This is our second Weigh-in Wednesday, so here’s the update on our progress this last week. At the end of the post we’d love for you to link up to your own update post about your weight-loss progress. We look forwards to cheering you on!

Food

JOY: I’m still recording my food intake daily. Again, I’m not limiting what I eat, just how much I eat. I took smaller portions, and then only had one serving at each meal. I’ve probably taken in more calories each day than last week, but only by a couple hundred or so. But now that I’m out of chocolate chips, hopefully I’ll be able to keep my calories down better next week. I’m shooting for around 1600 or so day, although this is probably just a ball park since I’m not actually counting every calorie.

KATE: I’m still recording my daily intake also. It is such a help to me. I’ve also begun implementing a little trick I learned somewhere — I’m putting my fork down on my plate after each bite and making sure I chew thoroughly. This way, it takes longer to eat and I feel full quicker, since I’m actually giving the food time to start digesting instead of just shoveling it in my mouth. This mindfulness really works.

Water

JOY: My water intake still isn’t where I want it to be. I think I’ve discovered that I’m not one to sip water throughout the day. I do better at downing a whole glass at one time. Maybe I’ll set a timer this week and take periodic water breaks where I down 8-16 ounces of water at a time. I might have better luck that way than trying to down a whole bottle of water in little sips throughout the day.

KATE: My water intake is doing great! I’m easily getting at least 8 glasses a day by just following my “drink a glass every time I pass the bathroom” routine. I guess it helps that some of my kids still need help in the bathroom quite frequently.

Exercise

JOY: Um, can we still not talk about exercise? My kids have been playing Wii Fit like crazy, but I have yet to get on it. This will change this week!

KATE: I still don’t have  a specific exercise plan in place, but I have been following Amy’s advice and moving more with my kids. I’ve also stopped asking them to pick up stuff for me that I could easily pick up on my own.

Challenges

JOY: Veggie and fruit intake is still a struggle. I’ve been getting about 2 servings a day, but it’s mostly of applesauce and corn, so not necessarily the best variety. I don’t have a lot of fruit/veggie choices at home right now, beyond bananas (which I don’t like very much), and apples, which I really have to be in the mood for. I really need to come up with some way to get veggies and fruit every day. Trouble is, I don’t really like many. Any suggestion?

KATE: I’m struggling a bit with self-control lately. My husband brought home a large bag of Trail Mix from Sam’s Club and I found my hand in the bag way more often then I should have. However, it was definitely not as much as it would have been a few weeks ago. Another challenge I’ve faced is snack foods. I originally bought a few special snacks for myself and now that those are gone, I’m trying to come up with alternatives that I can make myself. I would love some ideas!

Successes

JOY: I took my kids to CiCi’s after a Generation Joshua meeting last weekend. I love pizza, but I didn’t want to overeat. So I was faced with two choices: (1) Pay $5.25 and then eat only two pieces of pizza (yeah, that’d be over $2.50 a piece!), or (2) Eat nothing, and just wait till I got home later to eat lunch. Thankfully, my will power — and penny-pinching nature — prevailed, and I sat at the table for an hour with the other parents and watched everyone else eat pizza. It was quite a victory for me! Even now I can’t believe that I sat there amidst all that delicious pizza and did nothing but drink water.

My second success was on Monday we went out to eat at an Italian restaurant with friends and I only had one small loaf of bread, a house salad, and one small serving of the main dish. But I have to admit that it didn’t take a lot of will-power for this one; the conversation was so good, my mind was hardly on the food at all!

KATE: One night last week, my husband was coming home a little later then usual from work and he didn’t feel like eating what I had made us for dinner. So, he stopped at McDonald’s. I did not ask him to pick up something for me! Usually I would have asked for a small something or other. That was a proud moment for me.

Plans for the next week

JOY: Exercise! I need to get off my tail and move!

KATE: I’m in the same boat as Joy. I’d like to schedule in a set time everyday when I do some ab exercises and a time to dance around or do simple exercises with the kids.

Weigh-in

JOY: My weight this morning was 164.4, down about a pound and a half from last week! This pattern is pretty typical of my previous two successes in weight loss where I lost about 5 or 6 pounds the first week, and then 1 or 2 pounds each week after that. Hopefully if I can add in more water consumption and exercise this next week, I’ll see an even better loss. But either way, I already feel a whole lot better, and that’s the most important thing.

KATE: We still haven’t gotten around to getting that scale yet! However, I’ve noticed my jeans are starting to fit a little more loosely, so I know I’m on the right path. Also, I’ve noticed that the swelling I’ve carried around in my ankles since I was pregnant with Gracie is now completely gone.

---

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!