I completed the 4th month of my post baby weight loss challenge. My weight goal is 105 lbs, by the end of September. Did I reach it? No. I failed on this one. I am 106.2 by September 26. The lowest I’m at was 106 lbs.
I am 1 lb off my goal weight. It is disappointing to miss this goal even by just a pound. I was on a good start when I started this self impose challenge, but went array for the month of September.
What Happened?
First, the fire happened. We were 5 miles from the evacuation zone where the fire was. We still left our house and stayed at my parents for 3 nights. I ate all the home cook meals without necessarily tracking the ingredients or the amount I’m eating.
Second, I stopped going to the gym. I was hitting my limit on strength training. I have a hard time getting motivated because I was not moving up on weights.
Third, I stopped tracking my weight and my food intake. This seems to be the key. It started when we left the house, but ultimately continued on through the month. I felt that I lost the battle in September and just sort of gave up. I ate more Costco size Ruffles and some more Chocolate Covered Raisins! I gained more weight and now a t 108 lbs. Ouch. I also stopped tracking my weight consistently.
What happens now?
Well, it is easy to blame the fire on this one, but ultimately, I am the one responsible on that weight gain. I went back on eating mindlessly. Snacks are the killer. I am actually pretty good on portioning meals, but awful when it comes to snacks, which tends to have more calories.
I know the main problem – snacking. It will be so easy to complete this challenge if I eliminate snacking, but I know that it is not going to be sustainable. I eat when I’m bored, or if I’m just seating in front of the TV. Ultimately, I need to find something to do. What a great problem to have during retirement, right?
The 2020 goal
We went back to the gym this week. I started tracking my weight again. I want to end 2020 with some win on this weighing 105 lbs by Dec 31st. At the same time, I want to find a more sustainable way to maintain the weight. It is hard I’m hopeful.
Pacific Northwest experienced some fire this September which was very unusual. We were 5 miles from the evacuated area, which is too close in my opinion. We left our house and stayed with my parents for 3 nights because I was being overly cautious. The kids had fun with the sleep over with the grandparents, but we were glad to be back home with our house intact. It was a terrifying week.
Back to School
MBP’s first day of outdoor class
MBP also started 3s class. We were lucky enough to be part of the coop that held an outdoor preschool with limited students. There were so much thoughts and efforts that were put in planning the outdoor preschool and we are very appreciative of the school, the teachers and parents involve. This is our second year in the coop and my first year holding a board position.
In September our early retirement spending was $2,319.77
Tuition – $573.42
Our biggest spending this month is MBP’s preschool tuition. I prepay the tuition through December. We get 10 percent discount by prepaying, but I donated the 10 percent back to school. Our coop is very affordable as is and we want it to continue as long as it can, not just for MPB but for other kids in the area. I love being part of the coop because we get to work with the teacher, get to know the parents, and watch our kids learn. MBP has been going to a coop since he was 1, back in Seattle and I’m so glad that we found this school here in the burbs. It is a little bit of a drive for us, but totally worth it. MBP love love love his school. He seems to be more happy now that he have something to look forward to.
Food – $476.13
I was surprised to see our food spending under $500. We continue on our plant based meals except when we were at my parents house due to fire. There were also some McDonalds drive thru breakfast when we left the house. Maybe we stocked up enough last month? I really don’t know, but I’m glad to see this go down.
Kids – $396.71
This consist of $200 college fund, outdoor clothings for MBP and crib mattress for AHP. I bought MBP an Oaki Rainsuit, an REI down jacket and Bogs boots. He needs proper rain gear because his class is 100% outdoors. I did a lot of research and asked around for proper rain gear, especially boots that are not heavy. MBP has a rainboot but he had a hard time walking and complains that it is too heavy for him. His teacher mentioned Bogs boots and he really like it so far. We haven’t tested it on downpour rain, so we will see if it holds up. I also bought a crib mattress for AHP because he is using MBP’s old mattress that sags down in the middle. AHP is rolling over a lot now. He is seating by himself, love solid food, napping by himself and even slept through the night for 3 nights in a row!
Pet – $250.78
This consist of our furbaby’s annual exam, annual supply of heartworm and flea medication, annual shots and some treats. We go to a mobile vet clinic for her preventative care. Apparently our furbaby is very overweight. It looks like all adults in our household, including the dog are trying to lose weight. We do need to take her weight seriously because she is getting older. Being overweight is not good for her little legs.
Shopping – $232.42
My husband found a way to wired his internet connection on our modem. He constantly complain about our internet access especially when he is in the middle of a game. I don’t have any problem with our internet, but I’m also not a gamer. I’m just glad that it is working for him.
Others – $390.31
My little sister graduated from college this spring and celebrated a virtual graduation ceremony. Go Zags! We gave her $100 as a gift and celebrated with her at my parent’s house. We also renew our Costco membership this month for $60. The rest are normal utilities, supplies and blog hosting fee for $.57. This is the last month that I will pay for blog hosting fee since I moved this blog from AWS to Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and I’m only using the free tier. It doesn’t make sense to pay for hosting until I get more readers.
The detail spending are below.
Description
Amount
Comments
Preschool Tuition
573.42
Groceries
442.72
Shopping
206.52
Veterinary
227.00
529 College Fund
200.00
Kids
120.21
Rain Gear
Gift
100.00
Baby Supplies
76.50
Crib Mattress
HOA Dues
68.25
Sewer
60.16
Subscription
60.00
Costco Membership
Gas & Fuel
54.70
We actually gas up this month!
Internet
30.00
We receive $15 credit because the internet was down for 3 days. This happened during the fire and we were not in the house.
Household Supplies
25.00
Paper products
Pet Food & Supplies
23.78
Treats that we need to stop buying!
Alcohol & Bars
22.00
Mobile Phone
16.28
Our very very cheap mobile plan from Xfinity
Fast Food
11.41
McDonalds!
Parking
1.25
Street parking in Seattle when my husband visited our rental
