I had a great week… I ate well, used my 30 “bonus” points over the weekend (even though I ate several things I shouldn’t), I drank my water most every day in full, I ate lots of fruits and veggies, I said “no” when I knew I wasn’t eating out of hunger, etc. I’m really pleased with my first week! I started at 160, and this week I weighed in at home on Monday at 157… three pounds gone! I have a goal of losing a pound-a-week so that by our big NYC trip at Christmas time, I hope to have lost (scratch that… I *WILL* have lost!) 20 pounds and weigh 140. If I lose more, that’d be great, too. My “ultimate” goal is somewhere between 130 and 135. I am 5′4″ and have a medium build, so I think that’s a good place to be. It’s what I weighed at the beginning of college when I thought I was “plump”… HA! I also think that’s a great weight to be before we have a baby (in the next few years, hopefully during or after residency).

So things I want to improve for this coming week:
1. Better weekends. I think this is a theme for everyone. I know that I ate several things this weekend that were poor choices, but I know I can do better. I did do a good job of saving my extra 30 points to use on the weekend, but I can do better! I’m going to try to not think of the weekends as so much of a “treat” time for doing well, but instead try to focus on steady, healthy eating. We’re going to the beach this weekend to visit our families so there will be LOTS of good food… but luckily mother-in-law loves to go out rather than cook (and she’s a tiny stick of a woman who is VERY active and beautiful…grr) so I will be able to choose healthy options easily if I allow myself to do so!

2. More veggies. I did very well with adding fruit this week, but I still need to up the veggies… for me, they’re hard to get in! Even though I love them, I associate them with “dinner” rather than snacks or additives at breakfast or lunch. Any ideas?

3. Less snacking. I did to eat more earlier to prevent mid-afternoon snacking/post-dinner snacking. I did well with that this weekend, but that’s a major pitfall of mine. I also need to get some healthy snacks to keep around in case the cravings come

4. Keep buying exciting food! We live on quite a budget, but there are SO many great groceries around that have such special food like: http://www.traderjoes.com/, http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/, and http://www.freshmarket.com/. I love picking up special things… it makes it feel like it’s a treat even when it’s just a really good piece of fruit that’s out of the ordinary

Ok.. that’s it! From 160 to 157 this week… maybe 155 by next Monday?

I had a FABULOUS day today! Not only am I “hanging with the preemies” as I’m working in the intensive care nursery this month, but I also stayed on track, drank lots of water, ate tons of fruit/veggies, stayed full and satisfied, and didn’t stray a bit! I also went on a brisk 30 min walk outside with my husband! SO THRILLED! (Hence all the “!”s haha)

A brief sketch of my points (without totals… it worked out to 22… I keep up on paper:
B: Kashi Go Lean with skim milk and a coffee
S: Dried peach
L: Tuna on low point toast, fresh peach/blueberries/strawberries chopped up into a salad
S: Rest of the lunch fruit, stick of gum
D: Coconut Curry Chicken with peppers over rice with asparagus
S: McDonald’s ice cream cone

YUM I’m feeling so inspired and good about my start. I really hope it sticks. Check out Emma’s blog for our contest: http://blogs.weightwatchen.com/jennifer

I’ve been completely out of control on the weight watching side of things… I’ve decided that enough is enough; I’m turning a new leaf! Nevermind the ice cream and pizza leftovers I ate for lunch, my water bottle is filled up and I’m looking toward a walk this evening! My current weight is 160, and I plan to lose 20+ pounds by Christmastime when my husband, his parents and sister, and myself are headed up to NYC for a fantasy week vacation. I think that is 100% accomplishable, but it will surely take a lot of hard work and energy. I’ve made a paper WW chart for myself, but I may decide to post menus here, too. Mostly I just need something to keep myself reminded of what I’m committed to. I could use a lot of encouragement since I’m still feeling really defeated, so feel free to shoot some nice comments my way!

I’ve missed this community, and I hope there are still some people out there since the big switch to Roni’s other site. I still like the format of this one better, but who knows… as long as I’m tracking, that’s all that matters to me!

Take care! *Jen