Dietbet

This week I'm starting a four week challenge on dietbet.com to lose four percent of my body weight.  I'm competing with a group of moms from an online moms group.
I took my starting weight pictures today and after seeing those, I am so ready to lose the weight.

My starting weight is 205.8. To lose 4% I need to shed 8.3 lbs.

Let the fun begin...

Saint Sebastian

For the mom's group at my church we are reading A Book of Saints for Catholic Moms and the saint for this week is Saint Sebastian. He is the patron saint of Athletes and the chapter talks about how being physically fit is an important part of being a mom.
I thought this was particularly relevant considering my last post. One paragraph stood out to me and I really like what it said.
When I glorify God by using the physical body he has given me, I tell him, my family, and myself that I am worth caring for. Just as the Bible states that the famous "Proverbs 31 Woman" was "girt about with strength," I need to be ready,willing, and able for the plans God has for me. (pg 41)
I need to remember that I am not only doing this for me but also for God.

Losing the Baby Weight

It's been two months since I had my sweet little boy and I just have to say, I love not being pregnant. I love being able to go on walks and tie my own shoes. I am so happy that I was able to grow an adorable baby boy inside me, but it is time to lose the baby weight.
When I had Peter he was born a 33 weeks so I missed out on most of the third trimester. This means I didn't put on a ton of extra weight and any weight I did put on seemed to fall off immediately after I had him. This time it's a completely different story.
My current goal is to fit into my fat jeans. That's right, we are completely ignoring the fact that deep under the piles of maternity clothes in the back of the closet there are skinny or even normal jeans, I just want to fit into anything that doesn't have an elastic waist band.
The double stroller has been my friend lately. Having it around is a constant reminder that I need to get out and move. So now in the morning, if there are no doctors appointments or play dates, we load up the stroller and go for a walk. About a half mile away is an elementary school with an awesome playground so we've been heading there a lot. I've even tried to do a little jogging on these trips but my abs always hurt or get really sore the next day so I think my body just hasn't recovered from childbirth yet.
I'm also trying to lose weight by eating healthy. I already have to eat gluten free and thanks to some digestive problems Joseph was having I also had to cut dairy and soy out of my diet. While looking for recipes I came across a lot about the paleo diet. Everything I read made a lot a sense in regards to health and diet so I am now trying the paleo diet.
Basically on this diet I am supposed to just eat lean meats, fruits, vegetables, and nuts. My biggest struggle so far is to get enough meat in, especially during breakfast.
I'm hoping that with the walks and eating well, in addition to taking care of two very small children, I will soon start to lose some of this extra weight that I have been caring around with me.