Happy birthday to me!!!

Its been over 10 months since I started this blog. I've lost 35 pounds and kept it off! I 've got savings....cash money that no one else can touch! I've been saving my pennies and am going to buy a new car today. My old car is 12 years old and will be passed on to my daughter (sorry princess for handing you an old SUV, hey at least it is safe).

Loving life

Still hovering at 188-190, wearing a size 12 comfortably which on my 5'9 body looks healthy. I love hearing people tell me how great I look. I still need to get more exercise.

Financially things are much better this year plus I've been stashing a little cash away each month and will never be flat broke again.

190...plateau

My eating has been really healthy. Mainly vegetables, fruit, lean protein (egg whites, fish & chicken) and whole grains. My weight loss has really slowed down, um actually its at a stand still. I'm wearing a size 12 which for a 5'9 woman is pretty good. I still want to lose another 15-20 pounds. The only way I'm going to get there is with consistent exercise.

I MUST GET MYSELF INTO THE GYM......sigh

190.6

Spent a week out in the country visiting hubby's family. Spent three fab days with my favorite SIL. Love, love, love her. Funny that we are total opposites but get along so well. Their house is amazing. It still amazes me how far real estate dollars go outside of California.

We ate out almost all week. I came back and stepped on the scale.....193.8 OMG  :(

Two days of being home and eating healthy foods and I'm back down to 190.6. Yay me!!!

Working on hitting 185 by August 1st. Really need to get to the gym. My eating is on track now I just need to exercise in order to get to my year end goal.

Speaking of year end goals. Hubby's business is picking up. Long term he wants to shut down the business and get a job. Perhaps corporate with long term benefits, etc.

As for my plan I'm on track with my savings plan. Never again will I be flat broke!

189.4

Slow and steady weight loss!   :)

Really finding it easy to make healthy choices. I've noticed that my junk food/sugar cravings are way down.

Reality is that I've changed my eating habits.....

189.8

I've been sticking to my healthy eating all week and have finally broken my plateau. My eating plan is to stay at 1,500 calories, 20 grams of fiber, less than 35 grams of fat and about 150 grams of protien and carbohydrates. I eat at least two servings of fruit and 6 servings of vegetables a day, plus I drink at least 100 ounces of water. This seems to be what works for my body.

Now if I could only motivate myself to go to the gym......

189.8  :)

Still 191.4 but feeling thinner

I had to repair a few items of clothing (hanging buttons, etc.) and ended up trying on a few things that didn't fit a couple weeks ago. Pants that I bought early in May that were really tight are slightly baggy now. Strange that my weight has remained the same but I've lost inches.

I guess this is all part of my body settling into its new weight.

191.4

All week I've been bouncing between 190 and 191. Very frustrating.....not going to give in. If I stick to this the scale will continue moving down.

190.0

190 even!!!!! 35.6 pounds of blubber gone.....

I'm finding that my body seems to lose 3-4 pounds within a couple weeks each month and the other two weeks no weight loss. I'm not sure if this is hormonal or if its just the way weight loss is. Either way I'm happy with a 35 pound weight loss in 5 1/2 months. An average of 6 pounds a month.

After nearly 6 months of eating healthy, natural and portion controlled food I've lost my taste for most sweets and eating out is kind of a hassle because what used to taste amazing is now greasy and salty.

I have visions of myself turning into an organic nut case.....hairy armpits and all. Haha, I'm far too vain for that!

190.6

Weighing myself every couple days seems to be the best thing for me. Daily weigh ins are a little too obsessive. 190.6     :)

I feel really great! All the fruit and vegetables that I've been eating for the past 6 months are paying off - my skin and hair look super healthy, plus I'm now a normal size! I'm wearing a size 12....

192.4

192.4 and feeling human again. I drank loads of water and ate clean food all weekend and the two pounds of bloat is gone. Really hoping to knock off another two pounds in the next two weeks. Goal is to be under 190 by July 1st.

194.2

Horrible PMS and bloat this week.   :(
I'm sticking with the program and have been weighing in daily (just not posting my weights).

I actually hit 195 one day this week. The scale is going back down again so I just have to accept that my body is in PMS mode and my weight will go up for a couple days.

still 193.6

I'm kind of frustrated with this plateau! I have to just stick with it. I know that the scale will move (down not up thank you very much) again.

I joined a gym last week. I've been a couple times already. Yoga, loved it. Second time I ran on the treadmill. I used to love running when I was young. Last year I broke my foot and ankle, perhaps because I was hauling around an extra 70 pounds of lard?! Because of that I'm scared to run out on the street. What if the road isn't flat and I hurt myself again. I think for now the treadmill is good. I can run and walk as much as I want without the fear.

Earlier this week I was traveling for work and was stuck in the airport. I went to buy a bottle of water and stupidly bought two bars of Godiva white chocolate along with the water. Mental lapse, PMS, psychotic moment - or D all of the above.

I shoveled in 480 calories and fifty bazillion grams of fat in about 30 seconds flat. I sat in the airport afterwards mentally beating myself up for not planning ahead and bringing healthy snacks with me. When I got on the plane I decided then and there to let go of the guilt and just move past my 'episode'. In the past a lapse like this would have thrown me off track and I would have turned back into my bad eating habits. I feel like this was a mental breakthrough for me.

193.6

Back to daily weigh-ins for the week. Saturday I ate like a horse, and not a cute little Shetland pony, more like a Clydsdale.     :(

Yesterday my eating was much more under control and I went to the gym. Today I need to stick to the program!!!!

I'm over half way in my weight loss journey and can't get off track now.

192.8

A one pound gain from last week. I've been eating really healthy. Loads of vegetables.......
I need to focus on portion size. I'm going to measure my food this week in order to get a visual of what a proper portion looks like.

This is a lifestyle not a diet. I'm getting healthy rather than focusing on the short term goal of weight loss. My motivation is still very high, I won't allow a minor set back to ruin the healthy changes I've made.

191.6

Total weight loss since 1/1 = 34 pounds!!!!    :)

All of the clothes that I couldn't fit into a few months ago fit and many of them are too big. I'm quite handy with the sewing machine and have altered many of them. Its fantastic to get dressed in the morning and know that EVERYTHING in the closet fits.

Last weekend we went to an amazing party for my friends daughter. The photographer took couples photos. For the first time ever I thought my body looked great. I used to cringe at photos of myself.

Financially I'm on track with my savings and have $600 put aside for emergencies.

So far 2012 is a much better year for me......

193.6

I think that weekly weigh-ins are going to work for me better than the daily weigh-ins. All week I was mindful of what I ate without being a slave to the scale. I lost a pound this week, which isn't earth shattering but is a steady weight loss. My goal is to be at 190 by June 1st, and to continue to lose 4-5 pounds a month until I'm out of the overweight BMI range. Ideally I would like to weigh 160 pounds. I think that with healthy food choices and portion control that is a realistic goal.

Finances are still tight but thankfully hubby's business is picking up a bit and he has steady work for the next month or so. A couple years ago he was booking work 5-6 months in advance. For the past two years his work has been almost nothing, so the work he has now is very appreciated. Long term I think that its in our best interest to move to another state (anywhere is less costly that California) after our Princess graduates from high school in 2013. One more year and then we can relocate.......the big question is WHERE to???

194.6

I'm trying to decide if daily weigh-ins are a good thing. I know that logging my food is what keeps me on track. I'm thinking that maybe weekly weigh-ins might work for me now.

194.4

Hmm, scale is bouncing up and down.    :(

I feel a lot thinner and all my clothes fit. Yesterday I wore pants that I haven't been able to wear for five years. I thought they fit perfectly, my daughter said they were baggy!!

193.8

It was really hot yesterday all I wanted to eat was loads of veggies and drink gallons of water. I have a feeling we are going to have a very hot summer. I just hope that at a lighter weight the heat doesn't bother me as much as it used to.

193.8 - a new low     :)

195.0

:(

194.4

Eating at home is so easy. I have all my healthy food prepared and ready to go.

Financially things are tough, hubby has no work this week although he has three good size jobs scheduled for later this month. The financial rollercoaster is killing me. Just when I think we will be okay we have a week like this.

194.8

Weird dreams last night, and I woke up tired.

194.6

Fab I've lost the temporary trip weight! Also I've figured out a way to enjoy my favorite Mexican food without blowing my calorie budget. I love, love, love salsa but its so high in sodium that I literally blow up and gain a couple pounds. Yesterday I made my own - fresh tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, spring onions, jalapenos and a couple little chilis (not sure what they are called but they are hot). Last night for dinner I had a bowl of my salsa (about 80 calories) and ate it with a spoon breaking a little piece of tortilla chip into eat spoonful. All in all I had one ounce of chips (120 calories). Then came my favorite carne asada tacos. I ate two tacos with loads of hot sauce but not the tortillas. I got all the yummy taste and managed to stay within my calorie range for the day.

I made a massive bowl of salsa and will be having some for lunch today. Its soooooo good!

I bought new shorts (well they are to the knee) a few weeks ago, yesterday I was wearing them and my daughter and husband told me they are too loose already.    :)

195.4

Ate 6 servings of vegetables, three servings of fruit and lots of lean protein. I'm back on track and should easily hit 190 by the end of this month.

197.2

Three day business trip from hell! Six airports in three days.....that must be a record. Spent a day in Oakland with a client, then two days in Kentucky - the state that doesn't eat vegetables. I'll be back at 195 after a couple of days of eating properly.

195.2

Damn the lasagna for dinner last night!!! At least I'm at 195 on May 1st.    :)
I'm traveling for the next three days.......hope there is healthy food for me to eat. I'm kind of dreading the food situation in and out of airports and hotels.

Nect weigh in will be Friday morning when I get back. I really hope that I'm 195 or less. My goal when traveling is to maintain or lose weight.

194.6

Moving in the right direction again. 8 pounds lost this month.    :)

195.2

Seems like yesterday's weigh-in was a dream. Late dinner and *poof* I'm at 195.2. Still all good considering that 195 was my goal for the end of this month.

194!!!

Thats right I'm under my end of April goal of 195! Yay for me!!!! I've set a new goal of 190 by the end of May. I like setting small 5 pound goals. They seem to be much easier for me than saying I need to drop a minimum of 50 pounds. I'm on top of the world today! After yesterdays weigh in of 196.4 I really thought that it would take me a week to drop the two pounds.

Grocery shopping today, food prep for the week and hopefully a little TV time this afternoon.

196.4

Dinner last night was tacos, proper authentic taqueria tacos. I ate two tacos, a cup of salsa, a handful of chips and a bunch of pickled jalapenos. Four months ago I would have eaten five tacos, a huge bowl of salsa, a bowl of chips and a bunch of pickled jalapenos. I was comfortably full after I ate last night. Seriously I can't image shoveling in another 3 tacos!! I guess my stomach has shrunk.

I'm slightly annoyed that I'm back in the 196 range but know that this is a temporary gain. I'll be back at 195 in a day or two.

195.2

OMG I've lost 30 pounds since January 1st....technically 30.4 pounds!!!! I feel pretty good, all my old size 14 clothes fit and some of them are too big. I can sew well enough to take them in myself. My goal was to hit 195 by May 1st, I'm ahead of schedule.     :)

196.4

Ate a fairly large dinner, or at least larger than I usually eat, later than I normally eat. Today I need to be dilligent. I'm this close {} to hitting 195 and am bound and determined to do it this week!!!! At 195 I'll have lost 30 pounds.....

196.0

:)

196.0

Heading out early to a client meeting. I woke up tired....not good  

196

The scale waivered between 195.8 and 196. I was amazed!!! Yesterday was another HOT (105 degree) day. I got up at 6am and literally had errands to run all day. I ate my usual egg white and toast breakfast. Lunch  wasn't until 2pm because I was busy setting up for my daughters cheer banquet. By 2pm I was so hungry I could have eaten a table. I had to pace myself and eat slowly to make sure that I didn't overeat. Dinner was at the cheer banquet and I ate a small portion. The best thing about Calabasas is all the women are stick thin and no one questions what you eat.

196!!! YIPPEEEE    :)

197.0

Crazy busy week at work, loads of client meetings and stress. Still managed to get my veggies and water in and the results are showing. Yesterday was the first 100 degree day of the season and I was at my daughter's high school watching her play powderpuff football (a cheerleader playing football). Even though I was hot I wasn't the overheated sweaty mess that I was last summer when I was toting around an extra 30 pounds of chub. I'm hoping that since its only April yesterday was a freaky hot day and the real heat won't start until August. My goal is to be at least 15 pound lighter by then and hopfully if I'm in the low 180 pound range I'll be able to handle the 100+ degree heat a little better.

198.0

Lunch out yesterday - Indian food...YUMMY! Even though it was delicious and I controlled my portions it was still much heavier than I'm used to eating and I was so thirsty all afternoon. I drank 140 oz of water yesterday. Normally I drink 100-120 oz.

197.4

Eating healthy has become a habit. Yesterday I was at a client meeting and there were cookies on the table. In the past I would have taken one because everyone else had one. They didn't look very good and I didn't take one because I didn't want one. The nice thing was that there wasn't any pressure to take one. Sometimes people insist that you eat something.

197.6

Holy cow I'm officially overweight!! I'm no longer OBESE (such a nasty word). My BMI is 30.0!!!!! I started out weighing 225.6 with a BMI of 34.18.

Four months into the year and I've made positive changes. I've lost 28 pounds and have squirreled away a few pennies for the holidays. By the end of the year I'll have $1,000 saved.

198.6

Still moving in the right direction. Haven't resorted to eating any of the furniture (yet).

198.8

Not bad considering I'm PMSing and literally could have eaten a table yesterday.

198.8

Slow and steady weight loss!

Yesterday I treated myself to a little shopping. I had a Marshalls gift card and an American Express gift card. At Marshalls I got two pairs of pants and a blouse. Size 14s are comfortable!   :)

Then I went to Bath & Body Works. I bought a bottle of perfume, came home opened the box and the bottle slipped out hitting the floor and shattering. I decided to go back to the store and use the rest of the AmEx card to buy myself another bottle (I really like this perfume). The woman at the register recognized me and refused to let me pay when I told her what happened. OMG I've always loved Bath & Body Works, but now I'm a loyal customer for life.

199.0

Back on track. Should be in the 198s tomorrow. Its amazing that it takes me a week to get back to were I was after a couple days of traveling.

199.2

:)

199.6

Eating at home, drinking 100 ounces of water and the scale is moving in the right direction.

200.2

This is a temporary set back and the result of two client meetings in two days, air travel, all day car travel, not enough water, eating out two meals a day. I'm home for the rest of the week and will be under 200 again tomorrow!!!!!

199.8

Acck the scale is going up again. Client meeting in SF yesterday, not enough water and lunch and dinner out. Another client meeting today in SD and another lunch out. I'm making smart menu choices and even though the scale is moving up I'm still staying under 1500 calories a day. I'll be back at 198 in a day or two.

198.0

AMAZING I passed the first half of my challenging weekend and lost a pound!!! Yesterday I had lunch in a restaurant for a friends baby shower (really nice shower) and then had Passover dinner at my Mom's house. I woke up this morning and was really hoping that I would still be under 200. The best I was hoping for was 199.8. When I saw 198 I got off and on the scale about six times to make sure it was accurate. Its a Passover miracle....hahahah

I'm so proud of myself for making healthy choices but most of all I've realized that I'm starting to think like a thin/healthy person.

For lunch we had several choices, I chose the salmon and ate about half of it. For dessert I selected the sorbet and had a couple bits. I read on another blog the way to handle desserts is to think of them as a treat and only eat three bits. The first bite, second bite and last bite are all amazing, all the others are unnecessary. For Passover dinner I ate everything in really small portions.

I'm so freaking proud of myself. I'm one pound away from being "overweight".....which is a big milestone considering I've been "obese" for the past 5 or 6 years.

199.2! 199.2! 199.2! 199.2! 199.2! 199.2! 199.2! 199.2! YIPPEEE!!!!!

I had a massive trying on of all my old clothes. Amazingly almost everything fit. Some things were a bit tighter than I like, then again I've spent the past 6 years wearing baggy clothes.

I have a busy weekend a baby shower and Passover dinner tonight and Easter tomorrow. I wanted to make sure that I had nice outfits for everthing and the best part was having so many choices.

Yesterday I wore shorts that I haven't fit into in about 6 years. They were a little loose on me! Yay me!! The irony is that when I went to take them off the zipper wouldn't open. Turns out the fabric part of the zipper had literally disintergrated from age. I guess thats to be expected with clothes that are 10 years old. I can sew a little bit and think that I can replace the zipper myself. I love these shorts and literally will wear them all summer.

199.8

I'm in the 1s!!!!!!!! The scale waived between 199.8 and 199.6. OMG I'm finally below 200 pounds! I haven't been under 200 pounds in six years. Wow, just saying that is shocking to me. Happy day!!!!!

Challenge is eating healthy this weekend. Saturday night Passover dinner with my parents and Sunday Easter buffet brunch with Hubby's family.

200.2

I'm back down to where I was last Wednesday!   :)

201.0

Yesterday I realized this isn't a diet or a race to the finish. This is how I have to eat for the rest of my life in order to be healthy. Five servings of vegetables, two servings of fruit, 100 ounces or more of water, lean protien, 20 grams of fiber....a healthy way to eat not a diet. Diets don't work in the long run.

201.4

Very frustrating that the scale moved in the right direction. I'm eating healthy food and drinking loads of water. I'm starting to wonder if weighing in every day is too much. I feel like if I don't weigh in every morning I won't have a good grip on my weight loss but on the other hand could weighing in every day be sabotaging my weight loss because I'm getting discouraged when I don't see any positive changes.

Hmmm.....

201.2

Scale is stuck :(

201.2

Kind of  bummer that I didn't hit 199 today. I'm not going to let this throw me off track.

201.8

Stuck to eating healthy and drinking loads of water. I'm figuring it will take two or three more days to get back to 200. Oh well thats the price I pay for eating out.

I have an allergy to restaurant food - I break out in fat cells.....hahah

203.2

Arrgghhhh!!! This is what happens when you eat restaurant food. Breakfast out - two eggs, one sausage and a cup of oatmeal (550 calories and who knows how much sodium). Breakfast at home - protien drink, 4 egg whites and one slice of wheat toast (280 calories). Lunch out - grilled chicken salad (610 calories). Lunch at home - tuna and spinach (300 calories). Dinner out - sushi (700 calories). Dinner at home - fish, potato and steamed vegetables (400 calories).

I know that this is a temporary set back and that most of this is water weight. One day of overeating isn't going to put me back at 225. Still its frustrating that I was so close to my month end goal of 199 and now I don't think I'll make it by Sunday. Oh well I just have to keep on track and I'll hit 199 one day next week.

Motivation is high today....

201.2

I ate a late dinner last night and today it shows on the scale. Today is hubby's birthday, we will be having dinner out. I'll have to order carefully and hopefully I won't gain another pound.

This month has been a real struggle with the scale.

201.2 - I was really hoping that today would be my under 200 day.    :(

200.2

Loving the scale this week. I should I say sticking to eating healthy and drinking lots of water is making the scale a good thing.

200.6

Inching my way to 199. Will I make it by the end of the month?

200.8

:)

200.8

Sooooo close to my March goal of 199! Logging all my food on FitBit and making sure I move enough to burn what I've eaten plus another 500 calories. I stay below 1,500 calories eating 2 servings of fresh fruit and 5 servings of fresh vegetables, lean protien and three servings of grains. Eating healthy (because this isn't a 'diet', rather its a way of life) has become a habit and I'm finding that I've lost my taste and cravings for junk food. I made brownies for my family and haven't even looked twice at them. Four months ago I would have shoveled in at least half of the pan. Could it be that I'm starting to think like a thin person???

201.0

Oh yeah 201 even!!! After losing nearly 25 pounds I'm starting to feel thinner. My 11 year old son hugs me all the time and yesterday he said that he can hug me and grab his elbows. I'm fitting comfortably into my size 14s and my 16s are loose. I decided to treat myself to a fwe new clothes. I went into Ross (usually a great place for me) and literally found nothing that I liked. Then I went into Burlington Coat Factory (another one of my bargain hunting favs) and found a load of stuff that I liked. Tried it all on and yay the 14s fit.....pity that everything I liked was too short. Um, hello I'm 5'9 - I'm tall but not THAT tall. I really wanted to get a new dress for an upcoming work meeting, why are all the business looking dresses above the knees?! When I sat down, yes I always do a sit down test, the dress barely covered my hooha. I'm going to try other stores, I've saved my pennies and have earned a reward (non-food reward).

201.4

I might actually get to my goal of 199 by the end of the month.    :)

202.8

For some season I was really thirsty yesterday and ended up drinking 120 ounces of water. Normally I drink about 90-100 ounces. I woke up thirsty this morning. Hmm??

203.0

Also three months into the year and I'm still eating healthy food. I seem to have kicked my sugar cravings to the curb. I'm firmly convinced that refined sugars are addicting! If I don't eat them I don't crave them. As soon as I eat them poof the cravings are back.

203.4

I'm learning that losing weight is a commitment to eating healthy most of the time. Also it seems like eating dinner before 7pm makes a difference. My husband likes to eat dinner later than I do. If it were up to me I'd eat at 6pm every night. If it were up to him, we'd eat dinner at 9pm. Is it selfish of me to put my health ahead of his dinner schedule?

I read another blog about snacking and am starting to think about eating when I'm hungry rather than out of habit. I wake up at 5:45am hungry and drink a protein shake, make the kids lunches (school food is gross), take my kids to school then come home and eat breakfast  about 7:45am (usually egg whites and wheat toast). Around 10am I usually eat a some fruit. I have to focus on being hungry rather than eating out of habit. Perhaps skipping the morning snack, having an earlier lunch and an afternoon snack of veggies or fruit will help with my weight loss.

204.6

As they say the best laid plans...

My husband decided to cook lasagne yesterday...yum. Needless to say starting the day off with eggs and bacon and ending it with lasagne wasn't necessarily sticking with my healthy eating plan.

Today is a new day!!!

203.6

CRAP what the %&* is up with the scale?!?!?!

Just going to stick to eating healthy and hope that I'm in the 202 range again tomorrow.

202.6

Yippeee!!! Not much to write this morning.

203.2

Its amazing what eating at home does!

I realized yesterday that my sweet tooth is almost gone. I've always been a sweets after every meal, or should I say sweets any time, kind of person. I literally craved refined sugars. One of the big changes I made on January 1st was to make refined sweets a treat rather than a daily food. Pretty much every day in January and February I thought about brownies, cupcakes and chocolate just about every day. Especially after meals!! Since the beginning of March I haven't thought about sweets and am hoping that eating healthy has balanced out my body enough that I won't have unhealthy cravings all the time.

205.2

Arrgghhhh! I ate really well all day, planned to have fish for dinner. Hubby came home and said "lets get Chinese food". I pushed back a little but ended up eating the Chinese food (delish). I really should have stuck with the fish because here I am back at 205 again.  I ate steamed veggies, spicy shrimp, two tablespoons of chow mein and two dumplings. Fish tonight and if hubby doesn't like it he can go without dinner!

I'm really frustrated that I've hit this plateau since the beginning of the month. I need to incorporate more exercise and just stick to eating healthy. At least I'm not where I was this time last year, shoveling in chocolate and cookies all day long. I feel healthier, most of my clothes fit me now (yay) and my skin, hair and nails look so healthy.

203.6

Yay the scale is moving in the right direction again. Yesterday I was up at 4am in order to be at the airport at 6am, so that I could fly to northern California for a client meeting. I usually eat several bags of honey roasted peanuts on the flight home. This time I though ahead and brought with a small bag of raisins and a 90 calorie granola bar for the flight home.

I had a really healthy client lunch, partly because I made healthy choices and partly because the service was dreadful. I started off with tortilla soup, my soup came with no tortillas (which was great because I wasn't going to eat them). The woman sitting next to me had a double portion of tortillas. Funny thing is was trying to be polite and didn't know what to do with all of them. Then I ordered a tuna steak that was supposed to come with a salad and a fries. I wasn't going to eat the fries. My plate arrived with one lettuce leaf and four tomato slices (um, hello was that my "salad"?) and no fries. I ate the fish and my salad and never said a word about the fries. The worst part of the service was when the table desserts didn't arrive. Someone ordered two hot fudge sundaes to be shared. I had already prepared my excuse for not eating any of it. They are covered with walnuts and I'm allergic to tree nuts. I've been allergic since I was a kid and for the most part have managed to stay away from nuts. Now days I'm using my allergy to not eat cookies and cakes when I'm in social settings. If you tell people "I'm watching what I eat" they will keep pushing the cookie/cake on you. If you tell them "I'm allergic" then they apologize. Ironic isn't it.

203.6   :)
I'm starting to feel like I might hit 200 by April 1st.

204.2

Another stressful day yesterday, but I managed to eat healthy foods in reasonable portions.

204.8

I ate literally everything in sight yesterday. I was at home all day working on preparing our taxes. Stress eating? Yes! It started out as plain old hunger because I chose to eat bagels and lox for breakfast rather than my protien filled normal breakfast. One bagel ended up being two and then it was on for the rest of the day.

Ironically I expected to wake up this morning weighing 225 again. Today is a new day and I'm back on track.

204.0

Clean eating, loads of water and the scale is moving again.

205.2

Heading back in the right direction! Loads of fruit, veggies, lean protien and water yesterday and the scale is moving again.

206 :(

Damn, damn, damn.....206

I was in the 203 range just a few days ago. Yesterday was another rough day, out the house at 6am for a client meeting and another fancy lunch out. I ordered the healthiest option on the menu (a sushi salad). Also ended up eating dinner out too because the group I volunteer with had a board meeting. Thin crust pizza for dinner is sitting like a lump of concrete in my stomach.

Today I'm working from home and plan on running at some point and having a veggie filled day with at least 100 ounces of water. I should be back on track in the next couple of days.

Financially things are really looking up. My boss gave me a fantastic raise and bonus (love my boss for that) and hubby's business is getting busier than it has been in the past three years. We might be able to buy our daughter a little used car by her birthday in August. My car is falling apart but I can wait until the end of the year when hubby's truck is paid off.

205.2

Crazy day yesterday, up at 4am drove for three hours to see a client, and then drove home. Not enough water all day. Really who wants to drink 100 ounces of water and be stuck in the car. I got 65 ounces in though by the end of the day.

Another early start to the day, and client meetings which means a fancy lunch out.

205.8

Hating the scale today! Evil little thing glaring at me and mocking me for eating lunch out yesterday. Japanese food (delish) full of sodium and I came home and literally drank a gallon of water. Hoping that the scale moves back into the 203 range in the next day or so.

204.6

Ate dinner later than normal last night. I'm starting to think that eating dinner before 7pm has something to do with losing weight. Hmm??

204.4

Totally crushed that the scale is moving up! Went to a party yesterday and ate more than I should have. Back on track today. I'm determined to get to 203 this week.

204.0

Eh a slight bounce back. I ate almost 1,500 calories yesterday and did get 10,000 steps in. Perhaps the second glass of wine tipped the scales?

203.4

Screw fried chicken....I'm 203.4 today!! Well not literally although I'm sure there are some weirdos that have a fried chicken fettish ~ haha.

I've decided that having a monthly weight loss goal is more motivating than setting a 'big' goal. I'm finding that losing 5 pounds a month is easy to achieve and the small daily changes keep me on track. I'm not sure what my ideal weight is, I guess I will see what I look like and how my body changes as the months go on.

still 204.4

We've literally run out of food and I did a quick grocery run for dinner. A few months ago that would have been a fried chicken, frozen mac and cheese and corn on the cob. Well thats what hubby and my son are having.

My daughter and I had roasted chicken (sans skin thank you very much) and brussel sprouts for dinner. Healthy, inexpensive (our local grocery store sells an entire chicken cooked for $5.99) and easy!

Hoping to be under 204 tomorrow....

204.4

I had my official weigh in yesterday. I've lost 20 pounds since Jan 1st. According to the BMI charts someone that is 5ft 9in tall should weigh no more than 146. That means I'm hauling around 58 pounds of lard on my body.....yikes!

I don't know that I will be able to get to 146 let alone maintain that. I'm taking this weight loss/healthy lifestyle journey 5 pounds at a time. This months goal is to get to 199. I haven't been under 200 in almost 7 years.   :(

204.8

Had the most amazing dinner (Italian sausage and gnocci) last night. Really tried to control the portions but still ate more than I should have and have gained half a pound. Not the end of the world.....

Back to eating really healthy small portions and back on track.

204.2

Day two of the same weight! Yesterday I tried on some clothes that were skin tight, now they fit perfectly. I'm starting to not feel like the "fat girl".

204.2

I thought that I would have gained some weight because I ate lunch out yesterday (with clients). I chose fish and vegetables. The fish was the healthiest item on the menu but it was greasy. I'm thrilled that I have lost .2 since yesterday.

204.4

204.4 I love the scale (today).

205.4

Yay in the 205s again. I'd love to take off the .4 before the end of the month so that I'm really 205 even.

206.4

NOOOO!!! I just can't seem to get to 205 and stay there.  :(
Crazy day yesterday, ate really well, then volunteered from4-9:30pm. Came home starving and ate a bowl of soup at 10pm. Perhaps the late night soup is causing the scale to creep up.

Should I have gone to be hungry???

205.4

YIPPEEE I've officically lost 20 pounds. Yesterday two people commented on my weight loss. Being tall (5'8) the first 10-15 pounds I lose is invisible. My goal was 205 by the end of the month, I still have another week, I might be able to lose another pound or so. I'm comfortable in my size 16s now and can wear some 14s.

Financially things are looking up, hubby has seured another client. Looks like the next few months will be somewhat stable. I guess all this financial stress has really hit me hard, I used to love shopping (as in clothes shopping) now I love grocery shopping. Seriously nothing makes me happier than a kitchen full of healthy food.

206.2

So close to hitting this month's goal of 205. I'm thinking that 5 pounds a month is a realistic weight loss goal. I want to make sure that once I lose this weight that I don't gain it back. I've seen so many people drop 30 pounds on fad diets then a year later gain it back plus a few extra pounds.

Eating lots of vegetables, fruit, lean protien and whole grains really isn't a diet. I have to think of this as the way I eat for the rest of my life.

On the financial front things are looking up, my hubby has work for the next few months.   :)

207.0

Back on track with eating and its working. Yesterday I ran, well technically I managed to run for about 100 yards then had to walk for 5 minutes until I could breathe again, then I ran and walked. I felt like my lungs were going to explode. I'm not a smoker, never have been, and thought that I was in fair shape. Obviously not!! My new goal (along with weight loss and financial stability) is to be able to run for 2 miles without having to walk. It felt really good to get away from my desk and actually do something. Oddly enough I'm not that sore today. I was expecting to wake up in agony.

207.6

Ate all healthy food in small portions yesterday and the scale is moving again (in the right direction). Didn't exercise. I really need to get my act together and figure out what works for me because I'm not motivated to exercise. My brain knows that I can't get to a healthy weight by only controlling my food.

209.4

Devistated!!! Yesterday we attended a baptism.....I'm firmly convinced that all religious events, no matter what demonination, are based on eating. I ate small portions of really great food and *sigh* here I am at 209.4 again. I've literally gained 4 pounds in four days. Back on track today!!!!!!

I'm going to start running today. It might just be run for 30 seconds, walk for 2 minutes, run for 30 seconds....

I have to do something to boost my metabolism and make this weight loss not all about what I eat.

207.6

Arrgghhhh!! Yesterday started out well, but I ended up eating nearly 2,000 calories. I had a small (1oz) bag of Doritos and 1oz (yes, I weighed it) of chocolate in the afternoon and indulged in grilled chicken wings for dinner. 8 wings, a hot dog and a salad isn't a very balanced dinner. Usually I plan menu's to make sure that we are eating healthy meals. I've got dinner planned for the rest of the week, somehow I thought I could "party it up" on Saturday and the scale wouldn't notice. Its my fault for buying the chicken wings, at least they were raw wings that I BBQ'd. It could have been worse if they were fried.

I need to pull myself up and make sure that yesterday was a one day slip. I don't want this to become a habit. The good thing is that I listed everything I ate on FitBit.

Hopefully I can hit 206 again in a day or so. I'm thinking that 202 by the end of the month is unrealistic. If I get to 205 by the end of the month I will be happy. That will be a solid 20 pounds gone in two months. I have to remember this is a lifestyle change not a sprint to the finish. I don't want to end up like so many other people that lose a bunch of weight only to gain it all back plus a few extra pounds a couple years later.

p.s. The Doritos were totally not worth it, what was I thinking.

206.0

Damn you digital scale!! Realistically 205.8 and 206 aren't that far apart, its just dissapointing to see movement in the wrong direction.

Yesterday I ate my 5 servings of veg, 3 servings of fruit, stayed at 1,500 calories and ate two slices of thin crust pizza for lunch (yummm). Last night I volunteered at my daughter's high school snack shack. She is a cheerleader (she has my Mom's thin genes, unlike me who ended up with my Dad's fat genes) and all parents of athletes have to work at the snack shack. The shack shack is stocked with literally every kind of junk food you can imagine (fat girl heaven). There were bags of pretzel M&M's that were calling my name. It took every ounce of self control to not indulge. Especially when the woman in charge said "eat anything you want". I took a bottle of water and politely said "I've already had dinner", meanwhile my brain was screaming for the M&Ms.

Grocery shopping day.....my goal is to keep it under $200. Thankfully things with my Hubby's business are picking up. He is working on a large home remodel that should take about 4-6 months. Crazy to think that just a few years ago he was running five big jobs at a time. Being tight financially really is humbling.

still 205.8 (just later in the day)

I've been reading another weight loss blog and just signed up to be on her roll (not exactly sure the technical meaning of that but I'm thinking that other people will be reading what I write).

Wow this is certainly going outside of my comfort zone. I set this blog up as a weight loss diary for me.

Beginning January 1st at 225.6 (225 point six arrgghhh) I decided to make some lifestyle changes. Eat about 1,500 calories a day, 5 servings of veggies, two servings of fruit and as few refined foods as possible. I use FitBit.com to track my food and movement (I wear a fancy pedometer thingy) and am going to start running soon. I'm not sure what my weight goal is. Welcome to my journey......

205.8

Wow, 20 pounds gone since 1/1! I'm going into my busy season at work and have started my client meetings. Last year I had one pair of pants and one skirt that fit and I rotated those hoping that no one would notice that I was wearing the same thing. Yesterday I put on a pair of pants that I haven't worn in at least three years. They fit perfectly!!  :)

I have a closet full of really expensive clothes (purchased when the economy was good) that are all size 10's and 12's. At my biggest I was a tight 16 eating my way into an 18. Currently I'm between a 14 and a 16. The black pants are Ann Taylor size 14s (yay me).

My goal is to fit into everything in my closet by the end of the year. At the rate I'm going it might be sooner.

207.2

Ate lunch out yesterday (Chinese food) and went to the movies and had a little bit of candy. Controlled the portions and only gained 1/2 a pound, not too bad.

206.4

I'm not gaining weight so its all good.

206.4

in the 206 range OH YEAH!!!    :)

208.0

Scale is moving in the right direction again. I just have to stick to eating healthy small portions of food.

209.4

Treated myself to two carne asada tacos and chips & salsa last night. Paying the price this morning.    :(
I used to eat five tacos and a half a bag of chips. Last night I ate 10 chips. I break them into pieces and eat the salsa with a spoon.

I'll bounce back in a day or so. Just kind of a bummer that I was 207 yesterday morning and *poof* here I am at 209 again.

207.8

I'm getting a cold and have a horrible sore throat.

208.2

Clean eating yesterday - 5 servings of veggies, 2 servings of fruit, 2 servings of low fat dairy and that scale is moving again.

208.6

The scale is moving!   :)

I need to exercise more....

209.4

In the office work meeting all day yesterday. Ate a healthy breakfast and dinner at home, had the "boxed" lunch at the office - ate half the sandwich, a small bag of Sun Chip, an orange, and two chocolate chip cookies. In hindsight I realized that I shouldn't have opened the cookies at all. They were okay and really were not worth the 400 calories. Lesson learned......if I'm going to splurge with calories it better be worth it.

Hoping to be back in the 208 range tomorrow.

210.4

Work dinner last night at Maggiano's. Ate small portions of everything but I knew it was a gut buster of a dinner. Back on track today.

208.8

Very successful birthday party for my son. It felt really good throwing him a party!!

I ate some junk but didn't get out of control. 208.8.

208.4

Throwing a sleepover Super Bowl party for my 11 year old son this weekend. Will have loads of junk food in the house for him and his friends. Trying to pre-plan what I will eat so that I don't eat a bunch of fattening food.

Financially....still not good, but with the savings plan in place this is the first birthday party that we've thrown for our son in three years.

208.8

Still in the 208 range......sticking to the plan

208.6

I really thought that I had gained weight. Yesterday I ate 1 ounce (I weighed it) of white chocolate, which is my absolute favorite. The funny thing is the first bite was amazing after that it was just kind of gross and then I felt ill from the sigar high. Not sure that I'll be doing that again anytime soon.

Years ago I heard someone say the first and last bites are the best why bother with anything in between.

208.6    :)

209.2

On January 1st my goal was to lose 5 pounds by February 1st. Woo hoo today I'm 16 pounds lighter than I was a month ago.

My motivation is at an all time high! This isn't a diet, this is a way of life. Eating healthy unprocessed foods every day is something I will do forever. I'm "allergic" to processed foods.....they make me break out in fat cells. Haha!

210.4

Its working!! Tomorrow is Feb 1st and I'm officially 15 pounds lighter than I was on Jan 1st. Goal for Feb is to drop a minimum of 5 pounds (8 would be fantastic).

211.8

Went to a baby shower yesterday and ate a little plate of unhealthy food. My body turned it right into fat and stored it. So frustrating!!!

Back on track today. I will hit 210 by Feb 1st.

210.4

Yippee!! The scale moved. I knew if I stuck to eating healthy food and drinking lots of water I could break the plateau.

211.6

Plateau................

Considering that I ate at my Mom's house last night its really impressive that I maintained my weight and not gained. I really watched my portions and felt satisfied last night rather than the usual food coma feeling I have when I eat there.

Eating healthy is not a diet its a lifestyle. I have to remember that I'm in this for the long haul not for a few months so that I can drop the excess weight. Even if it takes me two years to get to my goal weight its okay. Although the vain side of me really would like to believe the tracker on Fitbit that says I'll be at 165 on July 6th.

211.6

PLATEAU!   :(

Eating healthy, drinking loads of water......have to stick to the plan in order to bust through this dreadful plateau. Realistically I may not hit 210 by Feb 1st.

Trying to eat loads of veggies today, having dinner at my Mom's (calorie laden food and massive portions). My goal is to maintain 211.6 and not gain weight today.

211.4

scale is moving again   :)
lots of water and really healthy unprocessed food.

211.6

Yesterday I ate really healthy food. 5 servings of veggies, two servings of fruit, lean protein and no processed food. Only 60 ounces of water. Today I'll up the water intake and jump rope. I really want to hit 210 by the end of the month.

211.6

I ate a handful of candy yesterday afternoon (Mike & Ikes) and had a pasta dinner with garlic bread. Back on track today.

210.8

up a little....still in the 210 range.

210.6

YAHOOO!!! I love, love, love the scale this morning.

212.4

Hmm, not sure why I gained half a pound from yesterday. I ate a heavier dinner than normal, tri tip and baked potato.....small portion of course. Oh well as long as I stick to eating healthy the scale will move down again soon.

Its raining today, not sure what I'm going to do about exercise.

Went grocery shopping, really focusing on buying healthy unprocessed food. Loads of fruit, vegetables, 8 dozen eggs (hello my lovely egg whites), and whole wheat bread.....and of course a nice bottle of wine. I managed to get out of the store paying $215, with my club card and coupons. I just don't understand how these extreme couponing people come out with four carts of food for $1.25. Maybe they are eating a load of crappy processed food. I think that $200 a week for four people is reasonable, considering we eat at home 3 meals a day. Doing the math it works out to $2.55 per person per meal. Breaking it down that way doesn't seem so bad.

211.8

Eating under 1,500 calories is much easier than I thought it would be. I used FitBit to log my food and exercise. Trying to stick with real foods, fruit, veggies, grains and lean protein. I follow a couple other dieting bloggers, one is using a diet food bar as a meal replacement, and the other has gone vegan. I wonder where each of us will be on December 31st??

Finances are still troubling, really wish there was a finance fairy that could wave a magic wand over his business. If only things were that easy.......

212.6

I feel really good because I've been eating healthy food. I sleep well, I've got more energy and overall just feel better. I'm glad the scale moved a little bit this morning. I ate more fiber yesterday....oatmeal and raisins. Will I be able to hit 210 by February 1st? Ironically my goal was 5 pounds a month.

212.8

Thinking that I need more fiber in my diet. Drank 104 oz of water yesterday, but didn't produce a #2. Perhaps the increased protein in my diet is causing this. Goal today is to jump rope for 5 minutes straight. Not sure what kind of fiber I want to incorporate in my diet. Certainly not a laxative or one of those dreadful fiber bars (the protein shakes are bad enough).

212.0

YIPPEE!!!!  If sweating is your fat crying then drinking lots of water and peeing is your fat melting. I really think weight loss is directly related to reducing calories and increasing water. Um, yes I'm a genius....move over Jenny Craig. Hahah

214.0

Loads of water yesterday 96 oz, ate healthy and at home. Massive pooh (TMI) this morning and poof back down to 214.0. Also walked a lot yesterday.

217.0

Didn't have a protein shake yesterday morning. Ate Subway for lunch, could that sandwich really be 320 caloreis as advertised? Ate Mexican food (my weakness) for dinner....ate half of what I normally would eat, but still a lovely salt festival. Also didn't drink enough water during the day and two glasses of wine at night. Weight loss is a day by day thing.

214.6

Loving the scale moving on a daily basis. Yesterday really struggled with the brownies calling my name. Bastard brownies how do they know my name? None the less managed to only have a 1 inch chunk of brownie.

Motivational thoughts:

• Nothing tastes as good as thin feels
• Sweat is your fat crying

215.4

Bouncing up and down. Must drink at least 80 oz of water and move more. Struggling with moving more. Baked brownies the other day for my son, had a nibble two days ago and another nibble yesterday. Nibble is a lot better than a shoveling in two or three brownies a day. Its all about self control!!

Financially things are looking up, hubby has bid on a 'good' job. Generally January is the worst month for his business.

215.0

Didn't jump rope yesterday. Really must make exercise a priority. Went out to dinner last night to celebrate my son's birthday. Ate grilled salmon and veggies. Healthy choice that was delicious. Such a treat to go out to dinner.    :)

215.6

Maintaining is better than losing. Motivation level is still high. Considering my goal was 5 pounds per month. I'm thrilled with where I am today.

215.6

Drank 90 oz of water yesterday. Ate 1,500 calories - 5 servings of vegetable and 2 servings of fruit. Plus jumped rope (getting better at it, less like a lumbering hippo) and it paid off.

217.0

Heart is saying NOOOOOOOOOOOO! WTF I barely ate yesterday.    :(
Brain is saying wow you've lost 8 pounds in a week, focus on the ultimate goal of losing 50 pounds by 12/31/2012.

Today I will drink 80 oz of water and also walk at least 7,500 steps. I have a FitBit pedometer which links into a website where I log my food and sleep. Don't forget how important sleep is to losing weight. Hopefully with the increased movement I will be able to lose a pound this week.

216.8

Two glasses of wine with dinner and poof 216.8    :(

216.4

I actually weighed myself three times this morning because I couldn't believe how fast my weight is coming off. I know this has to stop at some point, but holy cow I'm loving seeing a pound a day drop. Just wait until I start exercising!!!

Finances are looking better hubby's business is picking up a bit plus I've got $283 in savings. Not exactly a fortune but its a start.

217.2

Made brownies yesterday for my daughter's friend. The smell was intoxicating....best part is I wasn't tempted to eat them. Drank all my water didn't get in any exercise.

218.0

Loving the daily weigh in on a digital scale because I can see progress. I know that at some point I will hit a wall. This week's goal is to drink 80 oz of water a day. Next week it will be to drink 80 oz of water and do 30 minutes of exercise a day. MOTIVATED!!!

p.s. Jump rope was a challenge. I think I looked like a baby hippo lumbering around in the back yard.

218.6

Bought a weighted jump rope last night. Going to start jumping rope today. I'm rather clumsy and haven't jumped rope in about 40 years. This should be interesting......

p.s. 1st paycheck of 2012 issued on Friday / $50 going into savings.

220.0

Day two of the cardboard protein shake. Hopped on the scale and weighed in at 220 (first thing in the morning and with no clothes on) still a hell of a lot better than yesterday’s earth shattering 225. I’m highly motivated to eat healthy and move more. Yesterday I took my dog for a walk. Being that he is a Chihuahua he walked some of the way and I carried him the rest of the way (still counts as walking the dog). I really hope this motivation becomes a habit and this time next year it’s just the way I live my life. Back to mundane things like dinner. I’ve got left over prime rib from New Years Day and need to use it up. Is it sinful to chop it up and use it for chili?

225.6

I stepped on the digital scale. 225.6!!!! Earth shattering (pun intended) weight    :(

Started the day off with a protein shake. Dr. Oz says that starting your day with 30 grams of protein will help you lose weight. Lets see if this helps. Kind of tastes like cardboard in liquid form. Not that I eat cardboard on a regular basis.