I am back with happy news.

I did go to the middle east and happily stuffed my face full of shwarma and hummus and other delicious things for a few days. When I got back I weighed in at 212 and decided this had to stop.  So immediately cut gluten from my diet, went back to weight watchers eating, and have been exercising a lot. I also have been diligent about taking my thyroid medicine, vitamin D, and I've started taking CLA for supplementation.

The result? This morning I weighed in at 197. That's an amazing weight loss for anyone, let alone me. Although 212 was probably artificially high due to water weight, I was about 207 before the trip so I've lost 10 pounds in less than a month. Whee!

I've also rediscovered my love for swimming. My neighborhood pool has lanes and great hours, and I've been doing at least a mile a day. It's amazing how fast you can adjust. I don't push myself to do it too fast or too much - I just enjoy the relaxing feeling of the water and keep trucking along.

I love swimming. It's the only time I feel truly graceful. It's so relaxing and gentle. Granted, my shoulders hurt like a bitch, but I'm doing really well over all.