Weigh In & ANOTHER WWM & Miscellaneous

Another week in the weight loss journey has come and gone, this time affording me a move in the right direction.  During these last few weeks I've been really struggling with staying On Plan, and that has certainly been a reason why I haven't posted as often.  I've been gaining and losing the same 2.5-3 lbs for weeks now.<br /><br />No one, myself included, wants to hear constant re-declarations of "This is it!" and "It's a new week and I'm going to get my butt back in gear!",  only to find out as the week progresses that I'm not doing so well after all.  I need to refocus and get motivated so I can move past the 30 lbs mark.  I need to go back over the Weight Watchers material to refresh my memory of what I'm supposed to be doing.  I know what this is, but I need to re-read it.  I need to see those words in black/white and "hear" it again.  <br /><br />What I have been doing well is exercising, which is probably why the weight gain hasn't been more significant.  My weekly activity goal has moved up a day, bringing me to three total days of activity.  Most weeks, I've even went beyond those 3 days thanks to lunchtime walks with Katie and Meghan, and weekend excursions with Joel.   Girls - you really don't even know how much I appreciate our little walks!<br /><br />Guess what I received two of in the mail this week?  That's right, another Weight Watchers Magazine! <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPAQU8pCW-sCbooz6k5xE6uU18gEGyiUNLIRIgBubyA3iVQUcUSUnakYB1XxdUURcUj652T5GCGM5aBA6-SXYFmC_Lm-PYun6xVxWmLPDEQTXQs9UxPj0qHnWc-zD_Nni9qsjPL_PNF5E/s1600/weight+watchers+may+2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPAQU8pCW-sCbooz6k5xE6uU18gEGyiUNLIRIgBubyA3iVQUcUSUnakYB1XxdUURcUj652T5GCGM5aBA6-SXYFmC_Lm-PYun6xVxWmLPDEQTXQs9UxPj0qHnWc-zD_Nni9qsjPL_PNF5E/s400/weight+watchers+may+2012.jpg" width="292" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">May/June 2012</td></tr></tbody></table><br />I FINALLY contacted customer service about this, but in the meantime you are going to benefit yet again.  The first person to leave a comment below stating that they want it wins!  Just say you want it then drop me an email with your mailing address (thebigweight@hotmail.com).   <br /><br />This weekend is going to keep me busy between the National MS Walk (there's still time to donate - just click on the button on the right), baby showers and birthday parties, not to mention a wine night with the ladies tonight - I cannot WAIT for that!<br /><br />I'm going to leave you with this ridiculous picture taken last weekend.  We were in Maryland touring some covered bridges and Joel took this pic of me looking up through the floor boards of the bridge.  I can promise you my hair is not <i>that </i>purple!  It was all lighting!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhslAKvjzk89pcywHmlAhOVRmOofKZD4jFknYpie69kY3xMahAv1aitg0y7fUZHbqFslNCJeOk8uMkBiPht3lIUcZeAeXmFxw3W64K_VIignQ0eje07RaxV75PxpOCHeCVwQELmsc6oo2A/s1600/purple+hair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhslAKvjzk89pcywHmlAhOVRmOofKZD4jFknYpie69kY3xMahAv1aitg0y7fUZHbqFslNCJeOk8uMkBiPht3lIUcZeAeXmFxw3W64K_VIignQ0eje07RaxV75PxpOCHeCVwQELmsc6oo2A/s400/purple+hair.jpg" width="281" /></a></div><br />Have a great weekend!

Loss Success Walk MS weigh in Weight Watchers Magazine Weigh In & ANOTHER WWM & Miscellaneous

Another week in the weight loss journey has come and gone, this time affording me a move in the right direction.  During these last few week...

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Weigh In Friday & Other Successes

I've finally gotten around to updating my stats on the left sidebar.  I'm now down 29.9 lbs as of today!  I'm working on getting back down to my lowest weight yet, of 227.1 lbs (during Terrible Awful) so that I can feel good about wearing my weight loss bracelet again.  But I'm not going to discount my recent success - it feels good to be at <i>almost </i>a 30 lbs loss!  This week I took off 2.3 lbs - go me!<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVa7f_q6xPnd1K1M8weaVtAA3KB8v-qbcHENDDzXJUJrLNt-PllZRX0GPAEYIQ7xV4sQfLadHmb6IHA2o_wNwFzcnWtM5JrN-quOSVqiXhHZkEqvn4m7cJ6DdkPc52k-OfYil0RbTMldc/s1600/Pansies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVa7f_q6xPnd1K1M8weaVtAA3KB8v-qbcHENDDzXJUJrLNt-PllZRX0GPAEYIQ7xV4sQfLadHmb6IHA2o_wNwFzcnWtM5JrN-quOSVqiXhHZkEqvn4m7cJ6DdkPc52k-OfYil0RbTMldc/s400/Pansies.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">spring is in full swing in VA!</td></tr></tbody></table>A few weeks ago I <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2012/03/two-upcoming-5ks.html" target="_blank">wrote about the upcoming 5K's</a> I have for April and May.  I'm so excited to report that the donations are rolling in!  While the previous blog post only spoke of two 5K's, I've since enrolled in the Walk for MS (click on the badge on the left for more info) - another event that I wanted to participate in last year but couldn't due to a conflict with another walk.   To those who have donated, please know that they are much appreciated by myself and these organizations!  And to those who may still want to donate - there is still plenty of time!<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKJOIsLgEkr3fOoWRalI_iTN5qR6irCfBZGUMge-rhb54d3QyJFUmwtdgeiPALX7VoU2b_zH4p4pKB8rUYk9YOIdLlj8EyBVWJBOUB3tbW_CVL8PcPBM8_nzqHZG8wncn7YdSsKU1FzmM/s1600/Tulips+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKJOIsLgEkr3fOoWRalI_iTN5qR6irCfBZGUMge-rhb54d3QyJFUmwtdgeiPALX7VoU2b_zH4p4pKB8rUYk9YOIdLlj8EyBVWJBOUB3tbW_CVL8PcPBM8_nzqHZG8wncn7YdSsKU1FzmM/s400/Tulips+2.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnaIT4T49uYSAO9lkywwNlc84SgwSXJkJHI9Y3I0o_KpWCa8aUOR-5VxNisYfK7HYWRDIt4sotldv1fK-t5Uu5f34lb0aJHWmbf6T7UkEKfRINrVB7eT3fQJd_yWsGGIQ86NfWM0vxVyg/s1600/Tulips+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnaIT4T49uYSAO9lkywwNlc84SgwSXJkJHI9Y3I0o_KpWCa8aUOR-5VxNisYfK7HYWRDIt4sotldv1fK-t5Uu5f34lb0aJHWmbf6T7UkEKfRINrVB7eT3fQJd_yWsGGIQ86NfWM0vxVyg/s400/Tulips+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />I don't know about you, but I sure am looking forward to this weekend.  Heck, I'm looking forward to the entire month of April!  For starters, April is my birth month (April 4 to be exact!), Easter is just around the corner - my favorite Sunday, and lastly, every single weekend we have something planned.  I'm going to just pretend that those are all birthday celebration events :).<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ88l81_9OysIZqOIGrQ5SgQiJAn7xkYmddkorY06R8takb9oQxwT2FyVKajfIezyBgbwX5J74qEbUm-mdpfktdpLma-dqgaEMCo3tFyAnaag3jElyKq3lIYW1isP_ewfE2IJh9_Bbi9k/s1600/Tulips+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ88l81_9OysIZqOIGrQ5SgQiJAn7xkYmddkorY06R8takb9oQxwT2FyVKajfIezyBgbwX5J74qEbUm-mdpfktdpLma-dqgaEMCo3tFyAnaag3jElyKq3lIYW1isP_ewfE2IJh9_Bbi9k/s400/Tulips+3.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div style="color: #351c75;"><b>Do you have anything planned this weekend?  Are you an April baby?  If so, what day?  </b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpuDWgwiQUCtcnvV-V6KQeOnw47Nfvr8gXxFRiSyGVmd2jaE4V-ikYe-6F095LGpThdRSmZmBan96wCxA-YEyNe4_RKG0nXwFjq8wyZUnZoSQl228jKe192CxBi9_HPHqx8yAbB3Ij-OQ/s1600/Tulips+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpuDWgwiQUCtcnvV-V6KQeOnw47Nfvr8gXxFRiSyGVmd2jaE4V-ikYe-6F095LGpThdRSmZmBan96wCxA-YEyNe4_RKG0nXwFjq8wyZUnZoSQl228jKe192CxBi9_HPHqx8yAbB3Ij-OQ/s400/Tulips+4.jpg" width="317" /></a></div><br />Have a great 'on plan' weekend friends! <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #999999;">*All pictures were taken with my Blackberry Torch outside of my office just this past week!*</i></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />

Great Strides Loss March for Babies March of Dimes Success Walk MS weigh in Weigh In Friday & Other Successes

I've finally gotten around to updating my stats on the left sidebar.  I'm now down 29.9 lbs as of today!  I'm working on getting...

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Believing

I hit 227.1 on Friday!  To be in the 220s again is.... amazing!  I feel so much better and lighter, and clothes are getting too big and it's all such an awesome feeling.  It's that feeling of being in control of your life that I love.  Do you know what I mean?  It's like... I'm not allowing my body to give in to life's shenanigans... I'm taking control of it and I'm reaping the benefits.  It's that whole "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels" concept.  <br /><br />On Friday I went ahead and bought the next two charms I have earned.  The purple one is simply because I love purple and I wanted to add more color to my bracelet. <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4cZh7lXIH0rDYii5QQSUHGeS7l_-Z_CxRvprHQ4mh8MudmVXwPQ_S5E6rlu7Fo_uq5gJM_v8OxanEPEKjup_q2HrSRza4rOICmchTlYMvy_1-fnRfmBaH7jtf_1O2p_QDOzLlxE9X-NU/s1600/bracelet+with+heart+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4cZh7lXIH0rDYii5QQSUHGeS7l_-Z_CxRvprHQ4mh8MudmVXwPQ_S5E6rlu7Fo_uq5gJM_v8OxanEPEKjup_q2HrSRza4rOICmchTlYMvy_1-fnRfmBaH7jtf_1O2p_QDOzLlxE9X-NU/s400/bracelet+with+heart+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />The entwined hearts symbolizes many things to me at this point, but one of which is the love I have for myself and this journey.  I can only have that love by God's grace.  It is important that my life, my "heart", be intertwined with His in order to experience the life I'm meant to have. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNxp_I_jqMgpZvM4fh2gdSxyzb2AKu_pFjcQBvQ1-mdWd4athJRvv3_yCift8J3fzkFQl2zDWAEGQlgPdU2o_N1liIs9S8w1q_JqfY8rT5VG4xedx2twyqMFUWBP1jqBL_8AwM3hl2A-0/s1600/bracelet+with+heart+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNxp_I_jqMgpZvM4fh2gdSxyzb2AKu_pFjcQBvQ1-mdWd4athJRvv3_yCift8J3fzkFQl2zDWAEGQlgPdU2o_N1liIs9S8w1q_JqfY8rT5VG4xedx2twyqMFUWBP1jqBL_8AwM3hl2A-0/s400/bracelet+with+heart+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Last week I picked up this curling iron too.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjptwuWWa4cbPGed3n0nJPPpdk6_ebd99mUbBCsfK2iyJ7gQpRCXC3qr1LwPWcMcygekI2CM56BhrS-6-eQ0kqgxhzht7d9mVuTrbhYe6aNFDZWAikc7CA2VxRLxo6tv2Xa6D5BtIe_tNA/s1600/curling+iron.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjptwuWWa4cbPGed3n0nJPPpdk6_ebd99mUbBCsfK2iyJ7gQpRCXC3qr1LwPWcMcygekI2CM56BhrS-6-eQ0kqgxhzht7d9mVuTrbhYe6aNFDZWAikc7CA2VxRLxo6tv2Xa6D5BtIe_tNA/s400/curling+iron.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />And this week I picked up the <a href="http://www.ulta.com/ulta/browse/productDetail.jsp?productId=xlsImpprod3900691" target="_blank">Clarisonic Mia 2 from Ulta</a>. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguuEm-a6L_TshHaVjqM3918Co-g84LkmRy_M4tlCN33HqLlW8U_8odRh0SLQz3-wylS31QWAg5yqWdtYBEys7_eepuYIagM7UtfTCOK8pJ29JiPaza_AR3C_ODkODSFE2X2mSWobpThv8/s1600/mia+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguuEm-a6L_TshHaVjqM3918Co-g84LkmRy_M4tlCN33HqLlW8U_8odRh0SLQz3-wylS31QWAg5yqWdtYBEys7_eepuYIagM7UtfTCOK8pJ29JiPaza_AR3C_ODkODSFE2X2mSWobpThv8/s400/mia+2.jpg" width="333" /></a></div><br />I first saw this device on QVC right before Christmas.  It seemed cool enough, but I'm always a big skeptic on "miracle" products such as this.  Then I read <a href="http://honeyishrunkthegretchen.com/2012/02/02/skin-care/" target="_blank">a post from Gretchen</a> about how much she loved her Mia, along with the other commenters from her post.  <i>Then </i>I went to my friend's house to discover that she had one too and loves it.  Given that I still suffer from acne like a teenager, I decided I wanted to give this a shot.  I wear a lot of makeup everyday, and I know that there is no way a wash cloth and my Olay Foaming Face Wash was doing the trick entirely.  That is also the good thing about this device - you can use whatever nonabrasive wash you'd like (do not use an exfoliating cleanser - it will end up being too harsh for your skin).   <br /><br />I was also able to move 2 more beads from one jar to another!  Yes!

goals Inspiration Loss Weight Loss Believing

I hit 227.1 on Friday!  To be in the 220s again is.... amazing!  I feel so much better and lighter, and clothes are getting too big and it&#...

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Weigh In Results & What Worked This Week

There are a number of things that I believe contributed to my <b><span style="color: #351c75;">amazing </span></b>loss this week.<br /><div style="color: #351c75;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="color: #351c75;"><b><u style="color: #674ea7;">What Worked This Week</u>:</b></div>1. <b>Decreasing my DPT from 39 to 38.</b>  I've been at a 39 Daily PointsPlus Target for several weeks now.  I wanted to switch things up to see what decreasing it by 1 PointsPlus would do.  Turns out it did a lot!  Though I know this wasn't the only contributing factor, and I'll explain more.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJIYrfSrAY9P2uKQnFsAtXziOsqJf_zfJ8NAPmGlJZIrT6jlBNnjCR6NT1-Pbg6WjUCqCMIunBHCvZevTfBRkkiC1vc7pXpd3IA-VXv2LuyMVEuz_IELsxYIboA04lIQOoEGHgiThyphenhyphenDZE/s1600/DPT.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJIYrfSrAY9P2uKQnFsAtXziOsqJf_zfJ8NAPmGlJZIrT6jlBNnjCR6NT1-Pbg6WjUCqCMIunBHCvZevTfBRkkiC1vc7pXpd3IA-VXv2LuyMVEuz_IELsxYIboA04lIQOoEGHgiThyphenhyphenDZE/s1600/DPT.JPG" /></a></div><br />2. <b>Plenty of fruit.</b>  The bulk of my snacks this week were of the fruit kind: strawberries and blueberries.  I've heard some meeting members in the past say that if they eat too much fruit, they either don't lose or they gain. For someone whose sweet tooth is the size of my head, eating fruit in place of chocolate or some other snack that is on the sugary side was a much better alternative.  Not to mention the fact that it was filling AND 0 PointsPlus!  And, let's be honest, I did not get to 263.8 lbs by overeating fruit! <br /><br />3. <b>Filling Breakfasts</b>.  This week I had another oatmeal breakfast. If I give myself a delicious and filling breakfast, it really sets the tone for the rest of my day {<i>most </i>of the time}.  I find I am less ravenous throughout the day.  Oatmeal in and of itself is filling, but add some dried apricots, dried blueberries, and a little splash of milk and it's right on par.  I tried this oatmeal from my Weight Watchers cookbook called Baked Fruit Cinnamon Oatmeal {7 PointsPlus}.  So good!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibJXlCNP6Pn0ZRzRcJ7nYu1P3q_FEP2LGstnjCozUxY_czjKAbMObMjB5qfCpDrDNgfvQeQbJ0sBIEOmoX19mc03vqyXx2McB1b4VkzfPgPGfUagGoSfcmNlDMckeTXG-O4pM1UZJI16E/s1600/ww+new+complete+cookbook.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibJXlCNP6Pn0ZRzRcJ7nYu1P3q_FEP2LGstnjCozUxY_czjKAbMObMjB5qfCpDrDNgfvQeQbJ0sBIEOmoX19mc03vqyXx2McB1b4VkzfPgPGfUagGoSfcmNlDMckeTXG-O4pM1UZJI16E/s320/ww+new+complete+cookbook.JPG" width="284" /></a></div><br /><br />4. <b>Meeting Weekly Activity Goal.</b>  Again, this week I got in both days of activity.  That definitely helped me drop the weight!<br /><br />5. <b>Not Eating All of My DPT.</b>  There were 3 days this week that I didn't eat all of my 38 PointsPlus.  I didn't do this on purpose, it was just because I was busy and food was not on my mind.  What does that tell you? I typically eat because I'm bored and it gives me something to do.  This week I was busy with school, among other things, and thinking about food wasn't at the forefront.<br /><br />6. <b>Allowing One "Indulgent Meal" Per Week.</b>  I've been living by this rule since the start of the new year.  I allow myself one meal each week where I can eat whatever I want.  Yes, I still count it {even if it puts me in the red for the Weekly PointsPlus}, but I enjoy it without guilt.  I don't feel deprived and when I find myself craving an indulgent meal {which for me, this just means going out to eat and consuming whatever I want}, I remind myself that I can have it next week for my "indulgent meal".<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqJwMSM62rTLGTwrCM_sDst4PfoYGXAjNkFd0213i6EynsmS-djh40jGRUts-JdlkIytU8EO3UNZEK8axsrn-0H7YtA5kQqSSX7OsFHR6Y1u1je4uu2nNoyT9uWGJGh9KVnMpN-lVyDCE/s1600/cieling+fan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqJwMSM62rTLGTwrCM_sDst4PfoYGXAjNkFd0213i6EynsmS-djh40jGRUts-JdlkIytU8EO3UNZEK8axsrn-0H7YtA5kQqSSX7OsFHR6Y1u1je4uu2nNoyT9uWGJGh9KVnMpN-lVyDCE/s400/cieling+fan.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the ceiling fan at a pizza shop where last week's indulgent meal was consumed!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="color: #674ea7;"><b><u>Upcoming Challenges This Week</u>:</b></div><ul><li><b>Super Bowl Sunday.</b>  We are going to a party on Sunday afternoon.  I'm making some food for it, but it's not really PointsPlus friendly food {I don't intend on eating it either, it's just what I was asked to bring}. So, having said that, I do plan to make at least one more dish that is WW friendly, which will most likely be <a href="http://www.hungry-girl.com/newsletters/raw/745" target="_blank">these</a>.</li></ul><div style="color: #674ea7;"><br /></div><span style="color: #674ea7;"> </span><b style="color: #674ea7;"><u>Weigh In Results</u>:</b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7uWX9Jh57QroTc3oQaj-bWilwmRw-PI86r7hsAlnAOoOoiZ1ORgCPEdHXGyQBHW3so0_o7oH4HqnrWz9WZonG8vEP_ORRQtLfrF746xMAuCwR8D-zx5NWbNnIQTtrL8gzEktyzgS9iRU/s1600/scale.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7uWX9Jh57QroTc3oQaj-bWilwmRw-PI86r7hsAlnAOoOoiZ1ORgCPEdHXGyQBHW3so0_o7oH4HqnrWz9WZonG8vEP_ORRQtLfrF746xMAuCwR8D-zx5NWbNnIQTtrL8gzEktyzgS9iRU/s1600/scale.png" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">   <b>Hilary (5'8")</b></div><div style="text-align: center;">Starting Weight: <span style="color: black;">263.8</span></div><div style="color: #351c75; text-align: center;"><b>Current Weight: 235.9</b></div><div style="color: #351c75; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="color: #351c75; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;">This week I lost 5.1 lbs!  AND I met <i><b>two </b></i><a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/p/goals.html" target="_blank">goals</a>!!!!!!!  I reached another 5 lbs goal AND I reached my first 10% goal as well. This means I get two charms and one other reward.  This is what I'm getting:</span><br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="color: black;">1. <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/82637669/jewelry-display-holder-cabinet-grade?ref=sr_906ba8f6168e1dde064c918da815dfb5410d78f651f00462338779b1722c3565_1320777427_14107390_necklace_holder" target="_blank">The Jewelry Organizer</a>.  I have an endless supply of necklaces and earrings that are a constant tangled mess.  Not to mention that Charles likes to use my earrings as his toys!  This gem is coming from the Etsy store <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/JewelryHoldersForYou?ref=seller_info" target="_blank">Jewelry Holders for You</a>.</span></blockquote><span style="color: black;"> </span></div><div style="color: #351c75; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCFZT3WOeZ4qKy0ua5JrPgtWP5ySJk8sR68A1AMpZMUEs00X_I6no5uRWACgTvSPewf8gtVwLmvadImcAj90OqAdh6wYvDJu9vBoXrT0Rb7ZJNTGTirfFZ2W_R516-eBvJB69tTBiut0s/s1600/jewelery+hanger+reward.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCFZT3WOeZ4qKy0ua5JrPgtWP5ySJk8sR68A1AMpZMUEs00X_I6no5uRWACgTvSPewf8gtVwLmvadImcAj90OqAdh6wYvDJu9vBoXrT0Rb7ZJNTGTirfFZ2W_R516-eBvJB69tTBiut0s/s400/jewelery+hanger+reward.jpg" width="326" /></a></div><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><div style="color: black;">2. Charms.  I've already chosen the one charm I am getting for sure, and it's in honor of my beloved alma mater:</div></blockquote><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit3Nu63X-6V-wSOGE_Tqa3FRyeG9B23mJDshSiBo0MD3-RfTAffGfzFjdaPXwshfRUx_b3pBqfBYZiPrFSzUQOf5irGPm1qhd2Iaq3wWTf3oZycyDrJysXmXwKnpMx8zfn61zxYIejlxY/s1600/psu+charm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit3Nu63X-6V-wSOGE_Tqa3FRyeG9B23mJDshSiBo0MD3-RfTAffGfzFjdaPXwshfRUx_b3pBqfBYZiPrFSzUQOf5irGPm1qhd2Iaq3wWTf3oZycyDrJysXmXwKnpMx8zfn61zxYIejlxY/s200/psu+charm.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sold on Ebay by <a href="http://stores.ebay.com/BeadazzlingBeadsdotCom?_trksid=p4340.l2563" target="_blank">Bedazzling Beads</a>.</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="color: #351c75; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;"><insert charm="" penn="" pic="" state=""></insert></span></div><div style="color: #351c75; text-align: left;"><blockquote class="tr_bq"><div style="color: black;">I'm going this evening to pick out my other charm.  Sorry Pandora, but I am not going with you this time on the charm selection.  These beauties are on my <a href="http://chamilia.com/" target="_blank">Chamilia</a> wishlist {I'm only getting one}:</div></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlk5CbqYurfLP-vqdzbMjcfTXqqRgZ-MdRfvKmComrf0729vGbRMGcsrrbeP88fuYKiWpzfDMZBzR-Y3z5iOAQcRFzHYTVs02GqCl2R0DjUPB-OR-_C2Ohy3Pg0pzsxgqiT8ngFOuYh_k/s1600/chamilia+beads.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlk5CbqYurfLP-vqdzbMjcfTXqqRgZ-MdRfvKmComrf0729vGbRMGcsrrbeP88fuYKiWpzfDMZBzR-Y3z5iOAQcRFzHYTVs02GqCl2R0DjUPB-OR-_C2Ohy3Pg0pzsxgqiT8ngFOuYh_k/s400/chamilia+beads.JPG" width="165" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: black;">I've also updated my <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/p/progress-pictures.html" target="_blank">progress pics</a>, which, I honestly cannot say that I see much of a difference in those pictures just yet.  The most I can see is with my face.  The first set of pictures were taken at an odd angle, and I'm trying to be consistent with the angle now so it more accurately shows the losses.  </span><span style="color: black;">But that's okay, I can FEEL the difference that 27.9 lbs removed makes.... and it's a lot!</span><br /><b><br /></b><br /><b>What is working for you this week?</b> <span style="color: black;"> </span></div><div style="color: #351c75; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;"><insert jewelery="" organizer="" pic=""></insert></span></div><div style="color: #351c75; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;"><insert chamilia="" charms=""> </insert></span><b></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>

goals Inspiration Loss Success Weight Loss Weight Watchers Weigh In Results & What Worked This Week

There are a number of things that I believe contributed to my amazing loss this week. What Worked This Week : 1. Decreasing my DPT from 39 t...

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Weigh In & Other News

Good Friday morning!<br /><br /><b style="color: #351c75;"><span style="color: #674ea7;">Weigh In Results</span> </b><br />If a Friday is your weigh in day as well, I hope it went as well for you as it did for me!  I've known all week that the scale was moving in the direction I wanted, but I can honestly say I didn't expect to be in a new decade come today!<br /><br />I have now entered the 230s and weighed in this morning at 239.4!!!!!!!  That means that I am down 2.8 lbs from last week, and I'm just 0.6 lbs away from meeting my next <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/p/goals.html" target="_blank">goal</a>!  LOVE it!<br /><br /><b style="color: #674ea7;">How I Did It </b><br />So, as my WW leader always asks us - what worked this week?<br /><br />It is a rare week when I follow WW exactly to a tee {this wasn't one of those weeks either!}, so that is not the reason why I had a tremendous loss.<br /><br />In fact,  just last weekend I made Oreo truffles, and it was Sunday night when I went a little overboard with them {I'll share the recipe!}.  They are 2 PointsPlus each - even using reduced fat Oreos and the WW cream cheese block.  Lord!  So anyhow, that plus an unplanned night of eating out with Joel.... having a VERY delicious basil fried rice.... I thought I was doomed. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCoIgUdPaygKaCjlLPilFyjtEOQtRv0cYcAiluLmdU2Fv0wZAmdR87_OewcmuE5d5clGRvcK4Usso3wpiuHEVibX9pJJ7DASL5wSAYVHmIMBB1CU6ffdT9unSJlsOmN1ZM5Nv6YK_eOi4/s1600/basil+fried+rice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCoIgUdPaygKaCjlLPilFyjtEOQtRv0cYcAiluLmdU2Fv0wZAmdR87_OewcmuE5d5clGRvcK4Usso3wpiuHEVibX9pJJ7DASL5wSAYVHmIMBB1CU6ffdT9unSJlsOmN1ZM5Nv6YK_eOi4/s400/basil+fried+rice.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">from Pho Thom - next to Univ. of Maryland</td></tr></tbody></table><br />But here's what I suspect contributed to the 2.8 lbs removal of lard:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><ol><li><b>Filling breakfasts + lots of fruit daily.</b> I had that amazing <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2012/01/papa-bear-oatmeal-some-housecleaning.html" target="_blank">oatmeal</a> this week, and getting that fiber from the oatmeal plus the fruits had to have made all the difference!  Let's just say it added some much needed "regularity" to my daily routine.  TMI?  Oops.  Honestly, I'm terrible at getting in my fruits/veggies every day because those are things that I just don't crave {or want}.  BUT, this week's loss is a prime example and reason why I need to keep up these good habits.  That oatmeal kept me full from 7 AM to 12 PM every single morning this week. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzrP0VkBoSiPHDhsQN9tn9peY8lHxS8-fv_WIdoBOchElf7b_zXuoKkPVLkqmornRJxbOnG9W6eQ_IE0vJqxfsV7Oo7fslzjlBKxuwNNzI0gFkA7-ZUB8NhzropjUpAs9q6-S197aKp2k/s1600/oatmeal.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzrP0VkBoSiPHDhsQN9tn9peY8lHxS8-fv_WIdoBOchElf7b_zXuoKkPVLkqmornRJxbOnG9W6eQ_IE0vJqxfsV7Oo7fslzjlBKxuwNNzI0gFkA7-ZUB8NhzropjUpAs9q6-S197aKp2k/s400/oatmeal.JPG" width="400" /></a></div></li><li><b>Sharing my journey with others.</b>  I spent about 4 hours on Saturday with my friend Ang and ventured over to her house for lunch.  Ang is already a very health conscious person, so I didn't for one minute think she would be serving up greasy delicacies.  Still, I wasn't prepping lunch, she was, and that means I didn't really have control over the situation.  However, we enjoyed little pizzas made on pita bread, complete with turkey pepperoni and 2% cheese.  A perfect WW lunch!  Thank you Ang! <br /><br />Additionally, as nervous as I was to ask at first, I simply said: "Hey Ang, do you mind if I take a pic of the nutrition facts on those pitas so I can figure out the PointsPlus later?"  Of course she didn't mind!  <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmEFKfWJ7nxgqBUBvDn8vLoakeHFdQQWI2lRxLWOw4rCf7TvMYlUy-eOdEnhNN8BYFTRAuWKjVpRgiAkbsH7Ts2RBqefb7zkOyTaSzaEjktLGOdDFhaPopThgHYZCfT3oa5kWe2DWpeAg/s1600/pita+nutrition+facts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmEFKfWJ7nxgqBUBvDn8vLoakeHFdQQWI2lRxLWOw4rCf7TvMYlUy-eOdEnhNN8BYFTRAuWKjVpRgiAkbsH7Ts2RBqefb7zkOyTaSzaEjktLGOdDFhaPopThgHYZCfT3oa5kWe2DWpeAg/s320/pita+nutrition+facts.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2011/11/part-1-how-i-approach-ww-in-public.html" target="_blank">In the past</a> I would have never even attempted to ask this question - I would have rather kept everything a big secret.  But, asking that one simple question helped me stay on track the rest of the day - because I was able to definitively calculate the PointsPlus value of that mini pizza and not stress about "estimating" it.  <br /><br /></li><li><b>Exercise.</b>  Unfortunately, as much as I wish this wasn't the case, I've never been one of those WWs who can <i>really </i>lose without exercising.  Sticking to my 2 days/per week commitment has definitely contributed to my losses.  Not only that, but I've been inadvertently adding little lunch walks 1 day per week with my coworker, Meghan.  Meghan and I just chit chat about wedding stuff and the time FLIES by!  <br /><br /> </li><li><b>Plenty of sleep.</b>  I normally always get 7 hours of sleep every night.  Sleep is just not something I am willing sacrifice.  I know I can be fully functional on 7 hours.  This week, however, I was getting upwards of 7.5 to 8 hours of shuteye, which makes life<i> even better </i>for me!  Did this added rest allow me to burn more calories?  I hope!</li></ol><b style="color: #674ea7;">Other News</b><br />My plans this weekend include meeting with the caterer on Saturday to go over food options for the wedding.  I also plan to get started on the wedding website.  I wasn't planning on doing this but someone already asked if I had one, so I figured I'd better throw one together.  Do you ever use these when you've been invited to a wedding?  I'd also like to throw together a few posts for next week.  I have a few more recipes to share with you that I think you'll like!  Oh yeah, and then there's that <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2012/01/papa-bear-oatmeal-some-housecleaning.html" target="_blank">school</a> thing.  <br /><br /><b style="color: #674ea7;">What's on your agenda for the weekend?</b><br /><ol></ol><br /><ol></ol>

Deen Family Cookbook goals Loss Weight Loss Weight Watchers Weigh In & Other News

Good Friday morning! Weigh In Results If a Friday is your weigh in day as well, I hope it went as well for you as it did for me!  I've ...

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4th Weigh in Results + Sickness Update

Today brings Joel and I to our 4th weigh in together - with stellar results yet again!<br /><br />But first, the update on my sickness.  After work on Wednesday, I went to the local urgent care center and the nurse practitioner there deduced that I had food poisoning.   And because I had not been eating or drinking (pretty much, <i>at all</i>), I had become dehydrated.  The dehydration is what caused the heart palpitations.  She explained why at the time, and it made sense, but don't ask me to reiterate :).   My job was to go on the BRAT diet for 24 hours to get my GI-tract back to normal (i.e. so that all things I do consume don't immediately exit my body out the other end!).  If you've ever had dehydrated children, or know someone yourself who has been dehydrated, then you've probably heard of BRAT:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>B</b>ananas</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>R</b>ice</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>A</b>pplesauce</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>T</b>oast</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>These are foods that will "stop you up", causing your body to start to retain some nutrients and not simply pass everything right through your system as quick as it went in.  I was also advised NOT to drink any water, but to drink Gatorade (I've been drinking the Powerade Zero - no calories), tea, diet soda, and/or chicken broth.  Water actually helps aid..... I'm just gonna go ahead and say it here, because we're all adults right?.... <i>diarrhea</i>.  So does milk.  And those are 2 things that I consume a lot of on a regular basis.  Even on Wednesday, I had tried to start normalizing myself and I started the day off with milk and 3 bottles of water - bad idea I realized about 30 minutes later!<br /><br />So for 24 hours, I ate rice/chicken broth, applesauce, toast and saltines (saltines was a sub-category of the toast).  AND, the heart palpitations have subsided substantially (by biggest concern).  By the time those 24 hours were up, I was the hungriest I had been all week.  All I wanted was a nice slice of lasagna (hence the trip to the Olive Garden)! <br /><br />Still, recognizing that I was sick this week and I didn't eat at all like I normally would, I had a 4.2 pound loss from last week.  BUT, I cannot help but be excited.  A loss is a loss and I'll take it!  I have not seen 247.6 on the scale in probably more than a year.  That means I've also met another one of my <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/p/goals.html">5 pound goals</a> and today/tomorrow I will be going out to buy my Pandora bracelet and first charm - I'm so excited!! <br /><br />While I do hope to maintain this current weight loss in the upcoming weeks, I will not be too shocked if come next week I have gained a little, especially if I can get myself back to eating normally this week, which is slowly but surely starting to happen.  I'm not trying to stick to the BRAT forever :).  <i>But I will cross that bridge when I get there next week.  </i><br /><br />I have viewed this incident as a means for God reminding me that I shouldn't continuously put crap into my body - even if I do have the Points+ values for it!  Now, I'm not saying God was like - "punish this girl - poison her!!"  No, He doesn't do that.  But, everything happens for a reason.  This "clean out" of my system this week has made me only want to put good things <i>back in</i> to my fragile stomach, and not taint it with junk.    <br /><br />But, alas, the results:<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.loosemyobesity.com/index_files/page13-1008-full.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.loosemyobesity.com/index_files/page13-1008-full.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.loosemyobesity.com/">source</a>.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: center;"> <b>Joel (6'): 225.6</b><br /><b> Hilary (5'8"): 247.6</b></div><br />If you're on a weight loss journey, how did you do this week?  Would you "count" this weight loss this week if you were me? 

Loss Success Weight Loss Weight Watchers 4th Weigh in Results + Sickness Update

Today brings Joel and I to our 4th weigh in together - with stellar results yet again! But first, the update on my sickness.  After work on ...

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Weigh In and Weekend Plans

I guess all that struggling didn't matter after all, because I dropped 1.8 lbs this week, bringing me back closer to my first 10 lbs loss!  I'll take it.<br /><br />Obviously you saw that this past week was definitely an "off" week for me.  I couldn't get the healthy living thing together.  Yesterday (Friday) I got myself started off on the right foot, however.  Since I missed my usual Wednesday WW meeting, I attended yesterday morning instead.  As it turns out, the lady leading Friday's meeting was the old leader I used to go to 2 years ago.  It's funny how people change in just 2 short years - she looked a lot different (in her clothing & hair style).  But, I was so pleased to discover that she had the Pumpkin Fluff recipe posted on the board at the front of the meeting room.  It was my lucky day!<br /><br />Why?  Well, I'm going to a party tonight to honor a friend of mine who will be getting married in just a few weeks.  My job was to make a dessert and so I thought I'd make the pumpkin fluff, but I knew I'd have to do some searching for the recipe because I couldn't remember where I put it.  I couldn't remember exactly what the pumpkin fluff was used for either.  All I could remember was the name, and that I wanted to do something fall-inspired.  And low and behold, there was the recipe at the front of the room :).  I will share this recipe with you this week - it is incredibly pumpkiny and so decadent.  I'll be using it as a fruit dip (it's so versatile, you can really use it any way you like) with cut up apples and pears and vanilla wafers.  I'll be sure to take pictures :).<br /><br />Since I love cooking, and felt like the fruit tray wouldn't be enough of a dessert, I also made an apple crisp, which I will also share the recipe for.  This crisp is meant to serve 12, but I'm going to try to cut it up a little smaller to make more serving sizes as well as a smaller Points+ value per serving.  I cannot wait to try this tonight with some fat free vanilla ice cream on top!<br /><br />Until the party begins, I'm going to continue cheering on my Nittany Lions who are playing Eastern Michigan today in Happy Valley.  WE ARE!

Loss Success Weight Loss Weigh In and Weekend Plans

I guess all that struggling didn't matter after all, because I dropped 1.8 lbs this week, bringing me back closer to my first 10 lbs los...

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My First 10 Pound Goal Has Been Met!

I was so anxious for today's weigh in.  I've been consistently losing over the last 3 weeks and I wanted to keep the momentum going.  I would have been pleased with losing less than a pound, just so that it was a recorded "loss". <br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://slimfitworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/easy-way-to-lose-weight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://slimfitworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/easy-way-to-lose-weight.jpg" width="269" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.slimfitworld.com/set-your-weight-loss-goals/">Source</a>.</td></tr></tbody></table>There have been a few occasions where I've gotten close to meeting my first 10 lbs goal, but then ultimately failed. But still, it's always in the back of my mind when I hop on the scale Friday mornings to see the verdict.  I desperately want those new shoes!!    <br /><br />Today was no different.  I really wanted to see a 10 lbs loss (total, not since last week :) ), but like I said, I would have been happy with any loss.  Still, as I was getting ready to step on the scale, I told myself, "Just picture the 10 lbs loss Hilary, it could happen!"<br /><br />Holy moly friends!<br /><br />Sure enough - 253.8 was staring back at me!!!!!<br /><br />That means that I have removed the first 10 lbs of this loonnnnggggg weight loss journey.   It has taken me 6 months to lose 10 lbs everybody.  6 months!  It is what it is and I'll take it.  And I will never see those 10 lbs again.  But, what I want <i>you </i>to realize is if <i>you're</i> struggling and not seeing immediate results, <b>hang in there</b>.  If I could sum up in one word the theme of these past 6 months for me, it would be called <b style="color: blue;">Perseverance</b>.<br /><br /><h2 style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: small;">per·se·ver·ance <span class="main-fl" style="color: #999999; font-family: inherit;"> <i>noun</i> </span><span class="pr" style="color: #999999; font-family: inherit;">\<span class="unicode">ˌ</span>pər-sə-<span class="unicode">ˈ</span>vir-ən(t)s\</span><span class="ssens" style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;"><b>:</b> <br />continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition</span></span></h2><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="ssens" style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;">Yes, I would say based on that definition, that pretty much sums up my journey thus far.  </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="ssens" style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="ssens" style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;">So, my reward for meeting the first 10 lbs goal was a brand new pair of tennis shoes:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="ssens" style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s.onlineshoes.com/images/br008/247285_366_45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://s.onlineshoes.com/images/br008/247285_366_45.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.onlineshoes.com/womens-new-balance-ww860km-lace-up-for-the-cure-silver-pink-p_id207023">Source</a>.</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="ssens" style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;">I am a big supporter of breast cancer research.  These are the New Balance Lace Up for the Cure walking shoes.  </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="ssens" style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAmbjd_0rITBkLB0or3M4WnvCpLvVIMTllFrakk8sjhxYUrSD1sROxBHWn9NXPMwcjsxWKrQs4mw4Vuc82DORMpPlCbMZExneFUMXJwKKoU1bMfSVA-jOvF2t8Eom7JKNy0qlq6C02k_I/s1600/shoes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAmbjd_0rITBkLB0or3M4WnvCpLvVIMTllFrakk8sjhxYUrSD1sROxBHWn9NXPMwcjsxWKrQs4mw4Vuc82DORMpPlCbMZExneFUMXJwKKoU1bMfSVA-jOvF2t8Eom7JKNy0qlq6C02k_I/s400/shoes.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">they have the pink ribbon detail on the inside - love it!</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="ssens" style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;">I'm so excited to <i>finally </i>be getting these new shoes!!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="ssens" style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="ssens" style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;">Now that I've met my first major goal, it is time to update the <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/p/progress-pictures.html">Progress Pictures</a>!  AND, it is time to get this "party" started - I plan to celebrate this achievement allllll day long :).</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="ssens" style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="ssens" style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;">Best wishes for a fabulous, happy and blessed weekend everybody :).</span></span></div><h2 style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"> </h2>

10 Pound Goal Loss Success Weight Loss My First 10 Pound Goal Has Been Met!

I was so anxious for today's weigh in.  I've been consistently losing over the last 3 weeks and I wanted to keep the momentum going....

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September Goals and a Chai Tea Recipe

3 weeks in a row of losses! Yay!!<br /><br />Oh hey - notice something a little different?  :)  While my old layout wasn't bad, black wasn't exactly the most chipper color.  I <3 purple, and so I present to you a new layout.  I hope you find it a little more refreshing/inviting.<br /><br />It's time for me to think about what I want to work on for the month of September.<br /><br /><ol><li>Have an average of 4 days of activity per week instead of the 3 that I had for August.</li><li>Track what I did for activity, how often I did it, and for how long.</li><li>Track the days that I've stayed On Plan.</li><li>Add 2 servings of fruit and 2 servings of vegetables into my daily menu.  <i>This is up from August's goal of just 1 serving of fruit and vegetables per day.</i></li><li>Continue on with the <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2011/08/staying-on-track-with-august-goals.html">New Rules of Lifting for Women</a>.<i> </i></li><li>Continue reading <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2011/08/staying-on-track-with-august-goals.html">The Beck Diet Solution</a>.</li><li>Set a weekly goal for myself that I will determine on Monday's.  Thanks <a href="http://www.1year100pounds.com/">Ryan</a>!</li></ol>These goals are all similar to that of August with a few tweaks.  Since I had success with this in August, losing a total of 3.6 pounds, I want to keep setting attainable goals for September.  <br /><br />I am a lover of tea.  In case you haven't figured it out yet, my favorite tea variety is the chai.  I particularly like the spiced chai flavor.  Now, I frequent Starbucks a lot, and they serve a chai that is a liquid version.  I love this chai, but I don't love the 7 Points+ value for a venti skim.  While I can almost afford those Points+ now, I know I won't be able to as time goes on.  Still, I like the liquid chai for it's creaminess, a consistency I cannot seem to achieve using just half and half and chai tea bags.  Until now!<br /><br />Enter: Coffeehouse Chai Latte.  This is yet another recipe from <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/search/label/Eat%20What%20You%20Love">Eat What You Love</a>.  I'm not sure how/why this tea tastes so great but perhaps you can figure it out by the ingredients:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJkcgZttoiBKDsCqSU4XkP6Mk_QqcRhUpQrZsdw-3NoAtKRSZLapfl7PT6A8NTgjV1RDnVJosW3j3n0Sg4noqhvb9pzD0RJLaWaf39ILD2La08DcIiF7nBjUPHQqL7uoB-Z4UUvz0upbE/s1600/008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJkcgZttoiBKDsCqSU4XkP6Mk_QqcRhUpQrZsdw-3NoAtKRSZLapfl7PT6A8NTgjV1RDnVJosW3j3n0Sg4noqhvb9pzD0RJLaWaf39ILD2La08DcIiF7nBjUPHQqL7uoB-Z4UUvz0upbE/s400/008.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><ul><li>1/2 c. fat free evaporated milk</li><li>1 1/2 c. water</li><li>3 packets of Sweet 'n Low</li><li>2 individual chai tea bags</li><li>1 tsp honey</li></ul><blockquote>Combine the evaporated milk, water and Sweet 'n Low packets together in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat.  Stir frequently, so as not to scorch the milk.  As the liquid begins to simmer, add the tea bags and allow to steep for 3 minutes.  Remove pan from heat.  Remove tea bags from liquid.  Add the honey.  </blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG9ZRZ-foyl1611OBXxos5qhah2TtsvBSgVnGcj-WkabV0WkrXwq3IMiHyS02y2SeG98x5kmpeBUHOPfyxssG2ok8-1L_TD7aMr-tgTLA3aTAewY4lmiFivuK_D3uoug4PhVSsJZ3djUw/s1600/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG9ZRZ-foyl1611OBXxos5qhah2TtsvBSgVnGcj-WkabV0WkrXwq3IMiHyS02y2SeG98x5kmpeBUHOPfyxssG2ok8-1L_TD7aMr-tgTLA3aTAewY4lmiFivuK_D3uoug4PhVSsJZ3djUw/s400/005.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />This is supposed to make 2 servings at 1 cup each.  This entire concoction makes just 1 for me :).  This delicious chai only costs me 4 Points+, as opposed to the 7 from the Starbucks version.  Winning!<br /><br />Do you have any beverages that you cannot go without on your weight loss journey?

Eat What You Love goals Loss New Rules of Lifting for Women The Beck Diet Solution Weight Loss Challenges Weight Watcher Recipes Weight Watchers September Goals and a Chai Tea Recipe

3 weeks in a row of losses! Yay!! Oh hey - notice something a little different?  :)  While my old layout wasn't bad, black wasn't ex...

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Official Weigh In & Week 2 Challenge Updates

This morning I weighed in at 255.8!  That means I officially met my <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/p/goals.html">first goal</a>!  I'm down a total of 8 lbs and today I picked up the <a href="http://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/2EC398vHy15QEeuA2gp2AqlCpANwFMYL">Wii Just Dance 2 video game</a>.  I'm excited to include this into my weekly workout routine. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><br /> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.hkofferhouse.com/images/cover/other/Just%20Dance%202%20-%20U.S%20Ver%20%28Wii%29%20cover%20front%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.hkofferhouse.com/images/cover/other/Just%20Dance%202%20-%20U.S%20Ver%20%28Wii%29%20cover%20front%201.jpg" width="220" /></a></td></tr><br /> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.hkofferhouse.com/items/wii/o0109-detail.htm">Source</a>.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td></tr><br /> </tbody></table>I really hope that the weight is coming off <i>mainly </i>because of the consistent weight training I've been doing over the last 2 weeks now, and not due to <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2011/08/so-there-was-earthquake-today.html">this past week's events</a>.  <br /><br />Either way, a loss is a loss! :)<br /><br /><a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2011/08/starting-weekend-off-right.html">To continue on with the Beck challenge</a> from Priorfatgirl, here are some additional things I've been working on:<br /><br /><ol><li><b>Find a diet coach.</b>  This person will be our motivator and personal cheerleader during our weight loss journey.  They could be a therapist, spouse, family member, friend, anyone... just as long as you have someone to stay accountable to.  My diet coach is <a href="http://60lessat40.blogspot.com/">Leslie</a> - thank you again for volunteering to be my d.c.! :)</li><br /> <li><b>Arrange your environment.</b>  This includes ideas such as start eating your meals on smaller size plates to cleaning out your cabinets and pitching all junk food and trigger foods.  Be sure to make it known to people that you are on a healthiness journey so that hopefully they don't sabotage you in some way, and also try some creative problem solving - such as not allowing any candy in the house what so ever.  I've used the plate trick for years and I love it.  </li><br /> <li><b>Create time and energy.</b>  Make a schedule for yourself.  Schedule in time for yourself to get healthy, whether that means putting exercise on  your calendar or allotting time to meal plan or whatever it is you need to do to stay on track with your weight loss journey.  In other words, figure out your priorities and schedule those first, then put all the extraneous stuff in where it fits (<i>if </i>it fits!).  When I sat down to make my workweek schedule and weekend schedule, a feeling of relief came over me.  Finally, I can see in black/white what I should be doing and when.  I can see that I have plenty of time to get everything done that I want to achieve each day.  Having it written down really helped me organize my thoughts and relieved some stress to be honest.  Try it!</li><br /> <li><b>Select an exercise plan.</b>  MWF for me is the NROLW.  Tuesday is a gym visit.  Thursday is a Wii active game.  If I decide to go to the gym on Saturday as a bonus, I will.  Sunday's are always meant to be a day of rest :).</li><br /> <li><b>Set a realistic goal.</b>  Beck doesn't want us focusing on anything more than 5 lbs goals.  <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/p/goals.html">My goals page</a> has been updated to reflect my rewards for each goal.  I think this is a great idea, because originally I had been focusing on 10 lbs losses, and as you can see on the left, my weight loss hasn't exactly been moving along so drastically.  The 5 lbs goals seem much more attainable to me.</li><br /> <li><b>Differentiate between Hunger, Desire and Cravings.</b>  For one full day, keep track of how you feel before, during and after a meal.  On a scale of 0 - 10, where 0 is not hungry at all, and 10 is you're the hungriest you've ever been, rate yourself for one day.  I plan to try this out tomorrow.  This is by far the thing I struggle with the most - I often eat out of boredom!</li><br /> </ol>The <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/search/label/New%20Rules%20of%20Lifting%20for%20Women">NROLW</a> is going great guys!  I haven't missed a workout yet and Joel is still participating as well.  In just the 2 short weeks I've been doing this, I've already seen true growth in my strength - in some cases I've already moved from 5 lbs weights to 15 lbs weights.   I'm definitely proud.  Soon, we'll be able to move back into the gym to start doing these workouts.<br /><br />I hope you all have a great and relaxing weekend!  To those of you on the east coast, I hope you and your families are able to stay safe during <a href="http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/graphics_at4.shtml?5-daynl">Irene</a>!<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><br /> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/581574main_image_2043_946-710.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/581574main_image_2043_946-710.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><br /> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_2043.html">Source</a>. I've heard Irene is the width of Maryland to St Louis, MO!</td></tr><br /> </tbody></table><br />

Loss New Rules of Lifting for Women Success The Beck Diet Solution Weight Loss Weight Watchers Official Weigh In & Week 2 Challenge Updates

This morning I weighed in at 255.8!  That means I officially met my first goal !  I'm down a total of 8 lbs and today I picked up the Wi...

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A 5 Pound Loss

<a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2011/08/lets-say-it-all-together-folks.html">Last week</a> I was frustrated and sad about gaining 2 lbs at the weekly WW meeting, especially after I knew I had a stellar week.<br /><br />This week, I lost 5 lbs! <br /><br />When my leader asked what I did differently this week, I told her:<br /><br /><blockquote> <i>"Well, you may have heard.... we had this earthquake on Tuesday and since then my mind has been so consumed with that that I haven't really been eating much." </i> </blockquote><br />Of course the meeting members laughed, but I really believe that <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2011/08/so-there-was-earthquake-today.html">Tuesday's events</a> certainly contributed to some, if not all, of that loss.  <br /><br />Tomorrow is my official weigh in and I'll be interested to see what the scale has in store for me this week.  <br /><br />To <a href="http://60lessat40.blogspot.com/">Leslie</a>, <a href="http://biggerthanababyelephant.blogspot.com/">Jodie</a>, <a href="http://www.1year100pounds.com/">Ryan</a> and <a href="http://mrshillruns.blogspot.com/">Jessica</a> - thank you all for your encouraging comments from yesterday.  I appreciate you taking the time to leave thoughtful words :).<br /><br />

Loss Success Weight Loss Weight Watchers A 5 Pound Loss

Last week I was frustrated and sad about gaining 2 lbs at the weekly WW meeting, especially after I knew I had a stellar week. This week, I...

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Happy Friday!

As I struggled to wake up this morning after a late night (more on this later), I was delighted when I stepped onto the scale to see a 1.4 pound loss this week!  Thank you Lord - I'll take a loss anyday... even if I have lost these sames pounds over and over again.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgteL1GEXjwvmPZ9P4vgPW3SOGaJKDfWxLkx_uswzPAa1DBsAMMZjg81LRmCluzF148JkwG93PMZGwKpmQsUhKIz8hK9Y-2TT7wfh4jC5Body92LqDEe56oe5MsWdgHR9u-dODH17v399I/s400/happy+friday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgteL1GEXjwvmPZ9P4vgPW3SOGaJKDfWxLkx_uswzPAa1DBsAMMZjg81LRmCluzF148JkwG93PMZGwKpmQsUhKIz8hK9Y-2TT7wfh4jC5Body92LqDEe56oe5MsWdgHR9u-dODH17v399I/s320/happy+friday.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />Last night we had a wedding rehearsal dinner for Joel's friends who will be getting hitched this Saturday!  I <3 weddings :).  The wedding is taking place in Baltimore, and that is an hour away from us.  We didn't get back from the dinner until around midnight.  I am a girl who needs her sleep, and so waking up at 5 AM was rather complicated after only a few hours of shut eye...<br /><br />I can already cross off half of an item from my <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2011/08/august-goals.html">August goals list</a>!  I printed out my goals and stuck them up at my desk at work...now I just have to do the same for the fridge at home.  <br /><br />Stay tuned for some wedding pics!

Loss Miscellaneous Random Weight Loss Thoughts Weight Watchers Happy Friday!

As I struggled to wake up this morning after a late night (more on this later), I was delighted when I stepped onto the scale to see a 1.4 p...

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HilJoe Competition - Week 4

This week was a loss for both Joel & I! Go us!!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.beautyandwell-being.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/weight-scale-400x400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.beautyandwell-being.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/weight-scale-400x400.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Joel (6'): 237.2</b><br /><b> Hilary (5'8"): 255.8</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b> </b></div><div style="text-align: left;">I am getting closer and closer to reaching my first 10 lbs milestone!!!  I'm going to put in some extra effort this week to see if I can lose at least a pound.  I'm not going to be unrealistic and hope for a 2.8 lbs weight loss because look at my history on the left - the weight isn't exactly sliding off at the speed of light and that's okay.  </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Here's to keeping the momentum going this week!</div>

goals HJ Competition Loss Success Weight Loss HilJoe Competition - Week 4

This week was a loss for both Joel & I! Go us!! Joel (6'): 237.2 Hilary (5'8"): 255.8   I am getting closer and closer to ...

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The HilJoe Competition - Week 3

Here is the update for the HilJoe Competition - Week 3.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.beautyandwell-being.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/weight-scale-400x400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.beautyandwell-being.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/weight-scale-400x400.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Joel (6'): 241.8<br />Hilary (5'8"): 256.4</b></div><br />I'm back down to the prior week's weight - yay!  I'm getting closer to those <a href="http://www.shopnewbalance.com/detail.asp?s1=NBAS&s2=buynow&style=WW860KM">new tennis</a> shoes I want so badly!

Exercise GoalsWeight LossExercise HJ Competition Loss Success The HilJoe Competition - Week 3

Here is the update for the HilJoe Competition - Week 3. Joel (6'): 241.8 Hilary (5'8"): 256.4 I'm back down to the prior we...

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How Do You Measure Weight Loss Success?

I had a loss on the scale this week!  I was pleasantly surprised as I did not come back strong after <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2011/04/bloooower.html">last week's weigh in</a>.<br /><br />Still, even though I had a numeric loss on the scale, I want to keep focusing on other accomplishments I've had in my health <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2011/04/drawing-inspiration-from-places-other.html">since I started going back to the gym consistently</a>.  Ironically I came across <a href="http://www.dailyspark.com/blog.asp?post=10_signs_you_are_getting_healthier_even_if_the_scale_doesnt_move">this article</a> last week that put my actions into words perfectly.  The article is titled <a href="http://www.dailyspark.com/blog.asp?post=10_signs_you_are_getting_healthier_even_if_the_scale_doesnt_move">10 Signs You are Getting Healthier Even if the Scale Doesn't Move</a>.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_j39zIkspxWY/TJlJvCclkdI/AAAAAAAAAOs/ezQUTU0H69E/s320/success_and_happiness.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_j39zIkspxWY/TJlJvCclkdI/AAAAAAAAAOs/ezQUTU0H69E/s320/success_and_happiness.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br />I wanted to highlight some of the points that I feel apply to me and my journey:<br /><br /><ol><li> You feel like taking on something new. That’s a great sign that you are getting healthier. It shows a heightened <span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit ! important; font-weight: inherit ! important; position: static;"><span class="kLink" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit ! important; font-weight: inherit ! important; position: relative;">energy </span><span class="kLink" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit ! important; font-weight: inherit ! important; position: relative;">level</span></span> and more active mentality. You are obviously ready for new challenges that you weren’t ready for before you became fitter.  - <i>This has definitely been true for me - hence all the 5K's I've signed up for!</i><br /><br /></li><li>You start taking that one extra step. Usually the saying is to “Go the extra mile.” I say “Go the extra step.” A mile is a long way, but if you even find yourself having the energy to take that extra step, congratulate yourself. You are building on something. A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.  -<i> I recently increased my cardio workout an extra 5 minutes/day for a total of 35 minutes, 5 days a week.  I also find myself looking for new ways to incorporate exercise other than the standard gym equipment - like bike riding!</i><br /><br /></li><li>You feel more positive and energetic. That is a natural by product of getting healthier. The body starts working better and when it does, it releases feel good chemicals in the brain, delivers energy to the cells more efficiently, and you feel better day by day.<i> - I find that I'm not always SO focused on my hate for living in this city, my surroundings, and just an overall negativity toward my life.</i></li></ol>How do you measure success other than on the scale?

Inspiration Loss Success How Do You Measure Weight Loss Success?

I had a loss on the scale this week!  I was pleasantly surprised as I did not come back strong after last week's weigh in . Still, even ...

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