New Rule: No More Late-Night Snacking

I am the best bet LA Fitness ever made. They didn’t have to wipe a drop of my sweat off the machines last week. I didn’t take up an iota of floor space in the aerobics studio, either.

When I do plug my activities into Spark People, my exercises are not listed. On a daily basis I throw one 26-pound toddler under one arm while holding a 17-pound baby and climb the stairs. Or I move that same load into and out of the car numerous times each day or onto the bar stools in our kitchen. I could make the toddler walk, but we would spend our days milling around rather than getting out the door (and I would miss out on my heavy lifting).  

Lacking more scientific data, I would say I burn thousands of calories hauling my children. Therefore, I deserve a cupcake.

When you have kids, it's difficult to avoid cupcakes. They simply appear. Visitors bring them to your home.  Other people have them in their homes, ready for you and your children. What do you do? Toss them aside and insist on an apple? Must you say no to all things tasty and fattening, even in social situations?  

Seriously, I don’t believe it is the random cupcake here or there that is doing me in. It’s the snacking after dinner. Carbs. Mainly light microwave popcorn and pretzels—either/or most nights.  

So, this week, my third as part of the Patch Takes It Off challenge, I implemented a new step into my weight-loss journey: No eating after 9 p.m.

So far, it’s going well. The bulk of my empty calories can be attributed to idle snacking in the late hours, as I write my freelance projects (resume writing and Patch). If I stick to my normal three healthy meals per day and minimize snacking, while lifting 43 pounds of weight multiple times per day, I should lose weight, right?

As I said, my goal is size 6 pants. I am working my way into too tight pants.  Recently, I was able to put on a smaller size (not my goal), which was progress. My real goal pair do not fit yet, but we are inching (well, maybe centimetering) closer.

I do have a question for the personal trainers out there, if you're reading this. After the second baby, my stomach is ... oddly mushy. Will cutting calories only do the trick, since clearly this needs to go? I've heard millions of times that spot training doesn't work, so should I just forego the situps and such?