks were a sip here and there when I walk past the bathroom. Now, I am filling up the cup and drinking the whole thing each time I walk by.

Exercise

JOY: Um, can we not talk about exercise? The only exercise I’ve done since January 1st (with the exception of Saturday day when I did a lot of house cleaning) was working out for about 15 minutes on our new Wii Fit today. I do plan to incorporate a daily Wii Fit exercise with my kids. Like dieting, I exercise better with support. Thankfully, my kids are wild about the Wii Fit and they’re looking forward to working out with me.

KATE: I’m with Joy on this one for sure! The extent of my working out thus far has been remembering to suck my stomach in many, many times throughout the day and hold it for as long as I can. That’s it. Pretty pitiful, I know. But I can say this - I’m starting to feel the desire to exercise. That has always been a huge benefit of eating really healthy for - it makes me want to workout. Now I just need to find a good space in our house where I actually can exercise and a good time to do it.

Challenges

JOY: I had a little issue with cravings yesterday, the first time all week. I had the “munchies” all day long — which I satisfied (somewhat at least) in the late afternoon with low-calorie, high-fiber popcorn! I realized late in the day the I didn’t start the day with my usual oatmeal, instead grabbing a quick bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios. So this morning I made sure I had oatmeal, and I didn’t have to deal with day-long cravings. I don’t know if my choice of breakfast really had an impact on my cravings, but I think I’ll stick with oatmeal for breakfast from now on.

KATE: My discipline is staying strong, but it has definitely wavered a few times over the past few days. My usual eating style up until dinnertime and then again after dinner is to grab stuff here and there. It’s been tough to give up. I keep telling myself that a handful of crackers will not really satisfy me and I should just wait for whatever meal is next.

Baking has been another challenge for me. I love to bake, and my family loves for me to bake. I’m not willing to deprive them of their favorite snacks and treats just because I might be tempted to eat more then I should. But I’ve solved this little dilemma by buying myself a few healthy, lower calorie, fiber rich snack options, such as Newman’s Own Hermits and Sesame brown rice crackers. That has really helped.

Successes

JOY: Regardless of how much weight I’ve lost, I already feel better in my own skin. I don’t feel overstuffed all day long, and my clothes are even starting to fit a tad better! And of course that positive feedback motivates me to keep on going!

KATE: My biggest success so far is pretty simple. I’ve had the same container of hummus in the fridge since Sunday and it is still have full. Ordinarily, I could have finished the whole thing in one sitting. Instead, I have been doling out 2 tablespoons a day to eat at lunch time with a warm pita.

My other big success is that I am eating breakfast every morning and I’m really enjoying it.

Plans for the next week

JOY: I hope to add some more fresh fruits and vegetables to my diet (something I generally lack), as well as start to exercise daily, even if it’s only for 15 minutes. I’m also going to begin taking daily multi-vitamins, which I haven’t been doing for a while.

KATE: I’m going to have more fruits and veggies as snacks instead of with just meals. I think if I had a piece of fruit mid-morning instead of waiting until lunch I’d be able to get through much better. I also have a few new recipes I plan on making over the course of the week.

Weigh-in

JOY: I weighed myself the morning of January 1st and my scale read 170 for the second day in a row. When I weighed again the morning of the 6th, the scale registered at 165.8. That’s not necessarily a true 4+ pound fat loss since this is my first week, but it is definitely encouraging!

KATE: Confession time. We do not own a scale! I haven’t known what my weight is since my 6 week check-up after Gracie was born. We are planning to buy one in the next few days. But until that time, I know all I really need to know. I’m feeling better, I’m proud of how I’ve been eating, and I have more energy.

Are you trying to lose weight, change some dietary habits, or just eat healthier? We’d love to have you weigh-in with the details of your week. Join us every Wednesday and link up via Mr. Linky so that we can all come cheer you on!

Standard Mr. Linky boilerplate - Link directly to your blog post, not your main page. Also, link back to Happy To Be At Home so that others can join us on this journey.

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