People are starting to notice that I'm losing weight. I'm below 160 now. This has been such a great change for me and one that I feel like I can keep up. I really don't feel deprived on a day to day basis. I could see this being a long term way of eating, just adding in 'splurge' meals on occasion.

We're having a yard sale this weekend, so I won't be exercising this week, but it will take a lot of work to get the sale ready. We're having it Friday and Saturday, hopefully the weather will be nice. It's been so hot lately, summer's definitely here!

Here's my food journal for today:
Breakfast: balance bar, banana
Lunch: chips and salsa, chicken soup (chicken, broth, pico de gallo, avocado, rice - YUM!)
Snack: peach, grapes
Dinner: 1/2 pork spring roll, 2 1/2 grape leaves with beef, flat rice vermicilli
Dessert: cherries, 1/2 piece chocolate cake, milk
Water: 60 ounces

My clothes are fitting so much better! I went shopping with my sister-in-law and mother-in-law Saturday and it was fun to try on clothes again! And I wore a bikini yesterday at the cookout and did not feel very self conscious (huge accomplishment!). I think it was partly actually losing some weight, and partly just feeling better and healthier in my body. What a great feeling - it's enough to keep me going!

The desserts were good yesterday, everybody seemed to like them. I also gave away most of the leftovers, so they're out of the house.

Here's my food journal for today:
Breakfast: balance bar, banana
Lunch: 2 wedges laughing cow, 1 serving wheat thins
6 ounces Dannon light 'n fit raspberry yogurt
Balance bar
Snack: peach
Dinner: 2 fajitas, rice, beans, chips, salsa
Dessert: cherries, 1/2 piece chocolate cake, 1/2 cup 1% milk
Water: 60 ounces

We're going to a cook out this afternoon and I made two desserts from my Self Dishes magazine - Key Lime Pie and Chocolate Banana Cake. I can't wait to try them - I hope they're good!

Here's my food journal for today:
Breakfast: tastes of batter, icing :)
Lunch: Balance bar
Snack: mango salsa, regular salsa, tortilla chips
Dinner: 1/4 rack of barbeque ribs, pasta salad, corn
Dessert: 1/2 piece key lime pie, 1/2 piece chocolate cake
Water: 40 ounces?

A lazy Sunday. We went to church with my parents and then my husband had to go into work. So, we're putting off the yard work until next week. We also went to the grocery store to get ingredients for a few dishes for tomorrow (we're cooking out at my husband's parent's house).

My husband and I have been talking about the possibility of opening a Dinner A Fare franchise. We would love to own our own business and I love the concept of Dinner A Fare. I think it could do really well in our area. Nothing may come of it, but it's exciting to think about!

Here's my food journal for today:
Breakfast: Balance bar
Lunch: 1/2 pita with chicken curry salad, 1/2 c. pasta salad
Dinner: Mexican chopped salad
Snack: a few chips and salsa (to test out our homemade salsa!), mango
Dessert: 1/2 cup of gelato
Water: 40 ounces

Breakfast: Balance bar
Lunch: Cobb salad, herb vinegarette on side
Snack: Yoplait yogurt, strawberry, 6 ounces
Dinner: Mexican chopped salad
Dessert: 1/4 reese's cup, WW chocolate cake
Water: 60 ounces

We ended up not going to dinner out because my husband had to work late. S0 - leftovers again. I am loving this Dinner A Fare thing! We've had 3 meals so far and it's been so convienent! No stopping at the grocery store, no wondering what will I make tonight. And they're so fast! I do need to get a little more inventive on the side dishes though. Canned green beans only go so far. We forgot to take something out of the freezer last night, so I think it will be the Brown Sugar Chilpolte Salmon tonight, which is our last meal that doesn't have to be thawed!

We have big ambitions of working on our landscaping this weekend. We've got a lot to pull up and replace, so hopefully we'll have nice weather! I'm planning on getting a workout in this afternoon to get the weekend started right. Hopefully I'll get out of work a little early, in anticipation of the holiday!

Here's my food journal for today:
Breakfast: Balance bar, grapes
Lunch: 2 laughing cow light cheese wedges, 1 serving Wheat thins Harvest Grain
Balance bar
Yoplait light blackberry yogurt, 6 ounces
Dinner: Salmon, couscous
Snack: blackberries/strawberries
Water: 60 ounces

No exercise today. I didn't get off work quite as early as I was hoping and I ended up reading and falling asleep instead. I will definitely get it in this weekend. I think we've put the yard work on hold until Sunday, but I will at least do a video tomorrow.

I have the best nieces and nephews! They are really such great kids, I am so lucky to have them around. I babysat my 5 week old nephew and 2 1/2 year old niece last night and it was so much fun. My 7 year old niece also came over to play and she was actually a huge help! It was a lot of work though, I don't know how working moms do it!

We're going out to eat tonight at another new restaurant (well, new for us), Vine, in the Highlands. The menu looks great, and there are several good options for me to have. We're going to see the musical 'Wicked' at the Fox afterwards. I am so excited, I saw it on Broadway in February and it was SO good, it may have overtaken 'Miss Saigon' as my new favorite.

Here's my food journal for today:
Breakfast: Balance bar, grapes
Lunch: 2 laughing cow light cheese wedges, 1 serving Wheat thins Harvest Grain
1 c. fruit salad
Yoplait light blueberry yogurt, 6 ounces
Snack: Balance bar
Dinner: Chicken Marsala, green beans
Snack: (at play) sweet and salty peanut granola bar, handful of popcorn, 10 raisanettes
Water: 80 ounces

I think I got back on track yesterday. I wanted something last night while I was watching TV, but I waited and it passed. I've lost about 5 pounds so far and it's so great to get on the scale and see it going down! This is the first time I have been successful at starting just a 'healthy eating' diet! I've tried before, but it's never worked. I've always needed more structure (like Weight Watchers or South Beach). The great thing is I think I can actually keep this one up!
I'm looking at it as more of a long term change than a temporary thing. I've also really cut my soda intake down. I'm only drinking one diet soda on most days (big improvement over 3 or 4).

I'm babysitting tonight, so no exercise, but I have a feeling I'll be doing some serious playing with my niece!

Here's my food journal for today:
Breakfast: Balance bar, bananna
Lunch: 2 laughing cow light cheese wedges, 1 serving Wheat thins Harvest Grain
1 c. fruit salad
Yoplait light strawberry/banana yogurt, 6 ounces
Snack: Balance bar, grape popsicle
Dinner: 3 chicken strips, french fries (baked)
Water: 80 ounces

Yesterday wasn't my best day. There was nothing really bad, but I felt like I ate more than I needed. The granola bar was SO good, but it's almost like having candy. I'm going to save those for special treats, not an every day thing. I got hungry after dinner last night and had an additional snack. It was healthy, but I probably could have done without it. I'm not sure if I was really hungry or just bored.

Tomorrow we're baby sitting for our 5 week old nephew Dylan and 2 1/2 year old niece Lola. I can't wait, I love being around them and I could literally just hold Dylan for hours. They make me so happy!

I'm planning on working out again today. Yesterday wasn't high intensity, but it was tough. I definitely felt the burn and worked up a good sweat. And we're trying another Dinner A Fare entree tonight, Chicken Marsala.

Here's my food journal for today:
Breakfast: Balance bar, bananna
Lunch: 2 manicotti
30 grapes
Yoplait light strawberry/banana yogurt, 6 ounces
Snack: Cracker Jack - small bag
Dinner: gazpacho, fat free sour cream, avocado
Chicken Marsala
1 c. green beans
Dessert: 1 c. fruit salad
Water: 80 ounces

Exercise: Fatburning Pilates Crunch DVD (about 45 minutes)

I didn't do a lot of work in the yard yesterday, but I did pick up sticks so my husband could mow the grass and I potted some plants in 2 hanging baskets. Neither one of us are good at gardening, but we've decided it's time to work on our house's landscaping. It's been sorely neglected for the last year. We bought plants for the front of the house yesterday (spending about $600!) and we're planning on working next weekend to get them all in. They are really pretty and I think we made good choices that will make our house look great. Now if we could just a new front door...

My goal today is to work out tonight to a dvd or Tivoed workout (probably a pilates/cardio one that I have). We have plans Wednesday and Thursday night, so I'm planning to work out Monday, Tuesday, Friday and work HARD in the yard on Saturday. This will get my exercise plan back on track (after a hiatus last week!).

Here's my food journal for today:
Breakfast: Balance bar, bananna
Lunch: Orange glazed barbeque pork chop, in 1/2 white pita
1 1/2 c. canteloupe
Yoplait light blueberry yogurt, 6 ounces
Snack: sweet and salty almond granola bar
Dinner: gazpacho, fat free sour cream, avocado
3 manicotti
Dessert: 1 c. fruit salad
Snack: 20 grapes, 2 small squares Laughing Cow cheese
Water: 60 ounces

Exercise: 'Zen Sculpt' workout - basically pilates with weights, 45 min.

We had a great time with my husband's family yesterday. We went to graduation in the morning and had a really nice lunch with the family. We also had dinner at his parent's, his mom had made gazpacho, it was so yummy - tomatoes, celery, cucumbers, peppers... I think I did okay for the day - I only had a small amount of homemade ice cream (i just couldn't pass it up) and I passed on the cake. There was also homemade salsas which were so good, and healthy, the only problem was the tostitos I ate with them!

Today we don't have many plans, so I'm think I won't have any problems with the diet. Also, we're planning on working on our yard, so I should get some good exercise in.

I'm almost a week into the diet and it's going great so far. I definitely need to get more exercise in, this week was pretty busy. My goal is to get at least 3 days in this week, but I'm aiming for 4.

Here's my food journal for today:
Breakfast: Balance bar
Lunch: Orange glazed barbeque pork chop, sliced in 1/2 white pita
1/2 banana
1 serving Tostitos
Snack: 1/2 Sweet&Salty peanut granola bar
Dinner: gazpacho, fat free sour cream, avocado
2 manicotti (from Dinner A Fare - yummy!)
1/2 slice of Cole's garlic bread
Dessert: 1 c. fruit salad
Water: 60 ounces

Here's my food journal for Saturday:
Breakfast: Toasted whole grain english muffin with small amount of Olivio
Smoothie - 3/4 cup berries (blackberries, raspberries, blueberries), 1/2 skim milk
Lunch: Sandwich - 2 slices rye bread, 1 slice turkey, 1 slice ham, provolone, avocado
1 c. fruit salad
3/4 c. chickpea salad
Snack: 2 servings tostitos scoops, mango salsa, tomato/corn/black eyed pea salad
Dinner: 1 1/2 c. Gazpacho, lowfat yogurt, avocado
Dessert: 1/2 c. homemade strawberry ice cream
Water: 44 ounces

This morning our marketing department volunteered at Project Open Hand. It was a great time and really rewarding. I scooped squash and cheese/enchilada sauce and overall we made over 2850 meals. It's such a great service for these people to have. I skipped the chicken buscuits and just ate my balance bar. We're planning on having our first Dinner A Fare meal tonight, Orange Glazed Barbeque Pork Chops - it sounds yummy!

Our nephew is graduating from high school tomorrow morning and my husband's sister is having a lunch afterwards. I don't think I'll have any problem though, it's all about just making the right choice and I'm ready for it! I might even take a Balance bar, just in case I need it!

Here's my food journal for today:
Breakfast: Balance bar
Lunch: Toasted whole grain english muffin with small amount of Olivio
Yopliat Light strawberry and banana yogurt - 6 ounces
1.5 cup fruit salad - canteloupe, strawberries
Snack: 3/4 c. bran flakes and 1/2 c. skim milk
Dinner: Orange glazed barbeque pork chop, 1/2 can green beans,
spinach salad - spinach, goat cheese, balsamic vinegar
Snack: 2 Tbsps. hummus, 1 mini pita
Dessert: Weight Watchers mississippi mud pie
Water: 44 ounces

I have another eating out challenge tonight, but I know I'll make a good choice. I feel too good right now not too! I'm going to try to forgo my afternoon Balance bar or maybe I'll just eat it later in the afternoon so I'm not as hungry at dinner. We're going out with my parents and my in-laws. I'm so lucky that everyone likes each other so much that they actually WANT to get together. I am so grateful to have such a wonderful family (old and new!). The Dinner A Fare last night was really fun. It was still a lot of work, but now I have 13 healthy dinners in my freezer to help stay away from eating out/take out. Hopefully they'll be as good as they look!

Tomorrow my department is volunteering at Project Open Hand, who prepares and delivers meals to sick and elderly people who are unable to get out. It's always a great experience. We are having chick-fil-a biscuits for breakfast, but I'm going to stick to my Balance bar!

Here's my food journal for today:
Breakfast: Balance bar and banana
Lunch: 2 Light Laughing Cow cheese wedges and 1 serving wheat thins harvest grain
Yopliat Light peach yogurt - 6 ounces
1.5 cup fruit salad - canteloupe, strawberries
Snack: Balance bar (late, around 4)
Dinner: Grilled chicken sandwich - wheat bun, chicken, smoked gouda slice, lettuce, pesto (small amount, I got it on the side and just put a little bit on!)
Fresh fruit - grapes, honeydew, canteloupes
Dessert: 1 bite each of coconut cake, blackberry cobbler, bread pudding
Water: 80 ounces (at least!)

I did good at dinner, I planned ahead what I was going to have (I looked at the menu online) and I think that helped. They had such good things on the menu, but it's too early to cheat on a whole meal! Maybe later on I can splurge every now and then, but not on Day 4! The desserts were enough of a splurge, but I limited myself to 1 small bite of each (we got several different ones for the table to share). Overall, another great day!

I feel like I'm already making progress. I feel better already. It might only be mental, but that's really important to me! If you notice from my food log, I'm really a creature of habit. I've found breakfast/lunch that I really enjoy and that keeps me satisfied, so I tend to stick to it. I've been having Diet Mtn. Dew and a balance bar for breakfast for literally years. Lunch changes more often, but this is one I really like, so it will probably show up often. I'm meeting my mom for dinner tonight, so that will be my first 'eating out' challenge. After dinner, we are going to A Dinner A Fare, a place where you go to make meals - they have all the food ready to go and then you actually make the recipes. They are healthy and convenient. This is our first time, so I'm hoping it wil be fun! My husband and I both really enjoy cooking, but there are many nights neither of us in the mood. I'd love to have meals ready to go in the freezer on those nights instead of resorting to eating out/ordering in (which is bad for our budget and diet!).

Here's my food journal for today:
Breakfast: Balance bar and banana
Lunch: 2 Light Laughing Cow cheese wedges and 1 serving wheat thins harvest grain
Yopliat Light strawberry yogurt - 6 ounces
1 cup fruit salad - mango, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries
Snack: Balance bar
Dinner: Grilled Chicken salad - with gorgonzola cheese, croutons, sundried tomatoes and sundried tomato balsamic vinagerette (so yummy!)
Piece of bread, olive oil
Dessert: Zuchinni bread
Water: at least 80 ounces! and only one can of diet soda!

So my mom and I ended up going to Johnny Carino's, my first time there, and everything looked so good! I ended up getting what I think was the most heatlhy thing on the menu and I know I could have made it even better by getting it without cheese and croutons, but I just couldn't do it! Still, I think overall I made a good choice (the website doesn't have any nutrional information, so I can't be completely sure!). I just dipped my fork in the salad dressing and used less than half of what they brought me and I had only a small piece of bread. My mom also brought me a small slice of zuchinni bread that her friend made, one of my favorites, so I indulged.

After the success of yesterday, I'm ready to do well today! I put my meals from yesterday into the nutrition part of Sparkpeople.com (a free site) and it was 1,150 calories. I'm aiming for 1,200 - 1,500, so I'll add in at least one more fruit or vegetable. I also plan do some kind of exercise tonight, so today will be even better! My plan is to go for a walk with my husband.

Here's my food journal for today:
Breakfast: Balance bar and banana
Lunch: 2 Light Laughing Cow cheese wedges and 1 serving wheat thins harvest grain
Yopliat Light Blackberry yogurt - 6 ounces
1 cup fruit salad - mango, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries
Snack: Balance bar
Dinner: 4 oz baked chicked (with whole grain mustard, lime juice, garlic), 1/2 can green beans, spinach salad - 1 cup spinach, 1 Tbsp gorgonzola, balsamic vinegar
Dessert: 1 cup fruit salad - mango, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries
Water: 60 oz. (only 2 cans diet soda!)

Exercise: 20 minute walk around neighborhood

I had another great day. I didn't exercise as much as I normally would, but that is literally the first time I've managed to get my husband out to walk with me. He got home a little late and we were both hungry, so we only went around once. It was beautiful out, a great day for a walk. I know I'm going to be really busy the next several days, so my exercising will be minimal. This is something I really need to work on adding.

Today's the day...I'm seriously committed to this diet. I'm ready and my husband is too and I know we can do it together. My husband had a physical last month and we just got his results back over the weekend. His cholesterol is high (239) and our doctor has given him 4 months to adjust his diet and then he's going to recheck it. Neither of us wants him to have to take medicine to control his cholesterol and since it runs in his family, this is the wake up call I think we need to get serious about being healthy (instead of just talking about it). I'm not sure what my cholesterol is, but it's probably not great either. I should know in a few weeks (we recently applied for life insurance and they ran a lot of tests on us, we'll get the results back soon). I'm going to assume it's high too, because even it's not, I need to eat like it is.

I'm also going to try to up my water consumption. I drink too much diet soda - 3 to 4 cans a day, so my goal is to cut that back to 2 a day while drinking at least 8 servings of water (64 oz).

Here's my food journal for today:
Breakfast: Balance bar (chocolate chip cookie dough - I'm addicted to these!)
Lunch: 2 Light Laughing Cow cheese wedges and 1 serving wheat thins harvest grain
Yopliat Light Blueberry yogurt - 6 ounces
Snack: Balance bar
3 wheat thins with hummus (right before dinner to tide me over!)
Dinner: 4 oz baked chicked (with whole grain mustard, lime juice, garlic)
1 ear corn (roasted in oven, with 1 tsp. Olivio - olive oil spread)
Spinach salad - 1 cup spinach, 1 Tbsp gorgonzola, balsamic vinegar
Dessert: 1 cup fruit salad - mango, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries
Water: 44 oz. (but only 2 cans diet soda!)

I did so well today, I'm not used to this. There's usually something 'extra' in my diet, but I really did it today. What a great start! I didn't get any exercise, after going to the grocery store and cooking, I had to watch Sunday's Grey's Anatomy before the 2 hour season finale. It was so great by the way!

It seems like I have been on a perpetual journey to lose weight, pretty much since the fifth grade. There was that one month or so when I was a size 8 and weighed 140 pounds (I'm 5'9"), but it was short lived, as it was the result of devestation over a mean boy who broke my heart. Otherwise I have fought the fight, usually weighing between 155 and 170. I got engaged last February and was at my highest weight in several years. I started a diet in April (joining Weight Watchers at work) and I was at 173. I lost about 20 pounds over the next few months, a combination of WW, South Beach, and renovating a house (you'd be surprised how much of a work out laying tile was!). When I got married in October, I was 153 and felt comfortable and happy in my body. Since then, I've enjoyed being married and having the house finished and I've crept back up to 170. Over the last month or so, I've tried to eat better and work out more, to little success. I haven't really gained any weight, but I haven't lost any either. I've decided the accountability of keeping this blog may be what I need to be successful. Things always seem to work better when they're written down (and when there's a possibility that someone may actually be checking up to see the progress). My plan is start really making an effort to eat healthy and work out. I want to do this the right way, not through completely cutting out carbs or starving myself. I'm going to go with the WW concept (maybe not tracking points, but doing right portions) and try to eat healthy carbs in conjunction with that. I'll plan on keeping my food and workout journal in my blog. I'd like to lose 25 pounds, but more important than the number, I want to feel good again. I want to be and feel healthy. The number's just one part of that.