I’m using a weight loss report card to reflect on my healthy habits in nutrition, exercise, and balance with a goal of weight loss.
It’s time for another edition of the Weight Loss Report Card! Last time I gave myself a B+ overall – good effort but too many slips…or whatever you want to call them. I feel like it’s hard to talk about weight loss in the blog world without accusations that you’re being too hard on yourself, but I’m in this stage now where I am totally happy with my body but I want to lose 5ish more pounds to get me where I maintained for years. The “Vanity Pounds” if you will. I also have a post drafted in my head called “Then and Now” to discuss how my body, life and weight are different now then they were when I first started the blog 6.5 years ago. I’m not the same girl woman I used to be. But we’ll save that for another day!!
Since having Mazen I have yet to “get serious” about weight loss. I haven’t had to resort to counting calories or cutting out all sugar or wine. I have always kept these methods in my back pocket but haven’t needed to use them. Although I do think my body has changed for the better over the last 6 months, I haven’t lost a pound on the scale. My clothes do fit better though, so there could be a number of explanations. I had also hoped after weaning I’d lose a magic 5 pounds, but alas that did not happen. (Although I ate a lot in the holiday season and didn’t gain any weight, so maybe I just compensated for it!?)
I’ve debated getting really serious about weight loss – meaning cutting out all of the treats and/or keeping a food journal or counting calories, but I haven’t gotten to the point yet where I feel that is necessary. I’m kind of holding out to prove to myself that I can get there without needing to put that much effort in. But that might not be the case. I have high hopes that when spring springs might lose the same few pounds that I always do in warmer weather and I’ll get there eating grilled vegetables and garden-grown tomatoes.
So here’s my self evaluation 18 months after having a baby:
Weight Loss Report Card
Vegetable Intake | Last time: A+ | This time: B
Sadly this is the only thing I have downgraded myself on. I just haven’t been into salads or raw vegetables much this winter. I actually took a pregnancy test because my aversions seemed to bring back memories of the first trimester at times! But as it turns out, I’m not pregnant. I just have the winter yucks! I’d much rather have vegetable soup than a green salad. I’m eating a lot of leftovers, so I am getting veggies that way, but I’m just not eating as many greens as I used to. This isn’t a huge concern though because it’s not salad season and salads don’t rule all (diversity does).
Portion Control | Last time: B+ | This time: A
Thanks to Cook Smarts, early gym visits and leftovers, I’ve been spot on with meals and portions. Because I go to the gym at 9 and Mazen has been getting up a little later (read 6:45 instead of 6:15) I can’t eat as much at breakfast. This means I’m having slightly smaller breakfasts. Lunch used to be a royal event, but now I just eat whatever’s in the fridge to knock my hunger out. #lifeofamom. Dinners have been healthy and reasonable, and I haven’t been snacking much afterwards.
Mindless Bites | Last time: B | This time: A-
I’ve definitely gotten better at mindless bites, but I think that’s also because Mazen is eating better so there are less leftovers tossed away by him! I did eat a whole string chese “by mistake” recently, so I haven’t completely ruled this out.
Dessert Intake | Last time: C | This time: A-
I went through a rough patch after Halloween when I had lots of chocolate on hand, but thanks to WASTE or WAIST I gave it away and now have no sweets in the house other than ice cream in the freezer. In the dead of winter ice cream is just not appealing, so I haven’t been having desserts. But I’m giving myself a minus because when there have been desserts around (parties, cupcake shops, etc) I haven’t said “no thanks.”
Alcohol Intake | Last time: B- | This time: B
After pumpkin beer season ended (and our keg was empty) I got serious and made a rule for no alcohol at home on the weeknights. During the week I’m trying to get my squiggly line to dip.
Exercise Motivation | Last time: A | This time: A
Still highly motivated!! Thank you ACAC Kids Zone for saving my life.
Exercise Quality | Last time: A- | This time: A+
I get bonus points here for adding athletic conditioning twice a week and weight training with focus! My exercise variety and intensity have been great!
Overall | Last time: B+ | This time: A
Even though I said above I haven’t tried very hard, I guess that’s not entirely true. I have been making small changes that add up – but it just doesn’t feel like I’m trying hard!
Elizabeth {Positively Healthy} says
I love this grade card concept, mentally better than a number on a scale and trying to work with the number to go down. I think I will be evaluating my diet as well just see where I can improve and to be honest with myself!
Anele @ Success Along the Weigh says
Gold star for you, girlie!! Great report card and I think you’re proof that the conditioning is leaning you out. Great job!
Livi says
I love the idea of a Weight Loss Report Card, to stop and evaluate our behavior over the past few weeks/months. It would definitely give more perspective on what can be better/healthier in my life!
clare @ fitting it all in says
love your approach kath! definitely inspiring me to pay attention to small changes without having to go to extremes!
Katie @ Peace Love & Oats says
I like the idea of focusing on little changes rather than focusing on counting calories and all that jazz. And at the end of the day – what’s five pounds versus being relaxed and enjoying your life?
Karen says
What a great approach. The small changes add up!
simple green moms says
love your approach to maintaining a healthy weight just by simply living a balanced lifestyle and making conscious choices to be better =) you are a great motivater!!!
Jackie says
I think you look great!!! You’re doing so well!
Jess @ The Baguette Diet says
First of all, you look great! Like the others have said, this “report card” seems like a good way to examine eating habits. I agree that it’s much hard to get excited about veggies in the winter…luckily warmer weather’s coming soon though!
meredith @ The Cookie ChRUNicles says
I think that after I weaned my son it took some time for the hormones to balance out and my body to find it’s new normal. I never understood the people who lost weight after nursing – I think I gained (although I don’t use a scale so who really knows) because I wasn’t burning off those extra calories anymore from milk production. Having a baby changes things but for me, it was short-lived. My body returned to normal and I ended up a drop “thinner” than before having him!
Katie says
I love this approach. I would love to see a post on what you do between the report cards… Do you just think about improving? You mentioned making a rule about alcohol, do you make rules about other things? I want to do the report card approach with myself, but I’m wondering what kind of work you do to ensure improvement.
KathEats says
I probably think about it daily but not in any kind of formal way. This actually could be a neat weekly reflection. I made the alcohol rule when we got back from Key West and I’d drank 7 nights in a row 🙂 FYI, I haven’t stuck to it.
Sheilagh says
I love the report card- I would never have thought of so many different categories. Kath, if you ever make a printable copy I’d love one 🙂
KathEats says
Good idea!
Marie says
I too love this healthy approach and will look at “adopting” it for me. Practical, sensible, long-lasting and truly focused on HEALTH. Many others could learn from you Kath!! Thank you- and please keep it up!
Kim says
I think this method of self evaluation is great! Thanks for sharing with us 🙂 you look amazing! Any chances of you doing a grocery post soon? Thanks again kath 🙂
KathEats says
Yes grocery post is coming!
Ali says
This is great! I love how you broke this down and graded yourself. It really made me think of these areas and where I could be doing better too. I am now 12 months post baby and haven’t tried to lose weight yet. I have lost all but about 6-7 lbs., but I’m more flabby and need some toning up to do. I’m still breastfeeding, but much less and I know I’m eating too much, but I feel like that’s a fine line with the supply issue. I still feel hungry too, but I mindlessly graze a little too much. I have started working out more and harder which is a positive step!
Emily says
I could have written this post myself – almost verbatim! I am 9 months post-baby, still breastfeeding, mushy around the middle, eating too much, and carrying about 8 extra pounds. I need to make some positive changes soon, too!
Amy says
I’m right there with both of you! I have a 5 month old (nursing) and still have about 8 pounds to lose. I work out and I’m motivated, but I just feel like there are other things to focus on. I still get down on myself, though, so I need to figure something out!
Amy says
Oh and Kath, I think you look great. Congrats on your A report! 🙂
Dave K. says
Just shows you you don’t need much to change a lot ! My wife has done something similar, but with a twist! If you’re interested you can e-mail me @ [email protected] and I will let you talk to her 😛
Dana @ Conscious Kitchen Blog says
I love this concept! I have about 5 or so pounds I’d like to lose to just be healthier overall and same with you, I haven’t wanted to resort to calorie counting, restricting, etc. Mostly because I know those tactics don’t work well for me and because it takes the joy out of food for me. Currently, I’m tracking my food with My Fitness Pal (trying not to focus too much on calories) and looking for little ways to improve. I love your way of dividing different aspects into categories… I think that would really help me. Thanks for sharing!
Maryea {happy healthy mama} says
I love your approach and I actually am in a similar place. I’m trying to lose a few pounds, but am not doing any serious calorie counting, etc. I’m hoping, like you, it will come off this spring/summer when I naturally eat less caloric foods. Anyway, thanks for sharing your thoughts on weight loss. Like you said, it can be so tricky to talk about this in the blog world. Ironically, I just posted today (very candidly) about why I don’t get fat. (I know, I know, not very PC of me to phrase it that way…) A lot of people assume it’s luck. You might be interested in reading my perspective, I hope you don’t mind me sharing the link here: http://happyhealthymama.com/2014/03/2-reasons-i-dont-get-fat-hint-one-of-them-is-not-luck.html
Have a great rest of your week!
Natalie says
Hi Kath!
I enjoy reading your blog because your meals always look so fresh, flavorful AND healthy and I love to see that. I understand that small bites and small changes make a huge difference and definitely add up, but when you say “I accidentally ate a string cheese last week” it seems to be a type of disordered thinking about food. I think this report card and the way you write about when you sometimes eat desserts and drink some alcohol really portrays how MUCH you think about food and not in a healthy way! I just wanted to put in my two cents because I feel like you are so consumed and worried about what you eat when you put this much thought into every. single. thing. you eat and why you eat it etc. It seems like you can never let go and just ENJOY your food without having reasons why or worrying the entire time about the portions etc. I hope this isn’t the case, but this is what I have gotten through reading your blog over the past year or so.
Good luck with your weight loss though! I don’t mean to criticize just wanted to voice what I felt you were portraying and I may be wrong in my assumptions.
KathEats says
What I mean by “I accidentally ate a string cheese last week” is that it was in my mouth and gone before I realized I had eaten it. That’s completely mindless eating and the type of behavior I would discourage in others.
Just because I’m self evaluating here doesn’t mean that I thought about these things during every meal this week. And when I’m eating a dessert or drinking alcohol I am not thinking “I shouldn’t be doing this” I am thinking “OMG THIS IS SO GOOD!” But I think it’s good to do some reflection when you have a weight loss goal (which I do) and unpack the reasons why you ate the way you did. If you don’t think I sit back and enjoy food, then I think you should come over for dinner on a Saturday night : )
Tonya says
Fixing the comments issue on the new server: A+ 🙂
KathEats says
Yay!
Tracy says
Congrats on the stellar report card 🙂
Ali says
I think it’s important to take into account what else is going on in your life as well. We can’t all be prefect at everything 100% of the time and that is okay. I sometimes feel like a failure because I read these types of blogs and everyone exercises so much and I just can’t do it when I work 90-100 hours a week. During months when I work less (ha – like 60-70 hour/week), I can get more workouts in, but I still feel like I can never add up if I really compare myself to other people. When I compare to myself and consider everything else going on in my life, I feel good about the choices I’ve made that were to best of my ability and situations.
Lucy says
Hey Kath! Longtime reader here. I just wanted to say that your blog is one of the few where I actually enjoy reading the comments, but they’ve seemed a lot more “vanilla” to me lately…less debate and disagreement. Have you changed your comment policy? I certainly don’t think any blogger should approve mean or cruel comments, but I’d just like to express one reader’s vote for bringing back the debate. As one example, I thought the comment threads on the recent Paleo post were amazing and arguably more thought-provoking then the post itself. The greatest aspect of the blog medium is that it encourages discussion and community!
KathEats says
I guess people are just being nice 🙂 I haven’t really had to delete much at all lately.
Angel7 says
Great work, Kath! You look great!
I need to get motivated & watch my weight. After I had our son in the fall of 2012, it has been somewhat challenging to exercise, & especially when I have two kiddos to tend to.
But I can say that I am proud of myself for recently signing up to exercise at our local gym. Now it is a matter of making sure that I get there each week 🙂
http://faithfulsolutions.blogspot.com/
Lauren @ Focused To Be Fit says
I love the idea of this post. It really gives you a chance to take a look and see just what might be holding you back from reaching those last 5 pounds – like where are your highs and lows. I may need to do something similar to keep myself in check!
Amelia says
I like your ‘report card’ post. You are definitely more disciplined when it comes to sweets than I am. I do great all day, then during downtime in the evening (watching House of Cards) I always want something sweet & salty. Lately it’s been TJ’s dark chocolate caramel sea salt bar, but this past week I ran out and did NOT buy another. Gotta tell myself it’s better for my wallet & waistline!
I agree 100% about not having to resort to counting calories or food journaling. Plus, you have incorporated so much more strength training now, that I’m guessing your clothes are fitting completely different than they did last year and probably will change even more before summer. That’s what happened to me. Scale stayed the same but I liked my ‘new’ body much better than before. Woohoo for weights!
Shel@PeachyPalate says
And really when you make the small changes and your mind is and feels healthier that’s better than any weightloss on the scales. It’s all about how you feel!
Ash Bear says
Life is about balance. You are able to feel healthy while living a balanced life with your family, traveling and enjoying life to the fullest. To me, that is always more important than 5 vanity pounds. 🙂
Kirsten @ Fit + Fab says
Good job on the report card major improvements!!
Katie @ Talk Less, Say More says
I always think it’s good when we don’t really feel like we’re TRYING to make healthy decisions, but rather they’re just happening. It’s a good thing.
Jen@HealthyFoodandFamily says
I have had a major aversion to all types of vegetables this whole pregnancy. With just a few weeks to go, I’m hoping my love for them comes back!
KathEats says
it will!!
Alex @ Kenzie Life says
I love these report card style posts! I don’t know what I weigh because I threw out my scale when I started recovery from my eating disorder and when I go to the doctor I don’t look at the scale and ask them not to share my weight with me. I know that this is probably extreme and unnecessary for most people, but for me it’s what actually keeps me healthy. I know I’m at a healthy weight but I also know I can’t know what exactly that is or I’ll start to obsess over it. That being said, I do eat a healthy diet but I could be doing better with the vegetables because I’m suffering from the same winter yucks when it comes to salads, which just sound awful to me when there’s snow on the ground. I’ve been having a lot of soups or blending spinach in with my greek yogurt protein smoothies and even with mashed potatoes the other day 🙂
Stephanie @ Whole Health Dork says
Thanks for keeping it real, Kath! I was actually just listening to a Jillian Michaels podcast yesterday and she was talking about those final vanity pounds and how hard they are, especially for women, to lose. Our bodies naturally want some fat on them (to what we’re made to do-reproduce), so to reduce our body fat percentage it’s really difficult and we need to resort to more extreme measures. Jillian has been working on getting her butt in better shape–who knew she had areas she thought she needed to improve on?–and she talks about how she could get it to look a lot better if she cut out all her treats and alcohol, but she’s just not willing to do it because she enjoys them. It’s always good to keep things in perspective and I think you’re doing just that!
KathEats says
That’s all good to hear! Maybe my body knows we want to have another baby 🙂
Morgan says
Stephanie,
Off topic but I resent the comment that we are “made” to reproduce. I am child-free by choice and have never felt that I was “made” to spawn. I think I was made to be a teacher, to save animals and to share a beautiful life with a beautiful man. I know you didn’t mean anything by it, but this can be a sensitive issue to those of us who don’t want to give birth (ever). It shouldn’t be assumed that everyone is “made” to do it. Biologically, I get what you are saying. But, I had to speak up.
Stephanie @ Whole Health Dork says
Exactly–making it easier for you. 😉
Sara says
You look amazing. I’m 10 months post partum and I’m a few pounds under where I was pre-baby, but I have about 20-30 pounds to lose and an awesome mommy tummy (I was on the larger side before getting pregnant). So to me, you look so amazing and I can’t imagine wanting to lose any additional weight! I can’t wait to read your post about how things are different in regards to weight loss now, than they were when you first started blogging.
Ashley says
LOVE your suit! I want to order from Albion and wondered if they run true to size? Also, is there good support for a breastfeeding mama? Thank you!
KathEats says
They do run pretty true (meaning sizes aren’t inflated). Mine’s a medium and fits really well.
Emily @ Life on Food says
it is annoying when you are trying to make changes but the number doesn’t dip. clothes fitting better is always a good motivator for me. it is also my first sign when changes need to be made. I am there right now and am really going to focus on no sweets and portion control the next few weeks.
Kay says
Don’t start counting calories or feeling bad about not saying “no” to a cupcake! I used to have a restrictive / orthorexic eating disorder, and following your posts helped me heal! You’re truly healthy yet you’re “normal”… Normal people can’t resist a cupcake sometimes, even if they wish they could, and you’re CERTAINLY healthy enough counting each calorie is not necessary. TRUST ME, the “perfect health grade” is not unattainable and definitely not worth the stress. It’s better to put that extra energy into something else 🙂
You are beautiful! Thank you for all the ways you’ve shown me a balanced diet and lifestyle!