Okay, so after a month or so of really good results, I completely went off track for the last month. But, I'm back and ready for a fresh start. I did end up gaining 5 pounds back, so I'm starting at 165. Not good, but at least I did not gain back everything I had lost!

My friend's wedding was this weekend and my husband and I spent the weekend in Greenville. We had a great time and ate a ton of great food. I think brunch yesterday made me realize how ready I was to get back to eating healthy. I was so full afterwards, it was uncomfortable. So, starting now, I'm making a commitment to keep track of what I'm eating again and to try to eat healthily (okay, I don't think that's a word, but I know what I mean!).

We're planning on going to the DeKalb farmer's market tonight to get started. They have such good, fresh produce and meat there, for the best prices. It's my favorite place to shop!

Breakfast: Balance bar, banana
Lunch: 2 wedges Light Laughing Cow cheese, 1 serving wheat thins, watermelon, yogurt
Snack: Balance bar

My diet has veered off course, but I'm determined to get it back on track, starting today! I'm starting with a clean slate and moving forward. My goal is to exercise 4 days this week and make smart choices (and watch my portions!). I have a mini-goal of getting to 155 before my friend's wedding in 4 weeks (originally it was 150, but I'm trying to make sure I'm realistic, given that I haven't made any progress in the last couple of weeks). I'm right around 160 now, so this is definitely doable.

Here's my food journal for today:
Breakfast: balance bar
Lunch: 2 wedges laughing cow, wheat thins, yoplait light yogurt
Snack: balance bar
Dinner:
Dessert:
Water: 60 ounces

I'm not quite sure what was up with desserts last night, I just wasn't satisfied at all. Evenings are definitely my hardest time, I think it's partly because I am bored and maybe because eating less during the day catches up with me. I didn't have any problem in the beginning of the diet though, so I think it's more mental/emotional than truly being hungry.

Here's my food journal for today:
Breakfast: balance bar, peach
Lunch: 2 wedges laughing cow, wheat thins, yoplait light yogurt, canteloupe & strawberries Snack: balance bar
Dinner:
Dessert:
Water: 60 ounces

I took a couple days off from blogging and apparently from my diet too! It seems like I've been eating a lot more lately, but I think it's still less than pre-diet. I am really ready to get back on track and I plan to do so today. I've stalled on my weight loss (right around 160), but I haven't gained any back, which is good. I've been doing this 4 weeks, so I think 10 pounds is just about right. I'm going to a friend's wedding next month (5 weeks away) and I'd love to lose another 10 pounds before that. It's good motivation, because I'll be seeing a lot of old friends and maybe it's shallow, but I really want to look my best!

Here's my food journal for today:
Breakfast: balance bar, peach
Lunch: 2 wedges laughing cow, wheat thins, yoplait light yogurt,
canteloupe & strawberries
Snack: balance bar
Dinner: argentian flank steak & black bean vinegarette (dinner a'fare), green beans
Dessert: canteloupe & strawberries, cherries, 1 girl scout peanut butter cookie, 1/2 bag single serving light popcorn
Water: 60 ounces

Here's my food journal for Sunday:
Breakfast: strawberry-mango smoothie
Lunch: chicken sandwich w/provolone, little mayo
Snack: chips and salsa
Dinner: chicken/beef kabobs, veggies, rice pilaf
Dessert: lime cake (from Cooking Light), homemade strawberry ice cream
Water: 60 ounces

Here's my food journal for Saturday:
Breakfast: balance bar
Lunch: wheat thins
Dinner: chips and salsa, 1/2 order of chicken nachos from On The Border (6 nachos)
Dessert: 1/2 fruit tartlet, cake batter/filling tastes
Water: 60 ounces

Here's my food journal for Friday:
Breakfast: balance bar
Lunch: 2 wedges laughing cow cheese, wheat thins, Yoplait light yogurt
Dinner: chips and salsa, veggie taco, fish taco from Taqueria Sundown
Dessert: 1/2 fruit tartlet
Water: 60 ounces

Here's my food journal for Thursday:
Breakfast: balance bar, banana
Lunch: chips and salsa, Mexican shrimp soup
Dinner: regular Jersey Mike's turkey & cheese w/lettuce, little mayo
Water: 60 ounces

I don't know what was up with me last night, I just kept snacking. Nothing too bad, but that's definitely my weakest time of the day. I did finally work out though, it felt great to get back into it. I'm planning on doing Yoga tonight. Tomorrow we're doing Dinner A'Fare again, I wanted to give my husband a chance to experience it. We're getting 12 meals and delivering 6 of them to my sister-in-law. With two little ones, it should be good for her. Plus, she's going back to work from maternity leave in a month!

Here's my food journal for today:
Breakfast: balance bar, banana
Lunch: 2 wedges laughing cow, 1 serving wheat thins
6 ounces Yoplait light blackberry yogurt
1/2 canteloupe
Snack: Balance bar
Dinner: edamame, ebi, kaboom roll
Dessert: Dairy Queen chocolate silk pie blizzard
Water: 60 ounces

The difference between now and before is that even when I'm 'splurging' I'm much more aware of what I'm eating and I try to balance it out or at least control the amount. Last night I got dinner at KFC and took it home to eat. Before I ate, I looked online at what I had gotten and let that guide what I ate. I only ate 1/2 the buscuit and potato wedges and 2 of the 3 chicken strips. Before I would have just eaten it all because it was there.

Here's my food journal for today:
Breakfast: balance bar, banana
Lunch: 2 wedges laughing cow, 1 serving wheat thins
6 ounces Yoplait light blackberry yogurt
1 c. fruit salad
Snack: Balance bar
Dinner: Peanut chicken with Pad Thai noodles (dinner a'fare)
Dessert: 1/2 canteloupe, 3 mint things, single serving bag of light popcorn
Water: 60 ounces

Exercise: Slo-robics video

This is the longest I've went without blogging so far - 3 days! I've tried to write down everything still. It wasn't the best weekend foodwise, between the yard sale and our nephews staying with us for 2 nights. I did work hard though, getting ready for the yard sale, so hopefully it all cancels out.

I'm working from home today, my car wouldn't start and had to be towed to the shop.

Here's my food journal for today:
Breakfast: balance bar
Lunch: poppyseed chicken casserole, rice pilaf, 1 c. fruit salad
Snack: banana
Dinner: 2 KFC chicken strips, 1/2 biscuit, 1/2 serving potato wedges, green beans
Dessert: WW chocolate cake
Water: 60 ounces

Here's my food journal for Sunday:
Breakfast: balance bar
Lunch: 1 slice thin crust pepporoni pizza, reduced fat ruffles
Dinner: poppyseed chicken casserole, rice pilaf, 1 c. fruit salad
Dessert: 1 serving chocolate mint gelato
Water: 60 ounces

Here's my food journal for Saturday:
Breakfast: Chick-Fil-A Chicken minis (3 pack)
Lunch: 6 inch publix italian sub, reduced fat ruffles, 1 Thin Mint
Dinner: 2 steak/chicken fajitas, chips and salsa
Dessert: 1/3 flan
Water: 40 ounces

Here's my food journal for Friday:
Breakfast: balance bar
Lunch: ham sandwich (with swiss) and banana
Dinner: Veggie Taco, Memphis Taco, chips and cheese dip
Dessert: Dairy Queen strawberry shortcake
Water: 40 ounces

I splurged a little yesterday. I ate out twice - Mexican for lunch and Vietnamese for dinner. I think I did okay overall though. I'm definitely still inspired, but I'm a little less focused. I'm going to try to make today a really good day.

We sent in our preliminary application for The Dinner A'Fare and I'm hoping to hear back from them soon. My boss announced yesterday that he is leaving the company, whcih I'm really disappointed about. He has been great to work for and has taught me so much. I'm doing completely different things now than I was even 6 months ago. There are several possibilites up in the air though, so I excited to see what the next few months holds for me. Hopefully I won't be pushed to 'stress eating' though!

Here's my food journal for today:
Breakfast: balance bar, banana
Lunch: 2 laughing cow wedges, 1 serving wheat thins, Kroger Lite yogurt, balance bar
Snack: peach, grapes
Dinner: 2 slices thin crust ground beef pizza
Dessert: 1/2 serving cinnamon pizza dessert
Water: 60 ounces

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!