Pleasant surprise

Friday evening we're having a little pre-wedding BBQ dinner for Erin and Ron. Knowing that I wouldn't be able to go to my regular Friday evening WW meeting, I went a day early... and lost an additional 2 pounds, even weighing a day ahead of schedule!!!

I was very pleasantly surprised, and almost shocked, that I'm now down a total of 11.4 pounds with WW. Is it because I weighed on scale #1 instead of scale #3 like I usually do? Is it because I've been drinking more water this week? Or is it because this is actually working???

I'm starting to feel it in several pairs of jeans, and even in my unmentionables, but I'm still not seeing it in the mirror. And who knows when I will... when I lost weight before, I never really saw the change in the mirror, but I definitely saw it in pictures.

Maybe it's because I define myself, in my own heart and mind, without using weight as a measure. I don't think of myself in terms of what the scale says. I'm not a better person at 155 than I was at 175. When I'm relaxing with Cole or spending time with my parents or napping with the animals, I don't think of myself in terms of pounds.

I'm thrilled about the weight loss, and I'm very excited and determined to get 10 more pounds off, but I'm more excited about getting healthier, having more energy and shopping for new jeans.

The plan for tomorrow night's BBQ dinner??? Portion control, extra water during the day, and skiing Saturday morning to burn off some calories!!!

And, it's time to call Dr. Schneider to retest my liver... stay tuned.

My new favorite snack

Have you seen the GIANT Cookies and Cream Bars from Weight Watchers (BlueBunny) in the grocery store? If you have... BUY THEM! Now that I've eaten one, I vaguely remember Mom mentioning them in the last week or so, but they will now be a staple on my grocery list. Like bananas, bottled water, and dog/cat food.

They taste like a huge no-no, but they're only two POINTS each. The ice cream in the center is so soft, and I swear it was coated in freshly crushed oreo-type cookies just minutes before I gobbled it down.

I haven't exactly been the best, most diet-conscious eater so far this week, but I'm still well within my POINTS for the week. I'm just running out of wiggle room fast.

Now really, run to the store and buy some for yourself!!!

Tracking progress

How cute is this???

Ace of Cakes

Have you seen this show on the Food Network??? The chef and his crew work in Baltimore, and they are making surprising, beatiful and fun cakes. Check out the pics on their Web site.

I've been watching the Food Network alot lately while counting the POINTS and calories. Somehow it makes me feel good to know that even though I can't take the food into my mouth and tummy, I can take it into my eyes and brain and enjoy it (almost) just as much.

Stacey, swing my Baltimore and bring us one on your way to town next weekend!!! Sock monkeys preferred...

Setting a goal

It's Friday night. That means that I had my regular WW meeting at 5:30, oh, and I weighed in. 1.4 pounds gone this week, for a total of 9.4 since I started with them. It's gone very smooth and consistently, and it really is an easy program to follow. The counting POINTS sorta becomes a game after a while... "If I have six POINTS for breakfast, what can I have the rest of the day to get the most bang for my POINTS?"

Plus there's built-in wiggle room for the days you just can't pass up the chocolate chip cookie or glass of wine. There is not enough wiggle to splurge every day, but it you play the numbers right, you can have a successful and yummy week each week.

Before the meeting this evening, I visited with Pam, our Friday evening Leader. We came up with my goal: 145. According to their online assessment, a healthy weight for someone my height and age is anywhere from 124 to 155. I certainly don't think 124 would work for me at all, but when I get to 145, we'll just see from there if I need to keep going. At one point a couple of years ago, when I was right around 145, Dr. Schneider called that my "fighting weight," so it seems like a good goal to have again.

My "Real Age"

Okay, I'm still gonna answer the "how old are you?" question with "29" as long as I can (Cole is laughing at me right now), but yesterday I actually did the quiz/survey thing at RealAge.com. Wild. It's actually telling me that I'm two years yonger than the calendar says, which I didn't think was too bad.

I am 34.9; it calculated 32.9.

Things like not smoking, not having a long commute, eating breakfast every day and taking a daily vitamin helped take the months away. But I still have to work on getting my weight down, eating more veggies, flossing more often and exercising more. Tell me something I didn't know!!!

Note to self: Take the suvey again in six months and see how I do.

Remember me? I know, you've heard *that* before...

So, I guess it's been about five months. I was being good, counting calories, Cole and I challenged ourselves to lose 10 pounds each so that we could shop for a boat. Well, we didn't lose the weight, shopped for and bought a boat, and I started feeling the need to be careful with my weight again after seeing myself in a bathing suit... yikes!

So, a little more than five weeks ago I started Weight Watchers. And at my weigh in last Friday evening, I had lost eight pounds. Yay for me!!! I'd love to see two more pounds to make it an even 10 this week, but a loss is a loss. And I'm happy with a slow-and-steady win for this race.

Why Weight Watchers this time when I had so much luck with Jenny Craig in the past??? Easy: My mom. She started WW with some friends at work and hit the ground running. She explained the program, how easy it was to follow, and lost 4.6 her first week!!! Just the inspiration I needed... And my friend Kellie has had great luck with the program too. Plus, I couldn't handle the thought of more JC food. Sure, there were some good things on their menu (i.e., their chocolate cake), but sitting down to a few of their entrees, yet again, was just more than I could stomach.

So here I am, still 30 pounds lighter than my heaviest weight ever (188), and ready to set a goal for myself that I know I can and will stick to.

On tonight's menu, skillet-seared pork chops, fuji apple slices, and fresh parmesan cheese slices.

So why start blogging again??? I'm doing what I can to keep myself accountable in as many ways possible: my daily POINTS calculations; Cole knowing what's in the house and what I'm eating; and keeping track of my progress, slips and challenges here...

Plus, I have this crazy notion that one day I could become a WW Leader... have I lost my mind with these first eight pounds???