Stayed under calorie count today by having a shake for dinner, which is usually my heaviest meal. This afternoon I craved salsa, which isn’t so bad. Low calories, pretty healthy . . . BUT what to eat it on? I gave in to some processed food but felt good about how I handled it. Here’s what my friend Kathleen taught me: if you eat chips or crackers, just count out a serving, put the bag/box away, and only eat that much! ~ December 30, 2012

I weighed first thing when I got up this morning. 183, baby! Today is December 31^st, and 183 is almost 30 pounds lighter than I was January 2012.  Wahooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  And I’m down a bunch of inches! If you add up what I’ve lost in the bust, waist, hips, thighs, and biceps, it totals 15 inches!

I had a busy, busy day and no time for a nice long walk, but I was so proud of myself. I made a point to go just one mile of a walk/run, which doesn’t even take 15 minutes, burns about 200 calories with the hills I go up and down, and makes me feel empowered! But .  .  . it is SO cold to walk outside in 20 degree weather. Still, I’ll take that over a treadmill any day! ~ December 31, 2012

Real Time Update:

I’ve lost another 13 pounds since the post above. The weight comes off more slowly as there is less of it, and I’m feeling so much thinner that I find motivation is more difficult. I move with ease and feel younger and look normal. It’s easy to think, “I’m not so bad . . .”

Still, I’m telling myself I need to persevere. I’m smaller than I’ve been in many years, but what if I lost that last little bit of fat, the layer that’s been there since at least my third child, Stephen, was born almost 17 years ago. How would THAT feel? And who is the me God intended when He created me? I don’t even know for sure after all these years of being overweight. What if I discovered it? What would THAT feel like?

What About You?

How do the changes in your body motivate or demotivate you? Are you tempted to settle for good when you could move on to great? How much is your journey about feeling healthy and strong and how much is it about how your clothes fit? Do you have tricks to avoid over-eating, like counting out the number of crackers or chips you will allow yourself and then putting the box away?

Tagged: losing weight, losing weight slowly, measuring portions, motivation, salsa