Okay I have quit following South Beach. I do think it’s a good plan – it’s basically eat less carbs? Alright what do I know, I don’t care about carbs or fats or startches or anything like that. I eat well, I only eat one portion, I drink lots of water every day, and I am going to have real butter! I’m just not going to eat the entire stick of real butter.

Friday I felt like hhmm, an orange would taste good – so I had one. Diets all seem to say different things – with LA Weight Loss I read that eating citrus was encouraged by one center because citrus helped you burn fat faster. But with South Beach they say no fruit for the first two weeks so you can stop having cravings.

I’m going to stick with eating good. I did stumble Sunday night and had Doritos and french onion dip (sure it sounds odd but it tastes good – I blame my brother for that just like I blame my friend Julie for introducing me to ranch dressing and pizza). Considering how much I am working out I know I will still lose weight.

I did lose four pounds (yay!) and of course I can’t tell if that is from working out or from South Beach. I don’t have any cravings, but I don’t like being restricted. I know what to eat or not to eat so I think I can do okay on my own. Plus I am working out five days a week and that is doing something.

Of course I will have to stop making banana bread every other week! It is just so good it is hard to stay away from. Yesterday we were gone all afternoon but rather then eating out (which was very tempting) we came home and had soup. My treat was a small slice of the banana bread, but I don’t want to do that every day.

Time for week two check in for Spring Operation Weight off for Moms. I had already decided to only weigh in on Mondays and today was the day!

I have lost four pounds!

I am so happy! I knew I lost weight because my pants fit different – but this time it’s not just they fit different in the waist. This time my pants fit different all over. I also had my daughter take pictures today – from the side and the front – and I’m going to do so every Monday. I didn’t last week but that’s okay with me. But I decided not to share for a month, then I’m going to show a months worth to show the difference.

I did quit following South Beach (more on that later) but after finding I lost weight I think I will go back to a modified version.

Do you have a SparkPeople page? Check out my page here and add me as a friend! I’m not really updating the actual page – there is a spot for a blog and such, but since I’m here I didn’t want to also do that there.

Do you have a favorite message board? I am a member of just a few and I’ve found it’s hard to get involved with others. I am currently looking for a couple to join but haven’t looked too hard.

One of my favorites was the forum at Mom’s Talk Forum – I say was because the owner, Kelly McCausey, shut the forum down a few months ago. It was a nice place to chat with other moms about various topics. It was a nice place to be after a long day with kids or a long day working.

No April Fools – Mom’s Talk Forum is back! I’m very excited to be able to post there again and if you are looking for a Mama Home online, please stop by and say hi.

The Mom’s Talk Network website (http://www.momstalknetwork.com) has been quiet since Kelly McCausey assumed ownership back in October 2007, but no more.  Starting today the website will be brimming over with fresh Guest Blogger appearances and a resurrected Mom’s Talk Forum which I will be helping to breathe new life into as a Moderator.  Come on over and say hello today and be entered for a chance to win gifts, free advertising and even a cash prize.  Every blog comment and forum post made on April first will serve as an entry in today’s relaunch drawing

To see prizes: http://www.momstalknetwork.com/forum/april-fools-day-no-foolin-giveaways-vt1505.html

What great prizes! Do stop by and say hi.

It is the first week of the Operation Spring Weight Off – and here is my story.

I started this because I wanted to lose the weight I had gained since my kids were born. At the time my son was three years old and I figured I couldn’t blame all my weight on baby weight anymore! With my daughter, I think I gained 40 lbs and after having her, I did go up one pants size. I stayed that size, eating okay and not exercising all that much and then my son came along. If I remember right I gained around the same amount of weight, but honestly I don’t remember exactly.

After having him, I went back to my pre-pregnant size. I stayed there for a few years and then we had to move to the south because of Chris’ job. And for some reason, I gained a lot of weight there. Maybe we changed our eating plans, maybe I was depressed, maybe I started snacking more, I’m not sure.

At any rate, I joined LA Weight Loss and lost over 15 lbs in two and a half months. I think I lost 17 lbs? You would think I would remember losing weight! But honestly, I’m not obsessed with a number, I go by how my clothes fit and how I feel overall. I stopped following LA in May once we found out we were pregnant again – but I probably didn’t need to because it was just changing how I was eating, I wasn’t taking supplements or anything. And I had been doing LA since right around getting pregnant anyway!

But I quit – and then I gained 14 pounds over the next months. Looking back I shouldn’t have stopped. I needed to lose weight and like I said, I wasn’t doing anything to harm the baby. I had already gained another size!

And so now I am stable. I have lost ten pounds in the past few months but I wasn’t following a new diet or exercising more/differently. I joined the Y and have been regularly working out for the past couple of weeks. I am also going to start South Beach (if I can ever sit and figure a meal plan!) and continue to work out.

My goal is to lose 15 pounds. I’ll work on more later, but for now it’s losing fifteen. Chris is graduating at the end of May and that is my goal date.

Yesterday I found out I have lost 11lbs! I was both surprised and excited when I saw that. I haven’t been trying to lose weight though I have been watching what I’m eating. I haven’t been getting seconds at any meal and making sure I’m drinking plenty of water. I have been eating better now then I had at my Aunt and Uncle’s house.

So…11 lbs!!! Yay! My jeans are looser and my watch fits farther down my wrist, but I didn’t think anything of it. My goal is to lose 15lbs in the next two months – a high goal but something to strive for.

Photo credit to Wader

I’ve been visiting family since right before Christmas. The kids and I are staying with my Uncle and Aunt before moving on to my Dad’s house in a couple more weeks. My Uncle and Aunt who go out to eat at least three to four times a week. That’s not a big deal – I did some grocery shopping and they still have food at the house. But eating as healthy as I’d like just hasn’t been happening.

Groceries are much more expensive here. And we are in a very rural place which means you are stuck shopping at the places around – meaning two grocery stores in a town 11 miles away. There is a small store here, but not a place you would want to do regular shopping at.

So we have been eating way too much food you make from a box or a can. Sure we have homemade bread once in a while – better then store bought? that’s what I tell myself! – and have managed a salad or two. But fresh fruits and veggies are far between.

And exercise – nonexistant! Sure we have to walk to and from the car but everything is spread out and you can’t walk to the store or to visit a friend or family member. Well I suppose we could but it’s also the wintertime. We had negative fourteen degree weather a few days ago and today are in the midst of an arctic blast of wind so it feels about negative forty.

On the plus side we are leaving in a couple of weeks to go to my Dad’s – where we can once again shop at Costco and join the Y. And I’ll be around more kids which I’m sure will mean more running around then we have here.

I’m not even going to talk about losing five pounds when I was sick for three days – mostly because it’s back now.

I have plans to join the Y – again. But this time I’m going to join when we are staying with my Dad, so not for another month or so and obviously in another state. I’m excited! I really want to lose weight and get in better shape. I think they have a daycare for the kids but if not I figure I’ll ask my sister in law to watch them while I work out.

I’ll have a sister in law to ask.

That is just amazing to me. I am so happy to be able to spend a lot of time with my family before we move on! I can’t wait to see my nephews, it’s been two years since I’ve seen any of them and in that time two more have been born!

After four phone calls this morning I am now waiting for a call back. It seems that LA Weight Loss corporate has changed to Pure Weight Loss – but the franchises were given the option to stay with the LA name or to change. I didn’t do much searching on that though.

So I call the number on the LA website which somehow gets me a corporate center in Virginia. Okay then. She tells me to call the franchise customer service number – which I did and had to leave a message. I found another number on the LA site and called them – after talking to that person she says she can email the customer service rep for the franchises and that person will get back to me.

If I don’t hear back from someone by Wednesday, I’m calling again. I know there is controversy surrounding the company but I didn’t have any. I paid for the services and expect to be either reimbursed or given the product in whole.

I think it is odd that there is NO more centers in my area. Did none of them want to carry on with corporate changing the name? Has the website just not been updated in ages?

I rarely go into the area of town where the LA Weight Loss Center I visit is located. It isn’t a bad area, I just don’t go. So imagine my complete surprise when we went last week and the center’s window had a large sign advertising business space.

That’s right – my LA Center is gone!

I am going to look on the website tomorrow and call around to see what the heck happened. They did have a very high turnover rate during the couple of months I was there, but geez, to close?

I wasn’t planning on calling until I knew where we were moving – okay I just realize what a dumb statement that is, I’ve known for a week! I guess I have a lot going on. Anyway, I bought the supplements and have at least half left. I’m hoping for either all the supplements at once (they like to give a weeks worth at a time) or half of my money back. I’ll keep you updated.

I’ve strayed from my LA food plan – BUT I’ve still lost another two pounds. I admit I weigh  myself every other day or so but I don’t compare weights until they are a week apart. What I’ve been doing lately is eating breakfast and then not eating again until I am actually hungry. Not just to snack or because I’m bored, I’ve just really paid attention to how I feel and following that.

But tomorrow we are going out of town so cross your fingers I don’t overdo it. It is easy to overeat when you travel, I think anyway. We are only gone for the day but we are going to be gone all day so that is three meals – plus snacks – on the road. We haven’t eaten out …. for a while actually so this is going to be a change for us – we all know restaurant food isn’t typically prepared in the most healthy manner! My thing while traveling is snacking in the car – I even bought chex mix just today knowing we would want something!

I’m glad I lost the two pounds though, that makes me feel good because even though I’m not strictly eating only certain foods I can eat what I want (which is still healthy) and lose.