Wednesday, October 31, 2007

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!


Wednesday's Goals
Exercise: Rest
Calories: 1400

Wednesday's Accomplishments:
Exercise: Rest
Calories: 1400

Today was a challenging day to say the least but I am happy to report I stayed faithfully on the program. Since it's Halloween, I decided to surprise everyone at work and bring some treats into the office and decorate the office kitchen for Halloween. Rarely are fun things like this done at our office and unless I do it, it's business as usual on holidays here. It turned out so cute and the whole thing went over so well - people squeeling with delight upon walking into the kitchen and seeing all the decorations and treats. I brought in paper decorations, pumpkin lights, a fake lit pumpkin and turned all the lights off in the kitchen so the only light was from the decorations. Now, here's the challenging part: I also brought in lots of high-calorie goodies that I LOVE - cookies, caramel apples, chocolate candy (Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Almond Joy, Hershey Bars, etc.), cupcakes, pumpkin pie and hot apple cider. And guess what I ate of this stuff? Not a bite.

You're probably wondering how I did it (I know I sometimes wonder myself). I just tell myself, "you can't indulge today because it's a low-cal day, but you have a splurge day coming up on Saturday and you can eat whatever goodies you want then, so just be patient". I am telling you, the only reason I am able to stick on this program and continue to lose weight is because the splurge days keep me from feeling deprived and going off the wagon. There is no way I could deny myself indulging in sweet treats all the time without eventually losing it. Also, now that I have been seeing some really serious results and know that this plan works, it's easier to not go off the deep end on days like this.

But the dietary control does take it's toll on my mental obsessions. I already have my mind set on a particular sweet treat that I want this Saturday. There is a bakery in Westmont called McMillan's and they have the flat-out best cream donuts in the world. Phil and me drove by there the other night and as soon as I saw that bakery (and remembered what their donuts were like) I made a mental note to go back there this coming weekend. That's my motivation to not blow it the rest of the week.






(Can you tell dieting is making me into an obsessive mental case?)


Anyway, today was a rest day so no exercise. I was good with the calories. For breakfast I had a shake (it amazes me I never get sick of them) - 300. For lunch I had the same thing I had yesterday - a shrimp cake sandwich baked in a wrap with mustard and cheese (484 ). For dinner I some fish creole which I had made again this past weekend (491).

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Terrific Tuesday

Tuesday's Goals
Exercise: Cardio
Calories: 1400

Tuesday's Accomplishments
Exercise: Cardio
Calories: 1414



Despite the fact that I have been very hungry lately (must be the fact that winter is coming on), I did very well on my program today.

For my workout, I did Tracie Long's Core Cardio, although I rebounded through a lot of it (since I don't really enjoy some of the cardio she does like step). I find that even if I am rebounding, it's always more motivating to do so while watching a fitness video, and the music makes it more enjoyable.

I was only 14 calories over my allotment today. I had a shake for breakfast (300). For lunch I had 2 shrimp cakes (which I made this past weekend) baked in a wrap with honey mustard and cheese (484). For dinner I had a vegetarian "chicken" parmesan sandwich on a bagel (575) and I had a small snack-sized Butterfinger Crunch bar (55).


You may have noticed that I have several low-cal days in a row and am saving my higher cal days for later this week. That's because Thursday is my monthly weigh-in and measurement day and I don't want to negatively impact my results by having high-cal days right before it. It's hard to have more than 2 low-cal days in a row without the relief of a higher-cal day, but I am determined.

Monday, October 29, 2007

Magificent Monday

Monday's Goals
Exercise: Strength
Calories: 1500

Monday's Accomplishments
Exercise: Strength
Calories: 1515

I had a good day on the program, although I have to say it was hard to stick to the calorie allotment today. I really still felt a little hungry after dinner. It was just one of those "hungry days". I think it's because the fish creole lunch I had was just sooooo light - it didn't really hold me over that well so I was starving by dinner.

Anyway, for my workout today I was a little short on time (overslept) so I did Tom Holland's Total Body Workout which is a great (and very thorough) strength workout that's only 45 minutes long.

I had a shake for breakfast (300), leftover fish creole for lunch (460) followed by an apple (75). For dinner I had angel hair pasta with marinara sauce and grated parmesan cheese (460) followed by one of my chocolate covered frozen bananas with peanuts (220).

Time to report another compliment. (Hope you're not getting sick of me bragging about the compliments I have been getting). A co-worker (who to date I have not really talked with about my weight loss program) was walking behind me in the hall and she said, "boy, you're really getting a little waist on you! It's neat to see you whittling down. I'm getting bigger and you're getting smaller!" (she's pregnant).

Hopefully this comment will be enough to smooth out the rough edges of my current desire to plow into a package of cookies. You have no idea how bad the urge is right now (but I am resisting). I will not eat any Grasshoppers. I will not eat any Grasshoppers. I will not eat any Grasshoppers...

Sunday, October 28, 2007

It Happens to the Best of Us...

Saturday's Goals
Exercise: Strength
Calories: 2000
Saturday's Accomplishments
Exercise: Yoga and Swimming
Calories: Anyone's Guess
____________________

Sunday's Goals
Exercise: Rest
Calories: 1400

Sunday's Accomplishments
Exercise: Rest
Calories: 1403
Well, it finally happened...I fell off the wagon for a day. It happened on Saturday. Well, actually, I didn't go TOTALLY off the wagon. I did do a good workout - when I woke up, I wasn't in the mood to do a video, so I decided to go to the gym and take the yoga class and then swim. (Mom, I thought of calling you to see if you wanted to go, but it was too short notice). Anyway, there was a different instructor than usual and she was okay...not as good as the usual instructor, but I enoyed the class anyway. The swim was nice and I followed my workout with a nice soak in the HOT jacuzzi. Heaven!

I had intended to stay on track on Saturday with my calories, but as the day went on, I just gave in to the desire to go off the wagon. I don't know what it was about this particular day, because I've been on track so well 99% of the time for the past couple months. I guess every once in awhile you just NEED to go off track. I can't even list the things I ate yesterday...I was nibbling on different stuff all day long...partly because I was cooking for company and had to sample everything (and then some!)

The good news is, today I was totally back on the wagon and stuck perfectly to my program. It was a rest day (thank goodness because I was up late last night with friends and was tired today) so no exercise. My calories were just about perfectly on track (only 3 calories over). I had a shake for breakfast (300), a grilled cheese sandwich with a bowl of tomato soup for lunch (613) and a vegetarian "chicken" parmesan pita pizza for dinner (490). I had a sweet tooth after dinner so I made my virtually calorie-free lime soda.

This coming Thursday is my monthly weigh-in and measurement day, so I REALLY am going to stay on track the next 3 days so I can record some good results this month (and hopefully qualify to add the new beach chair charm to my bracelet)


Goals for Week of October 29, 2007


Monday
Exercise: Strength
Calories: 1500
Tuesday
Exercise: Cardio
Calories: 1400

Wednesday
Exercise: Rest
Calories: 1500

Thursday
Exercise: Ice Skating (cardio)
Calories: 2000

Friday
Exercise: Strength
Calories: 1400

Saturday
Exercise: Yoga & Swimming
Calories: 3000

Sunday
Exercise: Cardio
Calories: 1800

Friday, October 26, 2007

TGIF

Friday's Goals
Exercise: Cardio
Calories: 1500

Friday's Accomplishments
Exercise: Strength
Calories: 1500

I decided to do a strength workout today since I didn't work out yesterday. I did The Firm's Super Sculpting which is a toughie.

I did great with the calories today, although I really did not feel like counting calories or even being on the program, I will admit. Anyway, I had the usual shake for breakfast (300). For lunch I had a crab cake in a tortilla wrap with mustard and cheese (489). I had a pear afterwards (80). For dinner I had 2 baked potatoes topped with grilled mushrooms, onions, peppers and melted cheese (620).

All in all, a good day.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

An Off Day


Thursday's Goals
Exercise: Strength
Calories: 2000

Thursday's Accomplishments
Exercise: Rest
Calories: 3000

I overslept today, plus I had an early meeting at work so no time for exercise this morning. As it turns out, I was feeling a little in need of a rest today after the tough swimming and cardio workout yesterday so I am not too worried about it. I generally try to stick to my exercise program but I do listen to my body and when it feels like it's worn down, I take a break.

Anyway, before I talk about my calories, I wanted to share a couple more happy moments. I came into work and stopped in to see one of my staff members who was busy at work. She looked up and me and exclaimed, "Wow! You are really getting thin - especially in the face! Boy, I can't even imagine what you're going to look when you're a size 8!" She then went on to add how much younger I look now and added "you were always pretty but now - WOW!". So that made my morning. And THEN, as if this was not enough to make my day, I floated into the meeting and another staff member said, "wow - did you lose more weight over the weekend? You look thinner! Especially in your face!" So something must be going on where the weight is really coming off my face now because I have been getting a lot of comments on this (in fact, Mama Leone also commented on my face looking thinner when I saw her Sunday night).

And now on to the calories. I decided to do a little adjusting this week and make today my splurge day because I just was HUNGRY from morning until night and felt I needed to eat. So that's what I did. I didn't even write down everything I was eating so I am not going to report individual calorie amounts. So the plan is to switch Saturday's calorie allotment with today. I'll have 2000 on Saturday instead.

The great thing about this program is that I don't have to feel guilty or "bad" about this...I simply switch days and no damage done! Love it. With every other plan I have ever been on, you're either "on" (i.e. "good") or "off" (i.e. "bad") and once you are "bad", you get so discouraged and angry at yourself that you are more prone to throwing in the towel and quitting altogether. Not with this plan.

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Swimming (in pool and in clothes)

Wednesday's Goals
Exercise: Cardio
Calories: 1400

Wednesday's Accomplishments
Exercise: Cardio & Swimming
Calories: 1400


I woke up really early this morning and I was off today (vacation day) so I decided to go to the gym. I did 30 minutes of cardio (elliptical machine alternating with walking/jogging around the track). After that I swam laps for 30 minutes and finished my gym visit with a nice soak in the jacuzzi which was EXTRA hot today (oh yeah!).

My calories were right on target today. For breakfast I had a shake (300). For lunch I had lite ice cream with whipped topping (536). To make up for the somewhat unhealthy lunch, I made a super healthy dinner of fish creole (fish simmered in a spicy tomato-based vegetable sauce) - (569).

I was dismayed today to discover that my favorite coat (a brown suede coat with faux fur trim that Mama Leone gave me) is now so big on me that I am swimming in it. Last winter it was so tight on me, I could barely button it and now it is draping off me to the point of looking ridiculous - the sleeves are even too long! It is the strangest thing to put on something like that and it fits you totally differently. So although I am happy that I have reduced my size that much, I think this will be the last year I can wear it, and even then it is going to look a little silly unless I am wearing super bulky clothes underneath.

I invented a pretty delicious dessert tonight (at least it looks delicious...I haven't actually tried it yet because I didn't have enough calories left after dinner). A couple days ago, I took some ripe bananas, peeled them and broke them in half. Then, I inserted a popsicle stick in each banana half and froze them. Tonight, I dipped each frozen banana pop into melted Ghiardelli bittersweet dark chocolate chips and put them back in the freezer. I came up with a pretty ingenious way to calculate the calories of the pops. The banana part was easy...I just looked up that value in the Calorie King book. Then, what I did was weigh the banana pop in grams (before dipping) and then weigh again after dipping to calculate the number of grams of chocolate. Then I just looked at the chocolate chip package to calculate calories per gram and added the banana calorie value and chocolate value together. Each pop averaged about 160-170 calories. I decided to make some of them extra special by rolling them in crushed peanuts. Those average about 220/piece.

So while not a SUPER low calorie dessert, it will be a nice moderately low-cal dessert on days when I only have a couple hundred calories left. And they are pretty substantial in weight. Since most of the weight is the banana, you get a decent sized dessert for the calories.

Here's the recipe.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Dreaming of Grasshoppers

Tuesday's Goals
Exercise: Strength
Calories: 1800

Tuesday's Accomplishments
Exercise: Strength
Calories: 1790

Today was a challenging day, so I am proud of myself for staying on program. I woke up and just wasn't in the mood for working out. I wasn't tired or run down or anything...I just didn't feel like working out. But I dragged my butt into the workout room and did a full 1 hour workout, The Firm's Total Body Shaping Mix (which is a pretty challenging one). So I was pretty happy with myself.

I also did not feel like counting calories today...just wasn't in the mood for it and I also got hit with some serious contemplations of going off the wagon. Despite this, I stayed on the wagon and counted my calories. For breakfast I had a toasted bagel, egg, cheese and vegetarian "bacon" sandwich (600). I had a few Grasshopper cookies (which a particular adorable 4 year old nephew known as Mini-Man - LOVES) - (210). I skipped lunch today and had a couple bananas to hold me over until dinner (180). For dinner I stopped at King of Pizza and had 2 regular slices (800).

Speaking of Mini-Man, on Saturday when he was at our house, I asked him if he would like a cookie. His eyes lit up. So first, I pulled out a bag of Lemon Snaps and asked him if he wanted one. He immediately crinkled his nose and said "no" (which I assumed had to do with the fact that the cookies contained lemon - which might make them a health food and therefore automatically unappealing). So I pulled out the package of Grasshopper cookies and said, "how about a Grasshopper cookie?" So Mini-Man furrows his brow and examines the package with this serious, concerned, cautious look and I could tell he was contemplating the merits of cookies that LOOKED like delicious chocolate cookies, but contained grasshoppers. So I clarified that no, they're not MADE of grasshoppers...they are just CALLED grasshoppers. That's all he needed to hear and he gleefully accepted a cookie. He was completely smitten with those Grasshoppers (as is his aunt).

Monday, October 22, 2007

Sunday's Goals
Exercise: Rest
Calories: 3000

Sunday's Accomplishments
Exercise: Rest
Calories: 3000 (estimate)

Monday's Goals
Exercise: Cardio
Calories: 1500

Monday's Accomplishments
Exercise: Tennis
Calories 1490

I had a busy day Sunday so I didn't get a chance to write in here. It was my "splurge day" and splurge I did! I didn't keep track of everything I ate, but let's just say I ate a lot, didn't count calories and it was goooooood! It was also a rest day, so no formal exercise.

Today the splurging was over and it was back to calorie counting. For breakfast I had my usual protein shake. For lunch I had a vegetarian "chicken" cordon bleu sandwich (vegetarian "chicken", vegetarian "bacon" and cheese with mustard) in a wrap, grilled (464). I also had potato chips with lunch (150). For dinner I had some leftover pasta primavera from a couple nights ago with some parmesan cheese sprinkled on top (496) and for dessert, a fudge pop (80). I felt like having more chocolate, but I restrained myself. For exercise, hubby and I are playing tennis tonight.

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Goals for the Week of October 22

Monday
Exercise: Tennis
Calories: 1500

Tuesday
Exercise: Strength
Calories: 1800

Wednesday
Exercise: Cardio
Calories: 1400

Thursday
Exercise: Strength
Calories: 2000

Friday
Exercise: Cardio
Calories: 1500

Saturday
Exercise: Strength
Calories: 3000

Sunday
Exercise: Rest
Calories: 1400
My beach chair/umbrella charm arrived on Saturday and it's soooooo cute. It's TINY but I held it up to my bracelet and it's going to look adorable. I'm going to wait until November 1 and my monthly weigh-in before I see if I have reached the goal to put the charm on. I have a couple other charms (that were lying in my jewelry box from old gold necklaces) that might also have put onto my bracelet - might as well use them! But the new charms I buy are only going to be as rewards for 5 pound weight losses.

I was talking to a co-worker and about my program and about how much I have lost so far and she asked me how much more I want to lose. I told her about 45 pounds and she almost fell over. She thinks that is too much. Well, 45 pounds would take me to my wedding weight, so I know it's not too much (I was a very healthy and reasonable size when I got married), but I took it as a compliment that she thought it was WAY too much (i.e. I must already look reasonably thin if losing 45 pounds is shocking to someone). But at any rate, I will say it again, that 45 pounds is just a rough estimate based on my wedding weight. If I get down to a size 8-10 (closer to an 8) and I am heavier (weight-wise), I really don't care. My goal is more the SIZE and fitness level (i.e. really tight and toned) than the number on the scale. But for now, I am using the weight too as a way to measure my progress since it's easy and motivating to track progress this way (as long as I stay restrained with weighing too frequently).

Saturday, October 20, 2007

Sensible Saturday

Saturday's Goals
Exercise: Strength
Calories: 1500

Saturday's Accomplishments
Exercise: Yoga and playing with nephew
Calories: 1500

My body felt like it needed a break from strenuous exercise today, so I decided to do a yoga workout instead of strength training today. I did Total Yoga. I also was very active today playing with my nephew, so I would say there was some cardio exercise in there too!

For breakfast I decided I felt like having ice cream so that's what I had (330). For lunch, I had a grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of tomato soup (636). For dinner I had rigatoni with a vegetable marinara sauce and parmesan cheese (540). I had a sweet tooth afterwards but was out of calories so I had a homemade lemon-lime soda.

Tomorrow is my "splurge day" - thank goodness because I am dying to go off the wagon!

Friday, October 19, 2007

Dismay Mixed with Happiness

Friday's Goals
Exercise: Cardio
Calories: 1800

Friday's Accomplishments
Exercise: Cardio
Calories: 1800


(Okay, a disclaimer....this photo is not me, but the girdle is similiar to the one I talk about below).
I didn't feel like working out this morning - I was feeling a little run down and tired, but I dragged myself outside for a walk anyway. I walked for 45 minutes at a healthy pace (although no jogging today, as I didn't have that much energy).

I did well with my calories today despite eating one meal out. For breakfast I had a shake (300). I was at a meeting this afternoon and they provided us with lunch. I had a large round roll with what I guessed to be 2 ounces of cheese and 1 tbs of mayonnaise (about 684), a large Coke (250), 1/2 cup of pasta salad (estimated at 135) and 1/2 cup of fruit salad (50). I was craving chocolate later in the afternoon so I decided to have that instead of dinner (390). Now that it's 8:30 p.m. and I am hungry, I regret the chocolate but I am not going to eat anything else.

Out of curiosity, I pulled my wedding dress out tonight to see how far I still have to go (remember, my goal is to be back at my wedding size). I was dismayed to discover that I REALLLLLY have a way to go! The back of the dress (where it zippers) is WAY apart...the gap between the zipper closing is about 5 inches wide. I was shocked! It disgusts me when I think of how out of control I let my size get. Oh well. I am on the right path now and it's all forward momentum now.

The red gala dress fits a little better, although it's still too snug to wear to the gala (it's too clingy on my stomach area and I look too bulgy in it - especially since the satin material reflects light and emphasizes bulges). I have this girdle-type thingie that I bought a long time ago so I tried the red dress on while wearing that. The girdle I have is an extremely tight-squeezing, extra-high waisted panty-type thing and although it is very effective at smoothing out and flattening tummy bulge, the fat has to go somewhere, so it gets pushed UPWARDS, creating a roll of fat above the waistline of the girdle and rendering the torture device totally useless.

But now a happy thing to report...about 2-3 weeks ago when I was doing my summer-to-fall clothing switcharoo, I came across these cool velvet pants that I had gotten too big for and haven't worn in years. I used to wear these in the last band I was in (in 2000). Anyway, out of curiosity, I tried them on and I was delighted that I was able to squeeze into them - they were tight and I had to suck my gut in and use some muscle to get the zipper up, but I was just thrilled to get them on at all!

Tonight (3 weeks later) I decided to try them on again to see if they fit any better and guess what? They are borderline LOOSE on me now! In only 3 weeks!

Oh, and my wedding ring is about falling off of me. I keep telling myself to hold off getting it resized because I know I still have a way to go and don't want to have to pay to get it resized twice, but I think I may have no choice. It's literally about to slide off my finger. And to think, just a year or so ago, I had to have it resized UP because I couldn't get it off my fat finger (the jeweler literally had to cut it off me to resize it because there was no getting that ring off).

So a mixture of dismay and happiness today, but I guess that's how it will be for awhile. I am thrilled about my progress, but I am aware that I still have a haul to get to my goal. That's okay. As long as I am making steady progress, I can be patient.


Thursday, October 18, 2007

Thin Thursday

Thursday's Goals
Exercise: Strength
Calories: 1400

Thursday's Accomplishments
Exercise: Strength
Calories: 1405

This morning I had another good experience. I put on a pair of dress pants that I just bought about a month ago (remember I had bought some new clothes because my old ones got too big?) and these new pants are starting to feel a little big. Man! I better take out a part-time job to support all the new clothes I am going to have to buy! ;) Definitely a good problem to have (although pretty soon I will be in the poor house).

Anyway, that inspiring event was followed by a good day on the program. For my workout, I did FitPrime's From the Ground Up which is an old favorite - a great strength workout with fun cardio intervals. For breakfast I had my usual shake (300). For lunch I had my old standby, veggie pita pizza - I topped this one with peppers, onions and vegetarian sausage (505). I had a few Grasshopper cookies for a snack (140) and for dinner I had a vegetarian "chicken" pattie on a toasted bagel with a little cheddar and salsa (460).

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Wicked Wednesday

Wednesday's Goals
Exercise: Cardio
Calories: 1500

Wednesday's Accomplishments
Exercise: Cardio
Calories: 1515

I had a good day on the program today. For my workout, I did WHFN Steamin' Cardio (but I mostly rebounded through it instead of doing the floor aerobics...I just find that rebounding is much more fun and more of a workout).

My calories were on track today. I had a shake for breakfast (300). For lunch I had leftover pasta primavera from the other night with grated parmesan (430) and some Keebler Grasshopper cookies for a snack (245). For dinner I had a vegetarian "chicken" parmesan sandwich on a bagel (540).





Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Tasty Tuesday

Tuesday's Goals
Exercise: Strength
Calories: 2000

Tuesday's Accomplishments
Exercise: Strength
Calories: 2015 (estimate)


I did a really great strength workout this morning - The Firm Super Sculpting. I hadn't done this one in awhile and I forgot how good it is. I was proud of myself because even though I wasn't up for working out this morning (I was up a little later than usual last night) I worked out anyway and did a tough workout.

As for the diet, I am fairly confident I was on target today, although most of my calories are an estimate so I can't be 100% sure. For breakfast I had my shake, minus the cocoa (260). For lunch we went to Marathon Grill . My first inclination was the get a salad, thinking it may be a conservative meal calorie-wise, but I really like cesaer salad and in looking up the calories, I saw it is 200 calories per cup! Forget that! Considering Marthon salads are probably 7 cups in size, I figured I'd rather eat something more enjoyable for the that many calories. Anyway, I decided on the salmon burger (which is like a salmon cake). It was deeeeeeeelicious! It came on a big, soft roll topped with carmelized onions, red peppers and goat cheese. It also came with a large side of the most delicious hand-cut fries which I dipped in some ketchup. It was a big meal and after looking up the values for all the components of this meal (of course, estimating the weight and size of each component), I estimated the meal at 1,340 calories. I also had some chocolate today (415). Because of the overindulgence at lunch (and the fact that I had used up my calories for the day), I skipped dinner. No problem - that huge meal pretty much held me over anyway.

Monday, October 15, 2007

Monday, Monday

Monday's Goals
Exercise: Cardio
Calories: 1400

Monday's Accomplishments
Exercise: Cardio
Calories: 1425


I decided that some fresh air would be nice, so I took a fitness walk this morning. I decided to make it an interval workout by alternating walking with jogging. I had my IPod on and worked it this way....during the verses of a song I would walk and during the choruses I would run. (This is how I entertain myself). I went for a good 50 minutes....all around our neighborhood and then across the road to an adjacent neighborhood.

My calories were on target today - I went over by only 25 calories (which is an acceptable amount for me). I had my shake for breakfast (300). For lunch I had a veggie burger topped with sauteed red peppers and onions and a little cheddar on whole grain bread - with a little ketchup and mustard (485). After lunch I had a couple hard candies (50). For dinner I made pasta primavera with shrimp sprinkled with some parmesan cheese - yummy! (590)

Tomorrow is going to be a bit of a challenge because my staff and I are going out to lunch at Marathon Grill. I did schedule a 2000 calorie day for tomorrow so that will help, but it will be a little difficult to calculate calories. But I will do my best to choose wisely!

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Successful Sunday



Sunday's Goals
Exercise: Rest
Calories: 1500

Sunday's Accomplishments
Exercise: Strength
Calories: 1500





Today was supposed to be a rest day, but since I did not work out yesterday, I made today a workout day and yesterday a rest day. I did Jari's Ripped 1000 workout this morning.

It was a successful day with the calories. For breakfast I made banana bread and had 2 slices, toasted with peanut butter (705) and a cup of skim milk (80). My breakfast was pretty late so I decided to skip lunch. I did have a small snack in the afternoon of 3 pretzels (63). For dinner I made pierogies sauteed with onions and brocolli in butter (655). I was craving sweets after dinner so I quelled my sweet tooth with some of my homemade lemon-lime soda.

All in all, a successful day!




Goals for Week of October 15, 2007


Monday
Exercise: Cardio
Calories: 1400

Tuesday
Exercise: Strength
Calories: 2000

Wednesday
Exercise: Cardio
Calories: 1500

Thursday
Exercise: Strength
Calories: 1400

Friday

Exercise: Cardio
Calories: 1800

Saturday
Exercise: Strength
Calories: 1500

Sunday
Exercise: Rest
Calories: 3000

Lazy Sassy

Saturday's Goals
Exercise: Cardio
Calories: 3000

Saturday's Accomplishments
Exercise: Rest
Calories: 3000


I woke up feeling a bit run down...worn out from so much exercise the past few days I guess, but also my period had started and I was crampy. So I took 2 Tylenol and went back to lie down for awhile. I just wasn't up for the big workout. I decided to switch my rest day to yesterday instead of today. So now it's Sunday and I decided I will do a workout today to make up for yesterday. I do feel much better today, and more up for a nice workout.

Saturday was my "spluge" day and I won't even post all the foods I ate yesterday. First of all, I don't even keep a record on splurge day. I just eat what I want - it's my "let loose" day and MAN is it great. After a long week of counting, weighing, measuring, notebooking, calculating, figuring and preparing ahead, it's so great to just go with the flow and eat whatever I feel like eating. I will tell you that I had ice cream and grasshopper cookies for breakfast! Oh boy. And we had a family party last night at which I had pizza for dinner with a piece of homemade rich, dark chocolate cake for dessert (outstanding, mom!).

And now my indulgence day is over and all is right with the world. I was saying yesterday that having the indulgence day is the KEY to this program. Without it, I think I would eventually fall off the wagon because I would feel deprived and the measuring, weighing and counting would grate on my nerves too much if I had to do it EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. It's not that it's THAT bad - I mean there are far worse things than weighing and measuring one's food - but I think there is a human need to not be so controlled all the time. Spontaneity and indulgence is a good thing sometimes.

Friday, October 12, 2007

It's all in the Jeans

Friday's Goals
Exercise: Strength
Calories: 1400

Friday's Accomplishments
Exercise: Strength
Calories: 1400



I felt a little run down this morning, so I did one of my easier workouts...WHFN Pump. I wouldn't say it's EASY EASY, but it's not like some of my more exhausting/advanced workouts. I like Pump a lot. The WHFN series in general is an excellent workout series - challenging and thorough workouts (but as I said, not the type of workouts that wipe me out and leave me feeling wrung out) with wonderful production values and fabulous music. They are fusion workouts - combining cardio, strength and yoga. I think these workouts are the most enjoyable and beautifully produced of my entire collection (and I own over 50 workouts!)

My calories were right on target again today (I am happy to say - it's all thanks to having this blog to keep me honest). I had my usual shake for breakfast (300). For lunch I had the rest of that yummy corn soup I made over the weekend with a small cheese sandwich (600). I had an oatmeal cookie for a snack (100). That left me with only 400 calories for dinner, so I decided to have breakfast for dinner - one slice of high-fiber bread, toasted and topped with 2 scrambled eggs, 3/4 oz of reduced-fat cheese and 1 slice of Morningstar vegetarian "bacon" (400). I figured this was about the most filling thing I could make with a limit of 400 calories.

I have a couple more happy things to report today. I wore jeans to work today (our office has "casual Fridays") and I realized this morning after putting my jeans on that I no longer hate wearing jeans - in fact I like them. I used to rarely wear jeans because I found them so uncomfortable - even if they were the correct size. For casual dress, I'd be more inclined to wear "lounge pants" (you know, those unstructured, stretchy t-shirt material type things). I realize now that my hatred of wearing jeans had to do with my size. First, I could never seem to find a pair of jeans that fit me right and looked flattering on me. Second, I hated how confining they felt and how they would squeeze my stomach, creating rolls of fat around the waistband. Wearing jeans made me feel fat, uncomfortable and constricted and I didn't like how I looked or felt in them. Well, the rolls are totally gone now when standing and mostly gone when sitting and when I wear my jeans they fit nicely and feel comfortable on me.

It feels like the positive rewards of all this work are coming fast and furious now. I know I still have a way to go, but it seems like every day I have these moments of delight and excitement because I am constantly noticing positive things. For example, I will catch a glimpse of myself in a mirror and be surprised by my face, forgetting that I no longer have a double chin. Or I glimpse in the mirror and am shocked because I see a younger looking person looking back at me. In my brain, I keep expecting to see my old (heavier and older looking) self so there is always this shock and I catch myself off-guard. It's a great kind of shock, though.

Today, a co-worker walked in my office and she looked at me ponderously and said, "you look REALLY pretty today. I'm not sure what it is." I was so touched. I felt like saying, "It's all in the jeans." :)

Thursday, October 11, 2007

A Zen Workout and a Sweet Tooth

Thursday's Goals
Exercise: Cardio
Calories: 1800

Thursday's Accomplishments
Exercise: Yoga
Calories: 1800


I didn't feel like doing cardio this morning, so I did yoga instead: Total Yoga: The Flow Series - Water, which is one of my favorites. I felt so great afterwards.

I did well on my diet today, calorie-wise...right on schedule, although I did eat a lot of junk today. I was having one of those sugar craving days. For breakfast I broke my shake routine and had a slice of high fiber bread topped with 2 scrambled eggs, 1 slice of vegetarian "bacon" and a little cheese (395) as well as a cup of hot apple cider (110). I had some Keebler Grasshopper cookies for a snack (which remind me of Girl Scout Thin Mints)....Yum (310). For lunch I was still on the sugar wagon and I ate more sweet stuff - that Turkey Hill light ice cream I told you about (Chocolate Moose Tracks) with some whipped cream on top (600). For dinner I ate real food...I had one of my vegetable pita pizzas. I topped this one with red peppers and onions (385).

Oh and I had another good experience today! I was going through the closet in our guest bedroom which is where I keep all our formal wear (we have quite a collection from going on so many cruises) and voila! I found 2 more potential dresses for the gala (in the event the red one isn't fitting quite right). These dresses haven't fit me in years but both fit me great now and are really pretty and one still had the tags on it! I had bought it a long time ago for a cruise we were going on - anticipating to lose enough weight to fit into it - but didn't lose enough weight in time to wear it for that cruise. The other one is a longish dress/gown I had worn on one of the cruises and it fits great. It requires a strapless bra so I am think it's my least preferred of the 3 (I hate bras to begin with let alone strapless ones!). But anyway, between the 3 of these dresses, one will definitely work.

I will wait until the week of the gala to make the final decision. I'll have to base my decision on which one fits best at the time. (Still pulling for the red number, though).


The Little Red Number - a Mini Goal

I thought I would share something fun with you today concerning a short-term goal I am pursuing.

We have a formal event coming up in about a month. The organization I work for is having a 75th Anniversary Gala at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on November 10th (almost exactly a month from now). It's a "black tie optional" affair, so it's a pretty dressy event - gowns or cocktail dresses are appropriate. I was out shopping for fall clothes not too long ago and I came across this dress. I immediately loved it and thought "gala!" A quick look revealed it was size 14. So I tried it on. Well, WAY too tight. The back zipper was nowhere near going up. In fact, I would venture to say that it's not a true size 14 because most of my current clothes are 14s and they fit great -it's probably a 12 in reality.

So obviously, since I have the photo posted here you can see that I did not put it back - I bought it. My goal is to fit into this dress comfortably on November 10th and I really think I can do it. A couple days ago I tried it on to see if it fits any better and guess what? The zipper went up! It didn't glide up easily, but it did go up! When I bought it, there was no chance of that zipper going up. It wasn't even close.

The best thing about this dress? It cost $20. Yep. It was a Ross supersteal! And the photo does not do it justice...the fabric is beautiful and substantial and it's LINED. I don't even want to know how it is they can sell this dress so cheaply and still make a profit. I am looking forward to being the woman in red among a sea of (I am sure) black dresses!

Assuming I fit into this dress and end up wearing it to the Gala, I will post a photo of me dressed in it November 10th.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Right on Target

Wednesday's Goals
Exercise: Strength
Calories: 1400
Wednesday's Accomplishments
Exercise: Strength
Calories: 1400

Today was a good day on the program, despite the challenge of it being a low-cal day. (I keep reminding myself that the low-cal days are worth it to get the high-cal days!)

For my workout, I did The Firm's Total Body Shaping Mix...a nice long, thorough strength workout with cardio intervals.

For the diet...I had my shake for breakfast (300 - isn't it amazing that I haven't gotten sick of these yet?). For lunch I had a cup and a half of the corn soup I made the other day (318) with a small cheese sandwich (214). For dinner I had a veggie burger topped with grilled red peppers and onions, Monterey jack cheese on high-fiber bread and a small amount of ketchup (570).

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

A Tasty and Charming Day

Tuesday's Goals
Exercise: Cardio
Calories: 2000

Tuesday's Accomplishments
Exercise: Cardio
Calories: 1500




I had hoped to play tennis this evening with hubby but the weather wasn't really the best for it, so I decided to do a workout video this morning instead. I did WHFN's Fast Cheetah which is a pretty fun cardio workout with a little ab work at the end. Not as much fun as tennis, but it got the job done.

I reduced my calorie allowance today to 1500 instead of 2000 because I decided yesterday to swap Monday and Tuesday's calorie limits to accommodate an outrageous chocolate tooth I had yesterday. So today I had to pay the piper! For breakfast I had my usual chocolate peanut butter banana protein shake (300). For lunch I had my old standby - the veggie pita pizza. I topped this one with red peppers, onions, vegetarian "sausage", feta cheese and low fat mozzarella, plus a sprinkle of parmesan (490). For dinner I made one of my favorite simple dishes....pierogies, onions and brocolli sauteed in butter, sprinkled with fresh rosemary and topped with a dallop of light sour cream (710). And I washed it all down with my homemade virtually calorie-free lemon-lime soda. All in all a good (and tasty!) day on the program.

Check this out. As you may remember, I have instituted a reward system for myself for weight loss. When I lost 30 pounds I bought myself a charm bracelet (which I just rewarded myself with a couple days ago) and for each additional 5 pounds I lose, I will be buying myself a charm to add to the bracelet. So I've been scouting charms on Ebay to see what's out there. Check this one out...this will HAVE to be charm number 1. Is this not the cutest thing??? (I am a total beach bum).


Monday, October 8, 2007

Flexibility is Key

Monday's Goals
Exercise: Strength
Calories: 1500

Monday's Accomplishments
Exercise: Strength
Calories: 2000 (decided to swap Tuesday's calorie value for today)

I woke up this morning and did a seriously challenging workout - Jari Love's Ripped 1000. I always feel like I have really worked out after that one!

I had a serious, serious chocolate craving that sent me a bit off the deep end today, so I've had to do some switching around of my calorie values for the week. Today was originally supposed to be a 1500 calorie day and tomorrow a 2000 calorie day, but I decided to switch them to allow for some chocolate indulgence that I really needed. (That's another beautiful feature of this program...the ability to switch calorie value/days). For breakfast I had my usual shake (300). For lunch I had a bowl of the corn soup I made yesterday (424) plus a cheese sandwich (284). After lunch is the when the chocolate craving hit and lucky for me, somebody had brought chocolate Halloween candy into work! So I waaaay indulged (670). I didn't feel like cooking dinner tonight, plus I didn't have that many calories left so I just had some cheese and crackers for dinner (330) - I know....such a healthy diet today!

Sunday, October 7, 2007

Goals for Week of October 8, 2007


Here are my goals for the upcoming week:

Monday
Exercise: Strength
Calories: 2000

Tuesday
Exercise: Cardio
Calories: 1500

Wednesday
Exercise: Strength
Calories: 1400

Thursday
Exercise: Cardio
Calories: 1630

Friday
Exercise: Strength
Calories: 1400

Saturday
Exercise: Cardio
Calories: 3000

Sunday
Exercise: Rest
Calories: 1500

Soupy Sunday


Sunday's Goals
Exercise: Rest
Calories: 1500

Sunday's Accomplishments
Exercise: Rest
Calories: 1500



My goal was to do a workout today to make up for the missed workout on Friday (the day I overslept), but I was simply too busy today to squeeze it in - cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping PLUS my usual Sunday school work. The good news is, I was very active for a good chunk of the day, so I wasn't exactly slouching.

I did well with my calories today. For breakfast I had a vegetarian "sausage" and cheese sandwich on high-fiber bread, grilled in a smidgen of butter (523) - very yummy and a nice break from my weekday shakes. I had a bunch of ears of corn (8!) that were taking up the entire refrigerator so I decided to see if I could find a good recipe to utilize them. Well, I found the most delicious corn soup recipe in the Passionate Vegetarian Cookbook (one of my favorite cookbooks). In addition to corn, this soup is chock full of other veggies as well, like onions, peppers, tomatoes and carrots. The veggies are sauteed until almost carmelized and then pureed with half the corn. The rest of the corn kernels are then dumped into the soup whole (i.e. not pureed)...so essentially it's a pureed/cream-type soup with some corn kernels in it for texture. It was not a difficult recipe to make, but it was a bit tedious and messy with the pureeing and all. But oh, how delicious - definitely worth the effort!!! So for lunch I had 2 cups of the soup topped with a dallop of reduced fat sour cream and a generous sprinkling of cheddar (519). For dinner all I wanted was ice cream, so that's what I had (Turkey Hill lite ice cream - "Chocolate Nutty Moose Tracks" which is the most outrageously delicious ice cream on this planet), with a little whipped cream on top (460). If you are a chocolate lover and see this in your supermarket, GRAB IT!

I thought today I would mention how much I love my digital scale. It's similar to this one. It makes calorie counting soooo much easier. I used to rely heavily on measuring cups (and would dirty about 5-10 measuring cups and spoons a day doing my measuring) but I use the scale now almost exclusively (except for liquid things). I usually weigh in grams instead of ounces (although it can do both), since it is a smaller unit of measurement and therefore I can be more precise. Here's the great thing about it....say I want to have ice cream and whipped cream and I have 460 calories left. I look at the nutritional label on the ice cream carton to see how many servings (in grams) I can get for the calories. Then I simply put my bowl on the scale, hit "0" (it will deduct the weight of the bowl and re-set to zero) and then I add my ice cream until I get the number of grams I want. Then, with the bowl still on top of the scale, I again set the scale to "0" and add the whipped cream to the amount of grams I need. I love that "0" re-set feature! It's so clever and I don't have to dirty a bunch of measuring cups. I even build sandwiches on top of the scale by setting it to "0" after I add each component to the sandwich. And of course I am writing down everything in my notebook. That scale gets a lot of use! I just replaced the batteries today...they were out of juice.

Oh, and I lovvvve my Calorie King Book. This thing is the Bible of my calorie counting program. There isn't a single food missing from this book...it is so comprehensive and I keep it right on my kitchen counter. It really is an invaluable tool for me.

Saturday, October 6, 2007

Happiness is a Belly Full of Brio!

Saturday's Goals
Exercise: Cardio
Calories: 3000

Saturday's Accomplishments
Exercise: Strength
Calories: 3000

This morning I did not feel like working out. We had a funeral to go today and I was not feeling in the mood for a tough workout. But since I skipped the workout yesterday, I decided not to skip 2 days in a row and I dragged my butt into the workout room and did Tom Holland's Total Body Workout.

Since yesterday was supposed to be a strength training day and I didn't work out yesterday, I decided to change today's workout from cardio to strength.

As for the diet, today was my 3000 calorie "splurge" day and splurge I did! All week I had been dreaming of Dunkin' Donuts so guess what I had for breakfast? Yep. You guessed it.

After the funeral, there was a luncheon reception at the church but one look at the bland lunchlady food and I decided to forego it altogether - it wasn't worth the calories. Instead, hubby and me stopped at Brio for a late lunch/early dinner and we had an absolutely delicious meal. I couldn't resist and ended up ordering the same entree I got the last time I went to Brio - the scrumptious mushroom ravioli al forno. Holy moly that is one rich, fattening dish and let me tell you - I relished every morsel of it!!! We also shared an appetizer of bruschetta topped with portobello mushrooms and fontina cheese and I had creme brulee for dessert. Yes, I SPLURGE on my splurge day and I do not blink one eyelash at it. I deserve it!!! That's the beauty of calorie cycling!

That meal was so big and so heavy, I didn't need to eat the rest of the day.

An Exciting Announcement!


I snuck a peek at the scale today because I knew I was really close to my big 30 pound weightloss goal, and I am anxious to reach that goal so I can reward myself with my charm bracelet.

Well, I have actually exceeded my first big goal - I have now officially lost 31.4 pounds!

I have lost 11.6 pounds since I got fully back on the wagon August 27th. This just proves to me that this program TOTALLY works when I am consistent with it. And keeping this blog has been instrumental to me staying consistent. My compliance since I started blogging has been almost 100%.

And here it is - the reward for my hard work!


Friday, October 5, 2007

Good Problems

Friday's Goals
Exercise: Strength
Calories: 1800

Friday's Accomplishments
Exercise: None
Calories: 1500 (I switched days with an earlier day this week when I felt hungry so making up for it today with fewer calories)

Unfortunately, I WAY overslept this morning and I did not have time to workout. I also had plans immediately after work, so I couldn't work out after work either. What happened was, I woke up in the middle of the night last night (one of our boys who shall remain nameless was caterwalling full-volume like a maniac and it was echoing all through the house) and then my mind was going and I could not get back to sleep. This is very atypical for me - I am a very good sleeper and this happens very rarely. Anyway, I was up for probably an hour or so in the middle of the night, so that threw my sleep off and I overslept. I don't use an alarm clock...my body has an internal clock and I wake up exactly at the right time every morning like clock work (except on the rare occasion like last night).

So I was supposed to have a rest day this Sunday so I'll probably just switch with today and make today my rest day and work out on Sunday. No damage done!

My calories were right on target today. I had my shake for breakfast (300). For lunch I went out and had a slice of pizza and a can of Coke - a real treat (740) and for dinner I had some of the leftover fried tilapia from last night on high-fiber bread with cheddar and mustard (460).

I had a positive clothes experience this morning. I got dressed for work and put on this knit top I've had for a couple years now. Well, it USED to cling to me and I almost felt self-conscious in it because I felt that my stomach bulges were too pronouced in it. Well, today I put it on and it is literally DRAPING off me like a curtain. I think this will be the last time I wear it and it's going into the Goodwill bag because it's just looking too big. The shoulders keep falling down and my bra strap pokes out because it's too loose on me.

I was thinking about how expensive this weight loss endeavor is going to be. Between the bracelet and charms (which are expensive) and all the new clothes I have to buy to replace the ones I am getting rid of, it's really putting a strain on the finances. But I guess I could have worse problems, right? :)

Thursday, October 4, 2007

A good day

Thursday's Goals
Exercise: Cardio
Calories: 1400


Thursday's Accomplishments
Exercise: Cardio (tennis)
Calories: 1400



Today was a successful day on the program. I was right on target with my calories. For breakfast I had my usual shake (300). For lunch I had my famous veggie pita pizza (435). For dinner I made tilapia breaded with a mixture of panko bread crumbs, wheat germ, parmesan cheese and regular bread crumbs and fried the fish in a little oil (250). I also had some baby red potatoes with butter (220) and a nice serving of brocolli with butter (140). For dessert I had a Bomb Pop popsicle (50) to satisfy my sweet tooth. Oh, and I had my homemade 5-calorie lemon-limeade.

Hubby and me played tennis, so I got my cardio exercise in!
All in all, a good day.

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

The Hungry Hippo

Tuesday's Goals
Exercise: Strength
Calories: 1500

Tuesday's Accomplishments
Exercise: Strength
Calories: 1800 (traded Friday's calorie level for today)

I woke a little late today so I only had time for a 45-minute workout. I decided to do FitPrime's Crunch Time. This is another out-of-print workout that's just fantastic. It really packs a solid punch in 45 minutes.

My diet was pretty good today except that I decided to switch Friday's calorie level (1800) with today's (1500) because I was having a really hungry day today and felt like I needed the extra calories today. I had my usual shake for breakfast (300). For lunch I had the last of the butternut squash soup I made the other day, plus a cheese sandwich on high fiber bread (520). The cheese sandwich tasted realllly good dipped in the soup! When I got home from work I was so ravenous, I decided to cook the quickest thing I could think of which was tortilla chips toasted with cheddar and served with sour cream (680). I was STILL hungry after that so I had the last of the Zitner's Caramel Apples (240). I washed all this down with my 5-calorie homemade lemon-lime soda.

Again, not a super healthy eating day, but not too bad considering.

Oh, and by the way....my pretty charm bracelet arrived today. It's gorgeous!!! I am not going to wear it, though, until I have lost 30 pounds.

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Skating off the Calories


Tuesday's Goals
Exercise: Cardio
Calories: 2000

Tuesday's Accomplishments
Exercise: Figure Skating (50 minutes)
Calories: 2000

Today was an interesting food day. Being that it was a higher calorie day, I was able to splurge a little and eat things that normally have too many calories to fit into my program.

For breakfast, I made an egg, vegetarian sausage & cheese sandwich on Tuscan Pane bread, GRILLED (540). Mmm mmm Mmmm. Man, that bread is so damned good. I can't even describe it in words - it's beyond description! For lunch, all I could think of was ice cream so I had a whole bunch of Ben & Jerry's frozen yogurt (820). No, not as rich and creamy as their ice cream, but more bulk for the calories! For dinner I had a large piece of the baked tilapia I made the other night which I heated in a wrap with cheddar and mustard (640). Very tasty.

So it wasn't the healthiest or most well-balanced diet today but this is the kind of eating that keeps me on the program, so I guess it's not a bad thing.

I went figure skating today at a local rink near where I live. The people that run that place need to seriously get their act together. Every day from 12:30 - 2:30 they have a "public session" (which very few people go to) and every time I go there for public session, there is nobody manning the desk and I have to go upstairs to their business office to hunt them down to tell them I am there for skating so they can get the lights turned on in the rink and I can pay. And today, as if that was not bad enough, the ice was not cut on the rink they sent me to. It was all shredded up as though a hockey team had just played a game on it. So I had to go back upstairs to get the guy and told him the ice was not cut. So he calls his coworker over who says, yes indeed he DID cut the ice and that's just the way it looks when hockey teams have been using it a lot. Well, I have been skating for over a year now and I know darned well that freshly cut ice is not full of deep grooves like that. Lame!

The thing is, I understand that they don't get a lot of business for public sessions and they probably figure they're not making big bucks off the public session people, since there are so few of us (I was the only one there today), but this is my argument: DON'T OFFER PUBLIC SESSIONS if you are not going to administrate them properly!!!!

That's my vent for today. I am so tired of this stuff I am probably going to send a letter to management. Every time I go there there is a problem. One time, my colleague (who got me into skating) and I actually had to turn around and go back to work because the ice was so bad, it wasn't fit for figure skates.

At any rate, they ended up moving me to rink #2 which had better cut ice and I had a good skating session. Skating is such an amazingly fun form of exercise. I just love it and don't even think of it as exercise. I wear my IPod and listen to my favorite tunes and pretend I am Oksana Baiul. Nobody is usually there but me, so it's easy to pretend. I even do the fancy hand flourishes and pretend there is an audience there watching.

I know, I am lonely.

Monday, October 1, 2007

Monday, Monday



Monday's Goals
Exercise: Strength
Calories: 1400

Monday's Accomplishments
Exercise: Strength
Calories: 1400



I got up early today and did The Firm's Total Body Shaping Mix. This is a really thorough, hour-long strength training workout with cardio intervals. As always, I rebound during the cardio segments. Great workout!

Back when I started my fitness and diet program on January 1, I decided to weigh and measure myself on the 1st of every month and take photos as a record of my progress. I figured the photos (especially) would be inspiring. I did keep up with that for the first 5-6 months but I fell off the wagon over the summer (as did my program to a degree). So today I started back up with my monthly weigh-in, measurements and photos.

The good news is - although I had gained about 7 pounds back over the summer of the weight I had lost between January and June, over the past month or so I have lost it all and am back to my weight of June - so from this point forward I will be back on track with weight loss. In addition, I have lost an additional 1.25 inches since June, so I am officially ahead of the game. My total weight loss so far to date is 27.2 pounds. I have lost 19.1 inches.

Speaking of weight, I was thinking about it this morning and although I have a target weight in mind (the same weight I was when I got married) - what I am most interested in is my size, and degree of muscle tone, not my weight. I realize that a large part of a person's weight is determined by muscle composition, and muscle weighs more than fat and I am definitely getting more muscular. So as long as I am toned and get down to size 8-10, I will consider myself at goal, even if my weight is higher than I had in mind. The actual number on the scale is secondary. How I feel and look is the most important.

I was right on target with my calories today. I had a shake for breakfast (300). For lunch I had some of that butternut squash soup I made yesterday (240) and a slice of Tuscan Pane bread with butter (247). For a sweet tooth satisfier I had some hard candies (90). For dinner I had a pita pizza which I made a little differently this time. For toppings I used vegetarian "sausage" and feta cheese (520).