A Day in the Life

I'm very excited - down another few pounds. I'm at 202 now.  27 pounds since I started, 12 of which were in January alone (since I started Weight Watchers).

So I thought I'd share what I've been eating and doing for exercise since it seems to be working.

Breakfast:
I either have 1 cup of steel cut oatmeal (with a bit of splenda for sweetness) or two servings of Trader Joes High Fiber Cereal.

For my first snack I bring fat-free greek yogurt, which I sometimes gussy up with pomegranate seeds.  I also bring bananas and clementines.

For lunch and dinner I usually have something like rice with 15 bean soup, chicken and wild rice soup (I figured out a light recipe), or something else like that.

For evening snacks I'll have a miniature bagel with cheese or peanut butter, air-popped popcorn with a drizzle of flax seed oil and salt, or a strawberry milkshake made with skim milk, frozen strawberries, splenda and vanilla extract.

That's it. It keeps me filled up and I haven't really struggled with my Points at all.

For exercise I've been walking the dog a lot - we do about 2 miles in the morning, 3-4 in the afternoon, and another 2 before bed. I figure that's helping to keep my metabolism going all day, plus it keeps the dog happy too.

So that's my secret.  It's boring but I dig it.  I've been loving the bean soup so much I made my own mix:

FYI, 15 1-pound bags of beans makes 15 pounds of mixed beans. Should last me a LONG time.

10 Pound Rewards

I really like the idea of celebrating my intermediate successes with non-food splurges that I wouldn't otherwise buy.

I'm going to start at 30 pounds, since that's the next 10-pound increment. I still need some ideas for a few milestones.

30 pounds - 3 pounds of 100% Kona Coffee.  I've had it once and it was to die for. I wouldn't normally spend that much but it'll be my reward.

40 pounds - Get my car detailed. I'm sure there will be a groupon or living social deal for this at some point

50 pounds - A new, really nice cutlery set. I've been using the same Target set since college and I want nice knives.

60 pounds - Get my hair highlighted. I have really thick hair so this is no small expense.

70 pounds - ???

80 pounds - A random trip somewhere awesome and beachy.  Hopefully this will be during the summer - this will be the milestone where I'll be in a healthy BMI and I want to wear a swimsuit!

90 pounds - ???

100 pounds - ??? I'm thinking shopping spree for new clothes but I'll probably be buying things as I lose weight.

I'm open to ideas here.

I'm still here!

Oof I just realized I hadn't updated this in, uh, 10 weeks. Whoops!

I feel off the wagon for most of December.  I was in the middle east for a couple weeks, and then visiting family.  I generally don't diet when I'm traveling, especially in the middle east where the food is so amazing.  Enjoying fresh kibbeh, falafel sandwiches, and shwarma is worth it to me.  That being said, I didn't go totally crazy.

Anyway, I got back in early January from all of my travels and was up to around 214 again. So I decided to go back on Weight Watchers, on which I've had some success in the past.  I started three weeks ago, and I just weighed in at 205.2 Woot!!  I'm very happy!  I've been exercising a lot and not eating the extra points I earn from exercise, which I think makes a difference.

I'm VERY pleased with my progress. And once the scale starts moving, it's a lot easier to stay on track.

I've plotted out my weight loss goals, and at 2 pounds a week I'd be in a healthy BMI by my birthday at the end of August.  At 2.5 pounds a week I'd be at goal.  I don't want to get too eager because I know my body gets a vote on this too, but it would be REALLY nice to not be obese for another summer. If I stay on track, I'll be in the "overweight" category by Memorial Day.  Yippee!

And I have to give a shout out to my faithful four-legged trainer.  She's been a big part of this. We're up to walking about 6-7 miles a day now - good for both of us!