Body After Baby 2014: Weeks 2 and 3

I'm a little behind, I know. These past 2 weeks were crazy busy - but then again, when are they not? This mom of 4 thing is no joke. Four mouths to feed, four kids laundry mounds to conquer, four schedules to coordinate...not to mention baptisms to prepare for, Derby parties to plan, play dates to plan...doesn't leave much time for blogging (or me time, or couple time, or just about anything else...) And while I have the very best intentions to keep up with this blog of mine, I'm often too pooped to do so once the kids are in bed. I usually pour myself a glass of wine and shortly after climb into bed for the night.

Anywho - 3 weeks in to my Body After Baby 2014 journey and I'm happy to say I've lost 2 pounds. In conjunction with my personal weight loss/fitness goals, I have joined a "Biggest Loser" style contest with 3 other gals (Lauren, Angie, Laura...I'm looking at you!) We have a pretty cool spreadsheet that tracks our weekly weight loss. We pay in to the pot -- $25/ea to start, then each week we pay $1 if we stay the same, $1/pound if we gained and $0 if we lost weight. After 12 weeks, the winner takes 70% of the pot, 2nd place will take 20%, 3rd 10% and 4th is, well, out of luck.

So what does this Biggest Loser contest help me accomplish? For starters, I've found that I'm really good at skimping on meals every Sunday (weigh-ins are on Monday mornings). Honestly though, having others to join you on your quest for health and fitness is a big plus. And the money up for grabs doesn't hurt either. I can think of quite a few things I'd spend $100+ on!

A few positive things I'm doing to help me achieve my goal:

- tracking literally every morsel of food that enters my mouth via MyFitness Pal (tarync23 is my screen name if you want to add me as a friend)

- tracking my food makes me more conscious of the calories I'm eating which has helped to eliminate some (not all) of my mindless snacking - I don't want to have to enter "3 M&Ms" into my app so I forego said M&Ms instead

- making a dedicated effort to work out in some way shape or form every single day - this week it has been so pretty out so I've loaded up the double stroller and walked around the neighborhood 2 miles every day

- tracking exercise using both MyFitness Pal (enter in cardio activity to adjust my calorie intake goal for the day) and Run Keeper (which tells me how far I've walked and at what pace)

A few of my weak spots:

- alcohol...I typically indulge in a glass of wine (oh okay, 2) or a skinny margarita (Austin peeps, have you tried Chef Adams organic all-natural mix? If not, get your booty up to Specs and get you some. LOVE. I brought a large supply to KY for both my sister and myself when we moved from Texas as you can't get it anywhere else.) I know these are empty calories. I know it would be an easy thing to eliminate from my diet to help me lose weight quicker. But by the end of the day I usually feel very deserving of a cocktail to unwind. As long as I keep that in mind throughout the day, then I have enough calories allocated to include this guilty pleasure in the evening.

- candy...if it's there, I want it. How bad can a mini box of Nerds or a handful of jelly beans actually be? Well, 60 and 85 unneeded calories respectively. I have to consciously tell myself as my hand floats towards the candy jar...Not. Worth. It.

- snacking...I am notorious for eating a bite of my kids chicken nuggets or finding myself going for "just a few" pita chips to satisfy a salty craving and then realizing I've eaten half the bag. As with my candy problem, I have to remind myself that the hassle of entering the small little snacky portions into my calorie app outweighs the short-lived satisfaction I'll get from my unconscious snacking.

As for pictures this go around? I've had a few people ask me why I'm not including them in my posts like I did in my previous Body After Baby series. The honest answer is...I forget to take them! Plus, our counter is much higher in the bathroom at our new house so I really don't have a great place to get a picture. I did snap a couple in my full-length mirror on the back of my closet door during the first week so I'll share them now but I can't guarantee that I'll include them every week because they don't give a very accurate view (it's a weird angle and a little distorted).