Third Time's The Charm

[Gaming_Jeweler]

This is my 3rd pregnancy fitness challenge. I'm overweight and want to have a healthy pregnancy. Over the next 4 weeks, I will be tested for gestational diabetes. I don't know if I have it or not. I've been trying to make sure I eat healthy foods and don't eat much sugary, sweet desserts. Although there have been weeks where I have eaten 3 desserts. Until my "sugar test," I am going to eat healthy with little to no sweets. If I pass, I'll continue eating the same way I've eaten for the majority of my pregnancy. If I fail, I'll be put on a stricter diet and have to monitor my blood sugar.

 

All of my goals are being carried over from my last challenge. I didn't quite meet my goals last time. Part of this was because I was sick and life span crazily out of control, but the main reason I didn't meet my goals was that I didn't prioritize things correctly. This time around, I'm going to work on being more focused on getting things done.

 

Goals:

 

1. Eating for Two: Since I am no longer eating for just one person, I need to make smart, healthy decisions about what I put into my body. I have to get a good balance of vegetables, fruit, dairy, and protein so that the baby develops properly. I also need to watch my sugar intake due to my family's history with gestational diabetes. At the end of each day, I am expected to have eaten: 1-2 servings of fruit, 2-3 cups of veggies, 3 servings of dairy, and 3 servings of protein. 

 

2. Exercising for Two: I need to workout a minimum 30 minutes of 3x a week. My current goal is to get used to exercising 3x a week for a few minutes and then work my way up from there. By the end of this month, I expect to be able to do 3 15-minute workouts a week. I will be alternating between yoga and walking for my workouts.

 

3. Rediscover My Love of Cooking: I used to love cooking. Overtime, I began to feel overwhelmed and grew to hate cooking. I actually stopped cooking for a long time. When I started eating Paleo, I started cooking for myself and enjoyed it. But I hate cooking for anyone else. I recently read an interesting article where families cooked meals together and it sounded really fun. It's hard to feel overwhelmed when you're sharing the responsibility. So my current goal is to cook 4 meals with my husband.

 

4. Have Fun: Sometimes I get so focused on what I need to do that I stress myself out. I need to take at least one day a week to sit back and have fun for a few hours. I can do this by reading, playing games, or watching tv for 1-2 hours.

 

5. No Phones After Midnight: I have trouble sleeping. There are several factors I can't control (heartburn, baby moving) but there are some that I can. I have decided that I am not allowed to use my phone after 11:30pm. I can put it on the charger but I can't touch it until the next morning. 

 

6. Slay the Dragon of Social Anxiety: Leave the house once a week without my husband. Bonus: Engage people I don't know in conversation 4 times.

 

7. Get a New Ride: This one is probably going to be a long process. I need to replace my dying Ford Expedition. I have to research vehicles until I find one that is safe, roomy, and doesn't have a lot of severe problems (example: transmission, battery, or motor fails and must be replaced frequently). If it "looks ugly" but runs fine, I'll be happy. Current goal is to test drive 3 cars & debate which one works best for my family.

 

 

 

[Gaming_Jeweler]

So yesterday, my husband and I went to a dealership to look at and test drive some cars we were interested in. We drove home last night in one of them. We traded our Ford Expedition in for a Toyota Rav4. John checked the ratings and complaints on it and didn't  find anything major wrong with it. We drove a used model with 80,000 miles on it and were very impressed. We then tested the newest model (which was a few grand more) and loved it. We signed the papers and drove home with the new one. So I completed Get a New Ride before I even started.

 

I have a doctor's appointment this afternoon- I get to see my chiropractor today- and then I get to rest my back. My back hasn't been much of a problem during my pregnancy and I enjoy keeping it maintained. I might squeeze in a workout of some sort before I go in today. That way I don't lose any momentum at the beginning of this challenge.

[acfourni]

Hey! These goals look great!

I'm getting married in October, and we're going to be trying for a baby shortly afterward. I'm so interested to hear how your fitness goals go through your pregnancy!

Your no phones after midnight rule is fantastic! I might save that for my next challenge. I often look up from the screen and realize that it's almost 1:30 in the morning. Such a terrible habit to get into.

Best of luck! (following)
 

[Gaming_Jeweler]

Hey! These goals look great!

I'm getting married in October, and we're going to be trying for a baby shortly afterward. I'm so interested to hear how your fitness goals go through your pregnancy!

Your no phones after midnight rule is fantastic! I might save that for my next challenge. I often look up from the screen and realize that it's almost 1:30 in the morning. Such a terrible habit to get into.

Best of luck! (following)

Thank you. Congrats and good luck. Sometimes it takes a bit to get that positive hpt.

I think that staying off my phone after 11:30 is one of the hardest things to do. It's a terrible habit that I can't wait to break.

[sterre]

Good job taking care of one of your goals before the challenge even starts! I hope the sugar test turns out favourably.

[Gaming_Jeweler]

Good job taking care of one of your goals before the challenge even starts! I hope the sugar test turns out favourably.

 

Thank you.   My sugar test is in two weeks and I haven't shown any signs of gestational diabetes. I have my fingers crossed that my blood sugar levels will come back normal.

[Gaming_Jeweler]

My husband and I went to get a 4D ultrasound yesterday. It was really cool to get to see our little girl sucking her thumb (which was the only thing she really wanted to do). The ultrasound tech got mad at her and tried to make her move so that we "could get a picture of her looking at the camera." She shook my belly and Emmeryn retaliated by punching & kicking the machine with all four limbs at the same time. Eventually, my daughter turned her back and curled up into a little ball. We got her to uncurl and got a photo of her smiling when my husband started talking to her. 

 

I should be able to exercise for a bit today. I'm not sure if I'll go for a walk or just hop on my wobble board and have some fun. But my back feels awesome (something I couldn't say on Monday) and my adjustment should last the entire month. So now it's time to get some workouts in! 

 

Week 1 Days 1-3

 

1. Eating for Two: The past several days I haven't eaten enough veggies. However, my husband did get some salad-making veggies after my chiropractic appointment.

 

2. Exercising for Two: I managed to do a little bit of yoga before I went to see my chiropractor. I did 5 reps of cat/cow. 1/3 completed

 

3. Rediscover My Love of Cooking: 0/4 completed

 

4. Have Fun: While I had to rest my back earlier this week, I sat down and did a lot of reading. I'm not sure how long, but I read through 3 different books. 1/4 completed

 

5. No Phones After Midnight: Did I use my phone after 11:30? Yes. I did 2 out of 3 nights.

 

6. Slay the Dragon of Social Anxiety: 0/4 completed

[Gaming_Jeweler]

I just logged my breakfast... holy cow I ate a lot of calories. A normal breakfast for me is 80-150 calories. This morning, I ate 1000 calories. Granted, I ate a large breakfast and I get some wiggle room for calories (I only track my calories so that I can remember what I've eaten) but dang. I'm guessing I'll eat a smaller lunch today. I'm not going to try to starve myself or anything but I usually eat one really small meal a day followed by two larger meals.

[Gaming_Jeweler]

Last week was pretty busy. In one week, I traded cars, my husband got his learner's permit, and I started teaching him to drive. I managed to get a few things done but I fell short of a lot of my goals. I started a checklist this week so that I won't fall so behind this week.

As far as week 2 goes, things are off to a great start. I was feeling out of it today and needed some fresh air. I took a walk with my husband and walked .71 miles. I felt better but I've been tired most of the day. I fixed a massive salad as a side dish for supper - one head of letice, 1/2 large cucumber, one onion, cheese, and bacon bits- and my husband and I ate the whole thing. I figured if I made a large bowl of salad, we'd have enough for the week. Oh well, at least the veggies I had in the fridge won't spoil.

[Eirlys]

 

My husband and I went to get a 4D ultrasound yesterday. It was really cool to get to see our little girl sucking her thumb (which was the only thing she really wanted to do). The ultrasound tech got mad at her and tried to make her move so that we "could get a picture of her looking at the camera." She shook my belly and Emmeryn retaliated by punching & kicking the machine with all four limbs at the same time. Eventually, my daughter turned her back and curled up into a little ball. We got her to uncurl and got a photo of her smiling when my husband started talking to her. 

 

 

Aw, that sounds very cute.  Is Emmeryn your baby's name?  I love it It's similar to my baby boy's middle name, Emlyn.

 

My baby tended to object to the heartbeat monitor whenever it was put on my tummy; one time they were trying to monitor him due to a lack of movements and he instantly turned around so his back was to the camera.  Later on though I saw him having a drink which was funny and cute

[Gaming_Jeweler]

Aw, that sounds very cute.  Is Emmeryn your baby's name?  I love it It's similar to my baby boy's middle name, Emlyn.

 

My baby tended to object to the heartbeat monitor whenever it was put on my tummy; one time they were trying to monitor him due to a lack of movements and he instantly turned around so his back was to the camera.  Later on though I saw him having a drink which was funny and cute

 

Yes. I'm not worried about posting her name since my husband and I got it from a video game we both enjoyed. We loved the character and thought her name would be perfect for our little girl. Wow, that is close to your little boys name.

 

Lol. Emmeryn usually pushes or kicks the heartbeat monitor when they check her. Several of her cousins put their hands on their faces whenever the tech tried to get a photo of them. The eldest one laughed after the photo was taken. I have to say, I love all the little things that babies do in utero that shows us their little personalities.

[Gaming_Jeweler]

Week 1 Recap:

 

1. Eating for Two: Eating was ok last week. I didn't eat much dairy (my lactose intolerance has been acting up, thus making it difficult to eat dairy 3x a day) and I ate out way more than I should. C

 

2. Exercising for Two: 2/3 completed B

 

3. Rediscover My Love of Cooking: 0/4 completed F

 

4. Have Fun: I'm going between making Emmy's blanket and playing Fire Emblem Fates. I spent several hours working on both. 1/4 completed A

 

5. No Phones After Midnight: Did I use my phone after 11:30? Yes. 4/7 nights. C

 

6. Slay the Dragon of Social Anxiety: I went to Goodwill at the end of the week, bought a new crib/toddler bed mattress, and talked to the guy behind me in line. He started the conversation and asked me if I needed help carrying the mattress to my car. Since I was squishing my baby (my bump is just big enough that I couldn't carry the mattress without pressing it into her) and having a hard time maneuvering in the store with the mattress I said yes. 1/4 completed

 

Overall, I feel like Week 1 was a B to a C-. It wasn't bad, but I feel like I can do better this week.

[Gaming_Jeweler]

Week 2, Day 1

 

1. Eating for Two: Eating was a bit all over the place yesterday. I ate a lot of waffles and we ate out. I've started eating my waffles plain since it's better for me (I use a  lot of butter and syrup if I don't). However, I got my protein, fresh veggies, and fruit in. I only got one serving of dairy in but since my lactose intolerance has decided to be a pain in the butt again, I'm going to say that I did ok.

 

2. Exercising for Two: I was feeling tired, out of breath, and desperately in need of fresh air yesterday. My asthma is finally catching up with me and makes it difficult to do a lot at once. So I asked my husband if we could go for a "quick" walk. Well, I managed to walk .71 miles. I felt really tired but I wasn't out of breath anymore. Pregnancy is weird. 1/3 completed 

 

3. Rediscover My Love of Cooking: Last night, supper was 2 man job. I made salad and my husband made a boxed dinner with rice. We ate a ton of salad, which was good since the boxed dinner wasn't that great (I say that from a nutrition point, my husband would say the same thing from a tasty point). 1/4 completed

 

4. Have Fun: 1/4 completed 

 

5. No Phones After Midnight: Did I use my phone after 11:30? No. Used 0/7 nights

 

6. Slay the Dragon of Social Anxiety: 1/4 completed

[Gaming_Jeweler]

So I made breakfast for my husband and I this morning. It was fried eggs and steak tips. I seasoned both with salt, pepper, and garlic. I cooked it all in the cast iron skillet and everything was perfectly cooked. I swear buying a large cast iron skillet has been one of the best investments ever. We bought ours on Amazon for the same price I bought a small cast iron skillet in store (so buy online if you plan on getting one).

 

 

I also decided to take some photos of myself and compare them with a photo I took during my first challenge. When I started at NF, I was 185-187 lbs. My last known weight (I'm gaining baby weight by the week) was 164 lbs. I try to make healthy eating decisions, although I will admit I frequently fail because I got hungry faster than I could cook something and I chose to eat out instead. But I feel better when I make salad or have some cucumbers to snack on vs when I get fries and burger out. I'm healthier now than I ever have been and I'm happier with my body because of that.

 

Me during my 1st NF challenge:

 

Me at 24 weeks pregnant:

 

 

[Gaming_Jeweler]

I'm really proud of myself. I bought some new pj pants . I buy regular low rise pj pants and they fit perfectly, even with my baby bump. My old pants were too big, so I went to the store and bought a pair of medium 8/10 pants. I haven't been able to wear pants that size since 2012. I feel awesome just walking around the house. I also can't wait to see what fits me after Emmeryn is born.

[Gaming_Jeweler]

I'm feeling tired and will probably  go to bed soon, so I decided to post an update before I forgot. Things have been a bit crazy. My husband's looking at going back to college and finishing his ministry degree. We drove to a Bible college that was an hour away and my husband got to drive through road work- as in one-lane traffic- for the first time. He did really well. He's still looking at options and has started working on getting his transcripts.

 

I also had an unexpected conversation from my kid sister. We were talking on the phone and she asked me what the difference between heterosexual, transsexual, and bisexual was. I tried to explain it to her but she kept mixing them up. I get the feeling I'm going to have to explain the difference to her in person. I have no problem talking to her about it but I'm worried that I might have confused her- during one point of our conversation she thought that being heterosexual was the same as being bisexual- and I've been thinking for hours how I can explain it to her better. I knew I would have this conversation with my daughter one day, but I didn't plan on having it with my 13-year-old sister. I'm still kinda baffled that she asked me about it but that tells me that she trusts me enough to ask.

 

Week 2, Day 1

 

1. Eating for Two: Eating was kinda eh all day yesterday. I ate a big breakfast, had a medium lunch out, and snacked on so much hummus that I didn't have room for supper. Oops.

 

2. Exercising for Two: 1/3 completed 

 

3. Rediscover My Love of Cooking: We didn't cook together, but I did cook breakfast for the two of us. I had fun cooking even though I had to handle raw meat- I hate touching raw meat, the texture is weird. I had forgotten how good steak and eggs are. 2/4 completed

 

4. Have Fun: 1/4 completed 

 

5. No Phones After Midnight: Did I use my phone after 11:30? Yes. Used 1/7 nights

 

6. Slay the Dragon of Social Anxiety: 1/4 completed

[Gaming_Jeweler]

Well, today sucked. I found out one of my good friends is probably getting divorced because her husband decided he wants nothing to do with her or their son. He wants to live his life the way he wants. He's breaking her heart and doesn't even care. After she told me and my husband, I went into shock. After a few minutes (although it felt like hours in my head) I offered her a cup of tea. It wasn't much but it was something she did for me when I felt like crap during the early weeks of my pregnancy. I had peach tea and she had vanilla chi. She explained everything going on while her little boy happily played with some of Emmy's toys, my plushies, and a few of our Amiibos. It makes me sad and feel crappy that there wasn't much more I could do at the time other than offer her tea. I know there isn't much I can do and I can't fix her marriage. But all the same I find myself going "Did I do enough? Did I show her that I support her? Does she know that I care about what happens to her and her son? Am I a good friend?" 

 

The whole thing was still bothering me while we were grocery shopping. I realized I needed snack foods for those times when I get really hungry without warning (aka, the trigger for the times we usually go out to eat) and I had a strong desire to stress eat. So I decided to play it smart. I got a box of wheat thins and hummus. Sure, I could have gotten veggies or something better for me than wheat thins, but I was in the cookie & cracker aisle when I decided to get hummus. I got garlic hummus and ate almost all the garlic out of it in one sitting. I have plenty of hummus and crackers left and I didn't feel guilty about what I ate. I have a tendency to sit down and eat a whole bag of candy or chips when I get stressed only to regret it later. 

 

So basically, today sucked and I gave in to my desire to stress eat. But because I chose to binge on healthy foods, I only ate a couple of servings before getting full. Oh, I also walked 0.88 miles while I was trying to process everything. Today might have sucked but it wasn't a total loss.

[Gaming_Jeweler]

Week 2, Day 2

 

1. Eating for Two: I am not happy with how I ate yesterday. I ate out for 2 different meals and neither one was nutritious. Ugh, when am I going to get this eating better thing down? 

 

2. Exercising for Two: 1/3 completed 

 

3. Rediscover My Love of Cooking: 2/4 completed

 

4. Have Fun: I played several hours of Fire Emblem only to realized I screwed up recruiting a character. I reloaded my save file and lost pretty much all of my progress. But I'm happy knowing I can get that character and I've almost gotten back to where I was before. Sometimes Fire Emblem is as frustrating as it is fun. 3/4 completed 

 

5. No Phones After Midnight: Did I use my phone after 11:30? No. Used 1/7 nights

 

6. Slay the Dragon of Social Anxiety: 1/4 completed

[Gaming_Jeweler]

Well, I was so stressed that I couldn't fall asleep until 5:00. After I realized that I wasn't falling asleep anytime soon, I decided to window shop for some new yoga gear that I can use now. My Amazon yoga wish list now has several new items added to it that will be useful to me in the near future. My birthday's next month, so maybe I'll ask for some new gear for gifts. I'm feeling better emotionally today but my legs are sore and feel like jelly. That's what I get for walking about a mile while frustrated. I had planned on doing yoga today but I think that will have to wait until tomorrow.

 

Week 2, Day 2

 

1. Eating for Two: Eating was better yesterday. I'm not completely happy with everything I ate but I didn't binge on junk food, so I'll count that as a win.

 

2. Exercising for Two: One upside to being upset is that I have a ton of extra energy. I walked 0.88 miles yesterday. I can barely move today, but I did get a good walk in. 2/3 completed 

 

3. Rediscover My Love of Cooking: 2/4 completed

 

4. Have Fun:  3/4 completed 

 

5. No Phones After Midnight: Did I use my phone after 11:30? Yes. Used 2/7 nights

 

6. Slay the Dragon of Social Anxiety: Yesterday, John and I were out shopping for a birthday gift for my friend's toddler. After we picked out  a toy for him, we got into one of the checkouts. I noticed the cashier's hair was really pretty. I complemented her hair and asked her where she got it dyed. I haven't had a good colorist (they either don't know what their doing or are snobs) in years and really want to get highlights after Emmy is born. 2/4 completed

[Gaming_Jeweler]

I decided to measure myself today. I would compare this month with last month but I forgot to measure myself last month. So the measurements are from this month and January. Most of my measurements were smaller except for my belly and a few areas that have been effected by the hormone relaxin which causes certain muscles to relax and get bigger during pregnancy. My stomach is now the same size that it was when I started NF last June. All measurements are in inches and were taken at night.

 

January 9:

 

Bust - 38

Hips - 42 1/2

Chest - 33

Arms - 13 1/4

Legs (Thighs) - 23

Belly 40

 

March 11:

 

Bust - 39

Hips - 43 1/2

Chest - 34

Arms - 12

Legs (Thighs) - 22

Belly 41 1/4

[Gaming_Jeweler]

My husband decided to surprise me this morning. I've apparently been talking about how much I love the Fitbit app  a lot. He decided to download the app to see what the big deal with it is and why I like it so much. He was surprised with all the features that come on the app and realized how much better it would work with a Fitbit. Then he found the step & workout challenges. He said he thinks we could both benefit from this (years ago, we used to try to out walk each other using Nike+) and asked me which Fitbit I wanted. I was really surprised but we both have a Fitbit that we want. And after using the app for a few hours, he's started working on finding ways to consume less calories and burn more calories. He's looking at dropping back down to 300 lbs within the next year or two.

 

Week 2, Day 2

 

1. Eating for Two: I feel awesome about how I ate yesterday! I didn't eat out all, although I did buy some fresh from the deli chicken wings when we went out grocery shopping. Since we had company over yesterday, we had dessert as well. Even with the sweets, I didn't go too much over my usual 2500 calories. 

 

2. Exercising for Two: 2/3 completed 

 

3. Rediscover My Love of Cooking: We made taco salad last night! We had friends over, one of whom hates salad and got several bowls. The meat is gone and there is almost no salad left. 3/4 completed

 

4. Have Fun:  3/4 completed 

 

5. No Phones After Midnight: Did I use my phone after 11:30? Yes. I spaced out and realized it was after midnight. Used 3/7 nights

 

6. Slay the Dragon of Social Anxiety: While I was at the store, I noticed a lady had a really cool wolf tattoo. I was looking at the different tattoos on her arms thinking how pretty they looked. I realized I probably looked like I was glaring at her or something, so I told her I really liked her wolf tattoo when she noticed me staring. She thanked me and showed me another wolf tattoo she had on her leg. She told me she really likes wolves and I told her that her tattoos reminded me of my friend's fox tattoo (which is funny because my friend likes foxes so much that her nickname is Fox). 3/4 completed

[Gaming_Jeweler]

I was looking through some old photos of myself and stumbled upon this photo of me from early 2008. I was 17, weighed 130-135 lbs, and was pretty happy with life. Now I'm 25, weigh around 164 lbs (I don't own a scale and I get weighed at my monthly prenatal appointments), and am finding joy in my life, even with all the crap I've been going through. I've been able to wear and buy clothes that are the same size I wore at 17. I'm 30 lbs heavier than I was back then but I feel comfortable in my body and I'm starting to look like the girl I used to be.

 

[Gaming_Jeweler]

I'm feeling pretty awesome today. I walked 0.87 miles. At this rate, I'll be used to walking a mile by the time the baby's born. Which is good. I plan on doing a 2-mile charity walk this October (with stroller in tow). If I can get in the habit of walking a mile now, adding an extra mile after Emmeryn is born will be much easier.

[Gaming_Jeweler]

Yesterday, I went into Goodwill hoping to find a baby dresser for Emmeryn. No such luck, but the guy who helped me get the baby mattress in my car last week was there and we wound up chatting. He asked me if I was due soon and I laughed when I old him I still have a ways to go. I just look kinda big right now. After window shopping at Goodwill, I walked across the parking lot to McDonalds and got myself a McFlurry. I haven't had one in years and making myself walk to McDonalds and back made it feel like a huge treat. The lady that took my order at McDonalds wound up chit chatting to me while I placed my order. I asked her how much a McFlurry is and what do the sizes look like. And somehow, we wound up talking about the weather, how daylight savings messes up our sleeping habits, and a few other things. Overall, yesterday was a good day.

 

Week 1 Recap:

 

1. Eating for Two: I've pretty much given up on eating dairy thanks to my lactose intolerance. I'm going to have to call the nurse at the midwives and ask her if I can take a calcium pill instead. Eating has been better this week. I still ate out more than I would have liked. Buying healthy snacks has helped. I'm probably going to try to keep some hummus around this month (it takes me 4 weeks of constantly eating something to get sick of it). C

 

2. Exercising for Two: 4/3 completed A+

 

3. Rediscover My Love of Cooking: 3/4 completed A+

 

4. Have Fun: 3/4 completed A

 

5. No Phones After Midnight: Did I use my phone after 11:30? Yes. 4/7 nights. C

 

6. Slay the Dragon of Social Anxiety: Well, it looks like I don't have to worry about failing this goal. 4/4 completed

 

Overall, I feel like Week 2 was a B.

[Gaming_Jeweler]

Today is so bright and sunny that I thought I'd share the music video to a song that I've been enjoying listening to lately. The video was taken in one shot and pretty cool to watch.