(week 20). i'm not gonna lie...

I gained .06 over the past two weeks. No excuses here, I went on vacation to see my dad, only to come back and be icky sick for a week. Workouts have temporarily been halted, as I continue to cough a lung up (at least it feels that way!). While trying to stick to eating well, there were a few days that I allowed myself a “free pass”. Man, STL has some great food!

Mommy and Noah enjoying our vacation!

But I didn’t totally stray from it all (if I had, I can only IMAGINE the weight I’d have gained). For the most part, I chose sensible meal choices (I won’t mention the cream soda float with a mountain of ice cream, or the awesome ribs I had—TWICE!), opted for water or diet soda and made sure to keep active.

We took Noah to the zoo (he loved) and the Children’s museum (he L-O-V-E-D!), and chased him around the airport, of course.

Noah on his first carousel ride.

Now, being sick for a week now, I’ve really had to just bite the bullet and allow myself to get better. That means a lot of sitting/resting when I get home. No workouts, no over-doing it... Nothing but rest. I used to make fun of people who would complain when they couldn’t work out, but MAN, I’ve been feeling weird and achy without exercise!

I had also been getting super-comfortable with the WW program. So much so, that my food tracking became sporadic. With starting a new WW series today, I’m going back to basics—if it goes in my mouth, it gets jotted down! Here’s what the day has looked like so far:

I’ve been at this almost 5 months, and have lost ALMOST 25 pounds. I’m so proud of how far I’ve come, but am even more excited of where I can take this.

As my WW leader reminds us, we shouldn’t always look at what this week’s scale says, but at what you’ve accomplished so far. She’s so right. Big picture, people!

(NOTE: .06 is NOT bad!)

(week 11). nom nom.

This past week, my WW leader challenged us all to track our food. Of course, this is essential to helping the program work, but some get comfortable with the daily routine.

Even I skip tracking a snack or two... But this week, I was diligent with it, and it looks like it paid off: another pound (well, it was almost 1-1/2, but whatever) down!

It’s amazing to see what I end up consuming each day, especially when I compare my eating habits from a year ago. My biggest change, of course, was exchanging Dr. Pepper for his diet counterpart. That saves me up to 16 points each day! (Yes, I was ending up consuming up to 48-oz. each day) I’ve always been into fruit and vegetables, but now, I’m making a conscious effort to pile them on at (almost) every meal! Instead of running out for a hamburger or happy meal, I’m stopping for a salad, or filling up on power foods and packed lunches.

I think the key to my success has been snacking. Whether it’s popcorn, a piece of fruit or drinking a glass of water, I keep myself fueled with bits of food. I even keep point-conscious snacks at my desk, so I’m never without something to munch on.

I have been working on my self-control (one cookie, not two), and I’m succeeding more often than not. Some days get the best of me (last night’s shepard’s pie was calling my name!), but I’m working on it.

But no matter what, if it goes in my mouth, it gets tracked.

I had mentioned to someone my next over-arching goal is to lose 20 pounds in the next three months. Does that sound reasonable to you all? That’s an average of 1-1/2 pounds per week, which is something I think I can do... Thoughts?

WW is a tool I use to help me change my life. Without my drive and motivation to make it work, it wouldn’t. That’s the ultimate key here. If you don’t want it and WORK for it, it simply won’t happen. Work for it with me, people.