Thankful for Sweet Potatoes

Two pounds down so far. It may not sound like a lot, but considering it was just Thanksgiving last week, and I didn't hold myself back from the sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, or the pumpkin cheesecake, two pounds down is still something to celebrate! I did get so far off track that I couldn't even SEE the track from where I was, but while on my side road, I came upon the track and jumped back on today. I love sweet potatoes though, so I'm going to really have to look for a low cal/low fat version. I'll eat them in lieu of dessert any time!

I decided to start an inspiration binder. I've been going online and looking for inspirational stories of women my height who have lost weight and kept it off. I am also writing down their tips and diet (dos and don'ts) advice. I print off their stories, pictures and tips and put them in the binder to keep me focused and remind me that if they can do it, so can I! I think this will be very good to have on hand when I feel like reaching for the egg nog ice cream or the christmas cookies.

I'm down to 36 weeks until my wedding. I'm still shooting for a massive weight loss, at least 70 pounds, and hopefully close to 100. We finally got the treadmill put together and moved it into the entertainment room. I've put a self-imposed restriction and requirement on my television viewing. I can only be in the entertainment room watching television if I'm walking on the treadmill for at least 1 hour or 3 to 5 miles of distance. I also took over "dog care" responsibilities from my son. He loves the dog, but he admitted he totally dislikes walking the dog 3 - 5 times a day, feeding him, and playing with him the hour we told him he needed to daily (the dog is an Australian Shephard, very high energy). He's much more a cat person; so, we "changed" pets. He now has the cat (who totally adores him anyway), and I have the dog. Every morning, I'm up at 5:30 walking the furry beast for 30 or more minutes. My boy walks him in the afternoon when he gets home from school, then I walk the dog again when I get home, and just before bed. On the weekends, I plan to take him for longer walks or take him snowshoeing with me (when we finally get some snow that doesn't get washed away by rain). Once I lose about 40 pounds, I'm going to start jogging on the treadmill, training for the Mayor's 1/2 Marathon that takes place on Summer Soltice (June 21 or round about then), and add some Tae Bo to my workout routine. Eventually, we'll get the home gym put together and I'll start weight training. After the wedding, I plan to keep up the workout routine just to keep up with my kids, improve my health, and not gain back the weight! I really miss running too, and since there are not many distance runs in Anchorage (or Alaska for that matter), I'll have to go Outside to run races, which I can turn into a vacation!

I'm still doing the point system (Flex Points) through Weight Watcher's online. I'm going to vary my diet some though. I have been listening to my body more, and it's telling me it doesn't really like red meat, bread, bagels, or daily jolt (4 shots in each drink) of espresso I've been giving it in the form of lattes. I'm going to keep listening and cut out those food items that give me stomach aches or head aches. There's so much to eat out there, and in so many combinations, I know I won't miss the items I cut out if I replace them with high quality, good tasting substitutes.

I'm getting there, slowly but surely!