It's Official: I'm Composting!

You know several weeks ago when I was trying to figure out the best way for us to compost at home? I didn't want to dig holes in the backyard. We don't really have the space to build three above-ground containers for filling and turning. And I don't have 300 bucks to spend on an electric counter-top system right now.

But I've found the solution: Green Bucket Composting here in Austin! For as little as $3.50 a week, they'll pick up the food waste right from your front porch, compost it on their family farm, and use it to grow vegetables for their families, their employees and even local food banks. They provide the containers, filters and bags, all I'll have to do is provide the food scraps. My bucket arrives Friday!

A Weight-Loss Update

Remember the old Slim Fast plan? "A shake for breakfast, another for lunch and a sensible dinner." I would have starved on the first day, devouring everything I could get my hands on come 3 p.m.

For the last month, I've been doing their new 3-2-1 plan (Three snacks, two Slim Fast meals and dinner on my own). And I've lost 10 pounds. 10 pounds! I couldn't believe it when I stepped on the scale this morning. I seriously squinted my eyes and bent closer to the scale to make sure I was reading it correctly.

It's been so easy. I have a shake or a meal bar for both breakfast and lunch, and then I scatter three snacks throughout the day before that "sensible dinner." For me, that means a snack late in the morning and two in the afternoon. My snacks have been things like yogurt, nuts, fresh fruit, dried fruit, even a cookie or two along the way. I try to keep those snacks around 100-150 calories. And it's working!

I was a little hesitant to share that Slim Fast is what I've been doing, that y'all would think of it as something other than real food. But when I compared the labels to the things I had been eating previously, it all made total sense. I'm getting a ton of protein in, fiber, vitamins, the whole shebang, and I'm getting my fruits and veggies in during snacks and dinner. My blood work after my annual visit to my doctor last week came back "excellent."

How will I reward myself? Not with cupcakes. My plan is to start either a Pandora bracelet or necklace now that I've hit that 10-pound mark, and I'll add a charm with each five pounds.