It Begins....Week One

So we've started our clean eating this week.  Since we want this to be a family affair, and since we want to make lasting changes, we're starting slow.  This week, our efforts are to have Clean dinners and to give up soda, and even then we're not perfect.  Still, I already feel like we're improving, which is good, because I could use whatever encouragement I can find. That's because I did what many other women do at the start of eating healthier- measure their starting point. Most people do that by weighing themselves- this time around, I'm doing as many starting points as I can. While that means I get to prolong the embarrassment on my first day, but it also means that if I don't see improvement in one area, I might find it in another.  And, to add to my embarrassment, I'm making it public. O_O

If you don't want to see some scary numbers and pictures, then stop reading now!!!

Don't say you weren't warned.  Anyway, let's start with the most obvious: my weight.  My husband and I have a nifty little scale that measures weight, body fat % and water %.  I've heard that scales that measure body fat % are notoriously inaccurate, but mine seems to work well enough. As of Sunday August 3rd, I weigh 169.6 pounds and have 40% body fat.  This is quite possibly my worst set of numbers when I haven't been able to blame pregnancy.  I'm trying not to be discouraged though- just trying to see it as more room for improvement.  Moving on, I also did another common starting point: measurements.  Measuring certain points of your body is often a more preferable alternative to measuring weight, since building muscle may cause your weight to stay the same or even increase while you're body is losing fat and mass.  So here come another set of scary numbers! (Note: in case you're planning on doing this yourself, it's best to do in the buff and either in front of a mirror or with someone to help make sure the measuring tape is even.  I find that measuring tape for sewing or quilting works great and molds wonderfully to the bod. Also, I only bothered with measuring my right thigh, calf, and upper arm- I didn't want to have to do two of each.)

Bust: 41"
Waist: 35"
Hips: 42"
Booty: 43 1/2"
Thigh: 27"
Upper Arm: 14"
Calf: 15 1/2"

Next starting point (also common) is pictures.  Who hasn't seen the before and after pictures of various weight loss infomercials?  If you're like me, then you've often wished that you could have your own set.  With enough determination, this will be the start of mine.  Now, I've taken two set of before pictures.  One set is personal, which shows a lot of skin! I will not be subjecting viewers to these. The set of before pictures that I'll be showing combines a more specific starting point, which is to take pictures in a common outfit and see how it changes with the weight loss.  I chose a pair of yoga pants that I adore and a comfy black shirt.  To quote pinterest: "I wear all black when I work out; it's like a funeral for my fat."

Kinda scary! Moving on....the last starting point, which is sadly underrated- how I feel.  After all, weight loss shouldn't be centered on looking thin and attractive (though there's nothing wrong with those being a contributing factor, in my opinion).  It should be about FEELING healthy and FEELING attractive.  As of right now, I don't feel as attractive as I'd like, but I'm sure that this is common for many women.  More importantly, I'd like to focus on feeling healthier, which for me is having more energy, not needing as much sleep, having enough endurance to run races and having enough strength to start new sports.  Other health benefits would be nice, like healthier hair and nails, clearer skin, whiter teeth, etc.  While a girl needs to be realistic, a girl can dream too, and I'll be keeping a lookout for whatever health improvements may be on my way.

So here is where I'm starting out.  I hope that this is the beginning of lasting change and improvement.  I won't be putting measurements for any other family members on here- there's no need for the kids to do that and I won't force my adorable hubs to do that- but I'll make sure to report any positive changes for them on here.  And pictures too- not of starting points but of a family being healthy and happy.

Finally, a report of the week so far: Monday went fairly well, though I ate donuts for breakfast (you can't possibly start a diet until you get rid of the junk food, right?).  Tuesday was a rough day, and I got depressed about that- after all, I wasn't making that many changes and it was only the second day.  My mood improved by the evening and I was able to feel encouraged again.  Wednesday and today have been great- while I cheated on the no-soda rule on Tuesday and today, we've had healthy dinners each night and most of them have been successes, at least with the adults.  I'll post the recipes on the next update. 

We're over halfway done on our first week! From here on out, I will try to post weekly, with reviews on how things have gone- what worked, what didn't- as well as the recipes we tried- again, with what worked and what didn't. I will also mention if there are any improvements to report: I intend on weighing myself every two weeks and I'll post pics with every five-pound or ten-pound weight loss (haven't decided which yet).

I know this was a long post, but seeing as I won't be reporting these numbers and pictures with every post, it shouldn't be as long every time.  If you have any comments or advice to give, I'd love to hear it. Until Sunday, folks!