The Wife Weighs In...Week 19

Happy Friday, GHMIW fans!

I feel as though I have some renewed momentum today. What a relief.

I have been on a weight loss plateau since the Christmas...up a little, down a little, and not really going anywhere. After almost six weeks of standing still, I started to panic a little...this is how things usually begin to unravel. My fear was that the little ups and downs were going to start becoming a series of little ups and ups, then a series of big ups. I needed to get things back on track...and fast.

Inspired by my darling husband's stand-off over the last couple of weeks, I decided to take a stand of my own. For me, it began yesterday. I logged each and every crumb and morsel that passed my lips yesterday, something I haven't done for a long time.

In addition, I made a bold move yesterday morning at the gym. Some of you may remember the horrible experience I had with a personal trainer when I joined the club. Since then, I've wanted to talk to a different trainer about designing a new weight program for me, but I've been fearful, thinking that it might be another disaster.

I started talking to one of the club's female trainers yesterday morning (I'll call her "Stef"...'cause that's her name) and before I knew it, she was apologizing for the last trainer's behavior, running me through a new assessment, and setting me up with an appointment to work with her next Tuesday morning.

Stef is friendly, positive, and supportive. She understands that I am a mother of two with a full-time job and not a lot of extra time to spend at the gym. Plus, she doesn't care that I can only afford to work with her once every three to six months. I can't wait for next week's session and am hopeful that starting a new strength training program will help build on the momentum I'm feeling this week.

I had a good loss this week and am at my lowest weight since beginning this journey. (Hurray!)

I may have broken through the plateau, but I am not resting on my laurels. This is only the first step in the turn-around. I will probably relax a bit (but not a lot) over the weekend, as I will be spending it at the cabin with Tony's family. However, the stand-off will be back in full effect on Monday.

Until next Friday,
Laura (a.k.a. Elle Tee Jay)

2/01/2008: 188.4
2/08/2008: 186.8 (a loss of 1.6 pounds)
Total pounds lost: 41.6
Next goal: 182.0 pounds

The Weigh-In Week 35

215.2!!!! That's what it said on the scale this morning. A loss of 1.6!!!!

And, a new low for me!

Finally I have dropped below my pre-holiday low of 216.2.!!! As you can probably tell from the exclamation points I am ecstatic. It took seven weeks, but I am finally back on track!

I wish I had more time to revel but I am swamped today. So one more quick pat on the back...(pat, pat)...and we'll move on.

The goal this weekend is to eat sensible and get a workout in with my Dad. Hopefully I can avoid starting Monday with a big gain. If I can manage that, I think I have a good chance of hitting my 214 goal next Friday.

Obesity I'm coming for you!!!

The guesses were tight this week. No one nailed it on the head, but Cousin Angie was closest with 1.5. See, sometimes those odd numbered guesses do pay off.

Only 8 votes this week, so no prize. Which works out OK since I am still trying to find a recipe for my Dad's Banana Cream Pie. If anybody knows a good lower cal recipe, please send it my way.

Correction. Alan from Texas squeezed two guesses in right under the wire; one for himself and one for my cousin Geoff. That puts us at ten and makes Uncle Alan the big winner with a dead on guess of 1.6.

Uncle Al requested a nice family portrait of the skinny Johnson clan, so that shall be his prize. We'll take some pictures this weekend and send you one next week. Congratulations!!!

I'm looking forward to a nice relaxing weekend with the family.

Hope you all have a good weekend too. If you're in Minnesota don't forget to bundle up.I hear it's going to be so cold on Saturday night that any exposed skin will shrivel up and fall off in just 20 seconds.

Tony
2/08: 215.2lbs
NEW GOAL: 214
1.2 pounds to go.

Guess How Much I Weigh Contest - Week 35

The numbers might not look so good this week but I think if I can stay strong today that I can still pull out a loss tomorrow.

I didn't bother trying to recap the gluttony from the weekend. Just know that I ate wy more than I should have. I did step it up in the gym this week. Well kind of... I went from running my 5ks at 5.5 mph to running them at 5.7 mph. I have completed 4 5ks in a row since last Wed.

Step right up, step right up.
Guess how much I weigh and win a fabulous prize.

To Recap:
Every Thursday I give you my stats for the week and you guess what you think the scale will say on Friday morning. The winner is the first person who guesses my weight / weight loss for the week without going over or the person who is closest without going over. Go ahead and click on comments at the bottom of this post and leave your guess.


I will post the winner when I post my weight on Fri. morning. If we get ten or more guesses I will have a prize for the winner.



Stats for the week of February 4th.

Calories Consumed: From Monday morning through Wednesday. night I have consumed aprox. 7392 calories.

Calories Burned: From Monday morning through Wednesday night I have burned aprox. 11730 calories.

32% of my calories have come from fat.
11% of those calories came from Saturated Fats.

52% of my calories came from carbs.

16% of my calories came from protein.

Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!


Tony
2/07: 216.8lbs
NEW GOAL: 214
2.8 pounds to go.

p.s. Don't forget you can subscribe to the e-mail edition of Guess How Much I Weigh . Simply enter your e-mail address in the space to the right.

The Wife Weighs In...Keeping It Off

In last week’s post, I promised a post about strategies for weight loss maintenance. First of all, looking at my track record, maintenance of weight loss has never been my strong suit. I have always been great at losing the weight, but keeping it off has been another story. That said...

I was out for cocktails one night last fall with Tony’s sister (a.k.a. Sister Sarah), Nana Heather, and a good friend of theirs who has been very successful at maintenance after a big loss. Her advice? You can relax a little once you reach your goal, but if the number on the scale goes up ten pounds, you’d better get back on that weight loss horse and ride it hard.

Well, maybe she didn’t put it exactly like that, but you get the idea.

Interestingly enough (or maybe not...your choice), I am taking part in a weight loss maintenance study conducted by our former heath insurance provider’s research foundation and the Obesity Prevention Center at the University of Minnesota. The study was for healthy adults who had lost at least 10% of their body weight in the previous year, and is being used to test two different “Keep It Off” programs.

As part of my program, I report my weight weekly and speak with a personal coach every other week. Also, as part of the program, I was given a course book based on lessons learned from the National Weight Control Registry, a research study tracking “over 5,000 individuals who have lost significant amounts of weight and kept it off for long periods of time.” (NWCR Website)

What has been interesting to me about these maintenance strategies is that they are the same as the weight loss strategies. Every chapter in my course book could be the outline for a Weight Watchers meeting: Physical Activity, Menu Planning, Overcoming Barriers, etc.

The “Keep It Off” strategies for successful weight-loss maintenance? Here we go:

1. Be physically active; take part in 60 to 90 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each day.
2. Write down your weight, physical activity, and eating on a regular basis, preferably daily.
3. Eat a diet that is moderate in calories and allows you to maintain your weight.
4. Eat breakfast every day.
5. Enlist social support to help you eat healthfully, be active, and maintain your weight.
6. Don’t let lapses turn into full “relapses”—restart your weight-loss plan if you gain two to five pounds.
7. Appreciate the progress you’ve made, even if you haven’t achieved your “dream” weight.

This has led me to a grand epiphany. The strategies for weight loss maintenance are the very same strategies used to lose the weight in the first place. In order to be successful, one must make a complete lifestyle change. Forever. Period.

That’s what makes maintenance so difficult. When you have been significantly overweight for a long period of time, you believe that once you lose the weight, the struggle will be over.

Guess again.

Eventually, I came to the realization that there is no reward at the end of the journey. Or, more correctly, there is no “end” at the end of the journey. At the risk of sounding trite, the reward is truly in the journey itself.

So, as a response, I am learning to enjoy the struggle. And that, in a nutshell, is my strategy for weight loss maintenance.

At least I sound like I know what I'm talking about, right?

Ash Wednesday

It's ash Wednesday. A day of abstinence and fasting for us Catholics to kick off the lenten season.

I think I have done a good job of getting my snacking under control these last two weeks, but I can guarantee you that I am going to have cravings all day today. Simply because I am told I must fast, it will be a struggle.

When it's my choice no problem. When it's somebody else's choice, bring on the cravings.

I suppose that's the repentance part of the day. If we're not conscious of the sacrifice then the sacrifice doesn't mean much does it.

So bring on the cravings. For today and today only I welcome them as a chance to reflect and repent and to give thanks for all the gifts I have been given.

Tony
2/05: 216.8lbs
NEW GOAL: 214
2.8 pounds to go.

The Wife Weighs In...Week 18

Happy Friday (ur, Tuesday), GHMIW fans!

As Tony mentioned in the comments to Friday’s post, I was home with our girls on Friday, which made it difficult for me to post my update. In addition, because I was home with the girls on Friday, I spent a lot of time getting caught up yesterday, which made it difficult for me to post an update.

So, I thought I’d post a quick update today.

Last week was not great. My eating wasn’t actually all that bad, but I had terrible cravings all week long. I gave in and made some very tasty Weight Watchers chocolate chip cookies, which helped.

I had a small gain that I am attributing to general lethargy, a lack of motivation, sub-zero temperatures, and hormonal water retention. I didn’t break through that plateau, but c’est la vie. This is a new week.

Laura (a.k.a. Elle Tee Jay)

1/25/2008: 187.8

2/01/2008: 188.4 (a gain of 0.6 pounds)
Total loss: 40.0 pounds
Next goal: 182.0 pounds

Kind Of An Anniversery

Last week marked the one year anniversary of my first stuttering steps on this healthy lifestyle journey.

In February of 2007 I started tracking my calories and watching what I was eating. As most of you know I started at 288 pounds.

This is the photo that inspired me to want to change.

I saw this photo and I was so embarrassed for myself that I made a decision to do something about it. I jumped in without a plan. It was a diet, not a lifestyle change. And, it worked for a little while.

I lasted about two months and got down to 274. A respectable loss to be sure. Alas it was not to be sustained. By April I was off the diet and eating worse than ever. By June I was back up to 280.

June is when my weight loss journey really started. June is when I started this blog. Shortly there after I set some realistic goals and put together a healthy eating and exercise plan.

June is also when I discovered my real motivation. For the first time, I wanted to lose weight to be healthy for myself and my family. It was less about vanity this time around and more about living a quality life and being there for my daughters.

And this time it worked.

So here are the 3 things I have learned this year that have made all the difference.

1. You have to find the right motivation.
Maybe vanity is the right motivation for you. Maybe it's a doctor telling you you will die if you don't get in shape. The motivation needs to be more than "I want to lose some weight." Take the time to figure out why you want to lose that weight and that motivation well get you through the tough times.

2. You have to find something or someone to hold you accountable.
Maybe it's Weight Watchers. Maybe it's a spouse or a friend. For me it was this blog. You can not do this alone. You will need support and encouragement.

3. You have to exercise.
Without exercise you're simply dieting. Exercise changes everything.! Just start walking a half hour a day, everyday. Walk as fast as you can. Once your comfortable build up to more strenuous exercise. Eventually you will learn to love it.

Tony
2/05: 216.8lbs
NEW GOAL: 214
2.8 pounds to go.

Weekends Are Killing Me

I know this has been a common theme from the very beginning, but I have got to figure out a way to get my weekend eating under control.

I am so good during the week and then once my daily routines go away so do my healthy habits.

It's not like I'm going crazy every weekend. But there always seem to be two or three key moments where I do something stupid that causes the scale to jump 3 pounds on Monday morning.

This weekend we were in Duluth. We had a lovely weekend. We even got out to see a movie with some friends. Two movies in one week. What is going on here?!!!

Laura and I split a medium popcorn. A movie just isn't a movie without the popcorn. But then for some reason I finished off an entire box of Dots that we had bought for our friend. It makes no sense. I wasn't hungry. I'd just had a big thing of popcorn and a nice dinner.

They were there. That is the only reason I ate them. They were there.

It amazes me how Monday though Friday I can be so good and not feel hungry, but on Sunday afternoon I can eat a brunch with more calories than any entire week day worth of eating and still feel starved.

So now that I am feeling back on track with my week day eating. The next step is to get the weekends under control.

I need to find a balance between having a little freedom and going totally hog wild.


I did do one good thing this weekend. I got up on Sunday morning and went for a run down by Lake Superior. It was so beautiful. A winter run down by the lake is one of the most peaceful things you'll ever experience.

I was supposed to go cross country skiing with my father-in-law but the rental place rented me to left boots. Always check before you leave the store. I am pretty proud of myself for channeling my frustration into a run instead of plopping down on the couch in front of the TV.

Tony
2/04: 216.8lbs
NEW GOAL: 214
2.8 pounds to go.

The Weigh-In Week 34

216.8!!! That's what it said on the scale this morning. A loss of .6

I have to admit I am a little disappointed this morning. I really, really wanted to get back to that pre-holiday low today. I am disappointed because I really thought I was back on track. I ate well this week, I didn't snack, I had a full week of workouts. So I am bummed that I missed 216.

The reality is it's getting a lot harder to come up with big losses. I know that is an inevitable part of the dramatic losses I have already accomplished. I need to make some mental adjustments now. To shift into a new gear and celebrate every little loss as if it were a big loss, because at this point it kind of is. This last 16 pounds could easily take as long as the first 70 to come off, if it comes off at all.

In many ways I am past the point where weight loss should be my main focus. Right now I need to concentrate on living healthy and if the weight continues to come off, that's just an extra bonus.
I have to keep reminding myself of that.

Although I really do want to hit that 214 before race day!

I made this to help me feel better.

It worked!

Everybody was over this week, although my lovely wife was closest with a guess of .8 lbs.

Hopefully we will all have better luck next week.

Have a great weekend everybody.

Tony
1/31: 216.8lbs
NEW GOAL: 214
2.8 pounds to go.

Guess How Much I Weigh Contest - Week 34

Once again I completly spaced this being Friday. We finally have a full week of stats to report!!!! Woo-Hoo!!

Step right up, step right up.
Guess how much I weigh and win a fabulous prize.

To Recap:
Every Thursday I give you my stats for the week and you guess what you think the scale will say on Friday morning. The winner is the first person who guesses my weight / weight loss for the week without going over or the person who is closest without going over. Go ahead and click on comments at the bottom of this post and leave your guess.


I will post the winner when I post my weight on Fri. morning. If we get ten or more guesses I will have a prize for the winner.



Stats for the week of January 28th.

Calories Consumed: From Thursday morning through Wednesday. night I have consumed aprox. 16415 calories.

Calories Burned: From Thursday morning through Wednesday night I have burned aprox. 26075 calories.

30% of my calories have come from fat.
9% of those calories came from Saturated Fats.

53% of my calories came from carbs.

16% of my calories came from protein.

Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!


Tony
1/31: 217.4lbs
NEW GOAL: 214
3.4 pounds to go.

p.s. Don't forget you can subscribe to the e-mail edition of Guess How Much I Weigh . Simply enter your e-mail address in the space to the right.

Standoff Week 2 - Hour 84

I am starting to get a little worried about tomorrows weigh-in. With the exception of Tuesday night I have been holding strong to this standoff and I thought I was winning the battle, but the scale seems to have a different opinion. Not all hope is lost . Knowing the way my body works I could still post a good size loss tomorrow. I just thought I would be a little farther along today.

I did eat late last night. I made a pie for my dad. His prize from last week. It was a new recipe from weight watchers so I figured I should try it out. Unfortunately I had to wait until 11pm for the pie to be ready to eat. Double unfortunately, the pie was awful. Actually awful is to light a word. It was horrendus. This was an affront to all pie kind.

Sorry Dad. You'll have to wait a little longer for your pie until I can find a better recipe. These two pies are heading for the trash can and they can't get there soon enough.

There is some good news though.

I finished another 5K run yesterday!!! After Monday's run I was convinced it was going to be a week before I could work back up to the 5K. Guess I just needed a little faith. It felt good to be back in stride. Pun intended.

Here's the stats:
Total Calories For Yesterday: 1924
Total Calories Burned: 4032
Net Calories: -2108

Tony
1/31: 217.4lbs
NEW GOAL: 214
3.4 pounds to go.

Standoff Week 2 - Hour 60

We had a lovely date night last night despite the frigid temps. -35!!!! Yikes.

I don't think I did too much damage to the standoff. We went to California Pizza Kitchen where I had a BBQ Pizza and a beer. Then we split a large popcorn (with just an itsy-bitsy spritz of butter topping) and a large Cherry Coke at the movie.

Total Calories For Yesterday: 2941
Total Calories Burned: 3808
Net Calories: -867

Ok so looking at those numbers I may have done a little more damage than I thought...but who cares. We had a great night out and with some extra effort in the gym I should still be on track this week.

By the way, I highly recomend the film Juno. One of the best written films I have seen in years. And I am not just saying that becasue the authour is a fellow Minnesotan.

I'm off to the treadmill.

Tony
1/30: 217.4lbs
NEW GOAL: 214
3.4 pounds to go.

Standoff Week 2 - Hour 33

The second week of this standoff is starting out as good as the first and the scale is reflecting that.

I ate well yesterday and got back on the treadmill.

That was a little painful. After nearly two weeks of not running, the treadmill kind of kicked my fanny. I was no where near running a 5K. I am really hoping I can get back up to a 5K by next Monday or Wednesday. Today is strength training.

Total Calories For Yesterday: 1798
Total Calories Burned: 4000
Net Calories: -2,202

For those of you keeping score here are my weekend totals.

Total Calories For Weekend: 5576
Total Weekend Calories Burned: 6930
Net Calories For Weekend: -1354

I will be taking a short break from the standoff for date night tonight.

That's right, my lovely wife and I are having a rare date night. We are going to dinner and seeing a movie. I think this will be the first time in over 3 months that we have had the chance to go out for dinner and a movie.I will be having popcorn tonight. I'll just run a little extra hard tomorrow.

Tony
1/29: 217.4lbs
NEW GOAL: 214
3.4 pounds to go.

Standoff - Week 2

After a weekend of relaxed restrictions, I am back in standoff mode.

I did ok this weekend but I could have done a lot, lot better. The scale was up 2 pounds from Friday this morning. Good motivation to hit the treadmill hard this afternoon.

The goal is to get to 216 or less by Friday. If I can make it I will be under my pre holiday low for the first time since the Christmas Gluttony. I'm think with a full week of workouts I should be able to make it.


Tony
1/28: 217.4lbs
NEW GOAL: 214
3.4 pounds to go.

The Wife Weighs In...Week 17

Happy Friday, GHMIW fans!

Like Tony, I’ve had a rough time getting back into the swing of things after the holidays. I’ve lost some of my drive and determination, and I’m hoping I can get it back soon. And, like my darling husband, while I don’t feel that the train is back on track, I do feel as though I have the potential to get it back on the rails this week…as long as no one feels the need to tempt me with Chipotle burritos (I’m not mentioning any names, but you know who you are).

I did okay this week, despite the delicious steak burrito bol (mmm...Chipotle). I had a loss, putting me right back where I was two weeks ago. I got myself to the gym three mornings this week and am hoping to go at least once this weekend, too. I am now walking at a rate of 4 miles an hour and running at 5. This morning, I ran for 15 of my 45 minutes (8 minutes, 5-minute walk, then 7 more minutes). For someone like me, who has never (I mean EVER) been a runner, that is huge.

This week, as Tony was blogging about getting back on track, Dona (who is on a healthy living journey with her husband) commented on how easy it is to pick up old habits and how much easier all of this is when you have a partner on whom to lean. Absolutely.

K also commented we have demonstrated that “a little stumble doesn’t have to turn into a crash and burn scenario.” I think that is what is so much different for me this time. There is a lot of old-fashioned determination involved but, moreover, it is all about the accountability.

Going back to the "partner thing"...for the first time in our (almost) 13 years together, Tony and I are keeping each other honest about what we’re eating. I will also admit, that accountability to this blog is also pretty motivating. While everyone has been so supportive (no matter what direction the numbers are moving), it’s downright embarrassing to post a gain. That’s a good thing for me.

K was also interested in a post about our strategies for weight loss maintenance. I would love to speak to that…tune in next week. (And, thanks for the kind words.)

The goal is to keep on keepin’ on this week. I’d really like to finally break through this 5-pound plateau I’ve been playing around with since just before Christmas. A 186 would look fantastic to me right now. Wish me luck!

'Til next week,

Laura (a.k.a. Elle Tee Jay)

1/18/2008: 189.4

1/25/2008: 187.8 (a loss of 1.6 pounds)

Total loss: 40.6 pounds

Next goal: 182.0 pounds

P.S. As of today, Tony and I have lost a combined total of 103.2 pounds! Yee-haw!

The Weigh-In Week 33

217.4! That's what it said on the scale this morning. A loss of 1.8 pounds.

The standoff paid off! Considering the scale said 223 on Monday morning, I am extremely happy with this weigh-in.

So here's the plan. I am going to ease up a little for the weekend. No Dairy Queen or double decker ice cream sandwiches, but I am having lunch out tomorrow and breakfast out on Sunday. I'll do my best to play it cool but I'm not going to be in stand off mode. My lovely wife has some delicious and healthy dinners planed for the weekend so that should help too.

Then, on Monday it will be back to standoff mode for one more week. I am now 1.2 pounds above my lowest weight so far and 3.2 pounds above my next goal weight. My goal for next week is to get to at least 216, which will be a new low for me.

The bike was really good exercise this week and I think I may use it for some cross training, but starting Monday it's back to the treadmill and strength training.

Our winner this week is my Dad. Nice job Dad. I've got a super special prize for you. I have a couple of low-fat banana cream pie recipes that I would like to try and you get to be my guinea pig. I'll try and whip one up to get to you next week.

I'm not feeling 100% back on track but I do feel like the train is finally heading in the right direction.

Have a great weekend everybody.

Tony
1/25: 217.4lbs
NEW GOAL: 214
3.4 pounds to go.

Guess How Much I Weigh Contest - Week 33

My how time flies when you are spending all your time thinking about not eating. I completly forgot it is Thursday today... And you know what Thursday means!

Step right up, step right up.
Guess how much I weigh and win a fabulous prize.

To Recap:
Every Thursday I give you my stats for the week and you guess what you think the scale will say on Friday morning. The winner is the first person who guesses my weight / weight loss for the week without going over or the person who is closest without going over. Go ahead and click on comments at the bottom of this post and leave your guess.


I will post the winner when I post my weight on Fri. morning. If we get ten or more guesses I will have a prize for the winner.

For those of you who have not been following the standoff this week, here are my stats from Monday through Wednesday. Sorry that's all I got. I can tell you that I had almost half a large pizza for dinner on Sunday night and a small DQ Blizzard on Sunday afternoon. I had lunch out on Saturday and had French fries, and last Friday night was our company holiday party at which I hit the buffet but didn't over do it too much. I only had one dessert!


Stats for the week of January 21st.

Calories Consumed: From Monday morning through Wednesday. night I have consumed aprox. 5426 calories.

Calories Burned: From Monday morning through Wednesday night I have burned aprox. 11612 calories.

25% of my calories have come from fat.
8% of those calories came from Saturated Fats.

52% of my calories came from carbs.

22% of my calories came from protein.

Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!


Tony
1/24: 219.2lbs
NEW GOAL: 214
5.2 pounds to go.

p.s. Don't forget you can subscribe to the e-mail edition of Guess How Much I Weigh . Simply enter your e-mail address in the space to the right.

Standoff - Hour 81

We cleaned out or fridge at work this morning and had a buffet of every junk food breakfeast item you can think of. Toaster Strudel, Pop Tarts, Toaster Scramblers, Pancakes. If it can be cooked in a toaster and eating fro breakfast it was in the buffet.

Me, I had a bowl of cereal and a low fat blueberry muffin. The will power flows strong in this one.

At least so far.

Today is going to be a tough day. I forgot to pack a lunch this morning and I have a meeting right after work so I'll have to eat two meals out.

For lunch I will most likely grab a sandwich and an apple from the coffee shop in our building. The meeting is a church and a light pot luck supper is provided. I'm not sure if I'm going to eat there or grab Subway on the way.

Yesterday was another good day.

I misprogrammed the bike during my workout so I ended up doing 55 minutes on the bike instead of 45. I went 11.77 Miles and burned 704 Calories.

Same old lunch and dinner. Sadly last night was the last of the Potato Hot Dish. Potato Hot Dish you will be missed.

Total Calories For Yesterday: 1928
Total Calories Burned: 4095
Net Calories: -2,167

Standoff - Hour 58

Sticking to my guns so far. And I have new inspiration to succeed this week. Watching the Biggest Loser last night I was reminded once again how glad I am to no longer have man boobs!

I had an apple before heading to the Chiropractors yesterday which saved me from doing something stupid at the gas station.

The chiropractor says I am free to exercise as I feel comfortable. My back is still hurting, so I think I will stick with the bike for today and tomorrow. I see the doc again on Friday. I plan to rest over the weekend and get back on the treadmill on Monday. The 5K is less than 2 months away.

Had a small lunch when I got back to the office. Turkey Sandwich and All Natural Cheeto's Puffs. Two sticks of cinnamint Gum in the afternoon and a heaping helping of my mother-in-laws hot dish and a salad for dinner.

Total Calories For Yesterday: 1857
Total Calories Burned: 3483
Net Calories: -1,626

I stayed home with the girls for an extra hour this morning so instead of my usual bowl of cereal, I had an English muffin with peanut butter, a Fiber One Bar and a glass of Orange Juice. A slightly bigger breakfast than normal, but it kept me from doughnuts and muffins on the drive in.

Standoff - Hour 33

So far my will power is holding strong.

Last night I had a generous portion of the potato hotdishmy wonderful mother-in-law made before leaving town. It was delicious, but I resisted seconds. I also resisted the leftover pizza in the fridge, the johnny cake on the counter and the ice cream in the freezer.

I was home alone with the girls last night, which is a dangerous situation when cravings strike. But I prevalied.

Total Calories For Yesterday: 1641
Total Calories Burned: 4034
Net Calories: -2,393

I have just finished my bowl of cereal and I am ready to start the day... right after I grab a piece of gum and a glass of water.

I am off to the chiropractor today over lunch so no gym. I'll eat lunch when I get back. To stop me from being tempted to stop and get lunch on the way back to work I will have an apple before I leave. See how I'm thinking ahead.

Tony