And She SCORES!

I am too happy for words! This is the last Saturday weigh-in for the month of January.

To re-cap a bit, I hit my all time highest weight Christmas 2009. I saw my family being able to enjoy things without me...like riding bikes on the beach. I vowed then to *change*. So from that December 26, 2009 trip to the scale, and throughout all of 2010, I fretted. Success came in fractions of pounds the first half of 2010. During the summer, I was fortunate to catch an article on AOL about Sean Anderson and his tremendous success. It was another defining moment in my own journey. I started following his approach to food, and on Saturday, September 11, I weighed in -30 pounds from where I started Christmas 2009, but the bulk of the loss can be credited to Sean's approach, which prompted me to begin this blog. September 11. That was the end of the 2nd week of school. I started losing my grip. I hadn't translated what was working in my summer schedule into something that COULD work at work. Gradually, fractions came back...week after week. Holidays are always hard and they always begin with Halloween candy and continue through January 1st. I reached a compromise with the whole holiday thing...I bought candy I didn't like, I kept baked goods in the unheated garage, I didn't make dips, or buy cheeses, or even entertain for that matter. I made a pact with myself to do as little harm as possible, get through the swirling vortex of holiday temptations best I could without a compass, and begin again with something I could do, only this time, hardcore.

Again, I weighed December 26, 2010. Down 12 pounds from the previous Christmas, but UP 18 from September 11! Happy or sad? I didn't dwell on either emotion. I knew what I had to do. I was victorious over the previous years' weight, and was experiencing loss in double digits...something I had not had bragging rights to in some time. But there was that 18 pounds. That was not acceptable considering the fact I know exactly what to do! So from December 26, 2010 to January 1, 2011, I thought long and hard. January 1 because my husband traditionally prepares a feast for our entire extended family that day, albeit far healthier than anything October, November, or December presents, it would be the last hurdle of the *season* and a good jumping off point for me. I spent those days modifying my goals, determining a weekly average I'd like to shoot for, but ultimately a "monthly goal". My weight would be allowed to ebb and flow throughout the month, but at month's end, I wanted a number in place for accountability. That gave me short term goals instead of the larger Christmas to Christmas bookmark. I had the food figured out! I'm still tweaking my plan so as to keep it sustainable, but currently I'm finding 1400 calories a day with unlimited non-starchy vegetables to be the optimal plan for me. Beyond that, it becomes a game, and I like that I'm only competing against myself. I'd say it's like solitaire, but since I don't know how to play that, I won't say it's anything other than me, myself, and I in the game. I'm weighing every morsel I eat with the exception of non-starchy veggies, which encourages me to eat more of them. Really...it does! The time it takes to weigh, look up calorie values, and record the information for the fractions of ounces of things that can go in to a salad...no thanks...so I give myself freedom. I didn't get fat eating lettuce.

Another thing I did after long debate was I "outed" myself on Facebook. Keep in mind, my Friend list is very, very short. My list, right now, consists of ONLY people who want this for me as much as I want it myself. I have 21 Friends. Some people have thousands. I'm going for quality, not quantity. Every comment, every "like", every message, carries me to the next success. If I'm struggling, I post it in my status, and encouraging words come to my rescue immediately. When I'm successful and have good news to report, there are people there who know and feel the celebration I want to share. It's been great!

So now....for today's report. Despite last week's hormonal hiccup at the scale, I rebounded with a vengeance, and took off SIX pounds this week!!! I am over the moon! And, as you recall, I set some lofty goals the last week of December. I wanted an average loss of 2.5 per week. January dealt me 5 Saturdays. That's a goal of 12.5 pounds to lose for the month...AND I DID IT!!! I am exactly where I wished myself to be today, and that gives me all the more confidence that I AM on the right path, I CAN live this way, and I WILL succeed...because I already am. First it was day by day. Then week to week. A month is behind me, and it was good. I can do this.

My husband left yesterday for 10+ days in Mississippi to get a steel mill up and running. My game now is to see how much less of me he can come home to. :)