Friday, December 31, 2010

Overhaul

Hmm.  New Year is upon us ... a new decade (really, the decade did not start with 2010).  I need to make some changes...obviously.  I seem to be on the road to agony...literally.  Almost to the point of non-functioning person, a ghost of who I used to be and who I should be. Time to change directions!

Happy New Year.  Time to purge the old baggage and by baggage I mean everything that is holding me back!

More soon...

-a

Monday, October 4, 2010

Mission Accomplished

BodyMedia FIT data 10-4-10
  • Calories Burned - 2653 
  • Calories Consumed - 1530 
  • Total Activity - 0:44 |
  • Steps Taken - 5730
The good: accomplished my goals for the day with exercise, water, and food.  The not so good: my knee snapped like a rubber band during my walk.  I am hoping it feels better tomorrow. 

That is all for today!

Monday Blahs

Here we are at the beginning of another long work week.  Job is stressful, but I find a certain amount of satisfaction when I am following a plan.  Gives me something personal to focus on instead of getting wrapped up in all the work stuff. 

I have a focus issue, probably one of they many reasons I am where I am today.  Yesterday was a great example.  One social event and I totally lose all focus and control.  It was then my excuse to spend the entire day not being good to myself.  "Oh, its a party" or "it's Sunday ... i will start again Monday", these excuses were running though my head all day and night.  I will say one good thing about myself.  I did keep track of what I ate. Did I stop myself and make a better choice in my eating habits, no ... but I did write it down and keep track in my daily log.  I figure it was a wash of a day. 

Let's move on to today!  I have the blah's, as I do every Monday...but I am getting inspiration around the promise of a great week taking care of myself.

Here is what I am doing to motivate and prepare for my success this week:
  1. Blocked an hour off each day on my work calendar to take a walk.  The first step in taking care of myself is allowing myself to take priority.
  2. Prepared and planned breakfast and lunch items for the work week.  I am terrible at planning and following though when it comes to my meals at work.  I have egg beaters, sandwich thins, ham, grits, protein bars, HMR shakes, and lean cuisine meals for the week.  Even better, I have them AT WORK.
  3. I will drink 2 L of water each day at my desk.  I am putting THAT on my calendar as well.  Why is drinking water so darn hard for me?
  4. Sharing goals with a friend.  I feel so alone in this...hopefully I can find someone to commit to taking some of these steps with me.  At minimum I am here, blogging to myself, sharing on Facebook and of course my twitter.  BodyMedia FIT has made that easy.
That is all for now.  I need to drink my first liter of water, and get started on the rest of my day!

Sunday, October 3, 2010

A good day ... a good start!

Well, lets not throw a parade or anything but I am proud.  Most Saturday's I would have sat around watching all of my newly TiVo'ed fall programming and perhaps not even leaving the house.  Perhaps that might explain where I am in my life, right?  Anyway...yesterday started much in the same way.  While looking at my BodyMedia info I decided that I needed to do something and start moving.  So, on the sneakers went and out into the neighborhood I went.

I had a nice solid 30 mins of activity, which is more than I have had on purpose in a LONG time.  Felt good.  I even went out and did some "yard" work.  Really more "patio" work...but for the first time in months my patio looks good. Overall a great and productive day.  Of course I still watched endless football games and caught up on TiVo ... but at least I did SOMETHING with my day. 

Today will be a different challenge...it is brunch day in the hood.  I am bringing mimosa stuff.  There will be quiche and croissants abundant.  It will be tough, but I will try.  Not going to say that I wont be having a croissant, but what I will say is that I will take note of what I do have so that I can properly take accountability.

Great day ahead!

Saturday, October 2, 2010

BodyMedia FIT (GoWear FIT) and Facebook

Pretty nifty, just figured out how to link my daily snapshot onto my Facebook account.  I would really like to be able to do that with Twitter as well, but that is okay.



I am sitting here in my living room being a total couch potato, and just looking at my numbers from yesterday is motivating me to get up off my butt, put on some sneakers, and just take a walk.  Not sure where I am going ... but I need to start moving again!

Had a pretty good and filling breakfast:

  • Flat Out Honey Wheat wrap
  • 3 Eggs (scrambled with light marg)
  • some black forest ham (2 oz or so)
  • 1/4 cup 2% mild cheddar shredded cheese
Rolled it all up and it was delicious and HUGE.  I think this will sustain me for quite a while, especially while I go out for that walk.

On the down note, I am getting fairly frustrated with my water retention.  I seem to be gaining 4 lbs of water weight every few days.  I take a water pill, it goes away ... then it slowly comes back over the next couple of days.  Not really sure what to do about it.  Probably should see the doctor.  I really want to lose some weight and live better and see if that helps.


Friday, October 1, 2010

It's me again ... again!

Okay. So here we are again.  If I lost a pound for each time I started blogging about needing to get back to a healthy way of living and starting a new diet chapter, I would be doing great! 

Self-snarkiness aside, I really do need to make a change. Recently I have been feeling terrible physically and mentally.  I've never had depression issues, at least none that I am clinically aware of ... but right now I feel like I am committing a slow suicide with each cupcake and bad food decision.

Earlier this week I woke up and was officially over it!  Ready to do something about it.  As many times as I have been at this crossroad, it is much better to be at this place then back in denial. 

So, this past week I have started being accountable again for my actions.  My main crutch will be my GoWearFit - BodyMedia FIT device.  It is an awesome little gadget that helps with setting, tracking, and achieving goals.  Go check out their website if you are not familiar with the system. 

To be fair, posting before photos of me (which are not at ALL flattering) is the way to "keep it real" so here you go:



Hot, right?  Anyway, this is me in all of my about 280 lb, 5'1" glory! We are going to call these "before". 
That is all for now.  I will write more this weekend.  I just wanted to get the blog started again and post those lovely self portraits! 

More on my plans later...

Monday, January 18, 2010

Ironwoman!!!

Okay, just a quick note.  I did really well today.  I walked for 50 mins during lunch (and some jogging) with the arm weights AND went to the gym and swam 36 laps.   Overall my GoWearFit recorded 1:48 mis of activity and almost 8000 steps.  The steps do not even include the swimming ... which really makes my pedometer reading more like 12K!!!!  I am amazed at myself and right exhausted.  It feels good to have accomplished something great today, especially given my sugar binge lastnight.

If you are like me and counting your steps, here is a cool link to help you equate everyday things (like swimming) into steps per min.  http://walking.about.com/od/measure/a/stepequivalents.htm

Check me out babies:


Duh... GOALS

I figured the best way to ring in the new week is to stop whining and set a goal!

I pledge to spend 3.5 - 4 hours working out in some way (walking, gym, swimming) between Monday and Wed.  How I will do it:

Monday: 1.25
  • Walk at lunch with wrist weights - 45 mins  (Actual: 100 mins)
  • Swimming after work - 30 mins (Actual: 30 mins)

Tuesday: 1
  • Walk before work - 30 mins (Actual: 50 mins total as of 4pm)
  • Gym workout during lunch - 30 mins
Wednesday: 1.25
  • Walk at lunch with wrist weights - 45 mins
  • Swimming after work - 30 mins
G'night all!

---------------------------------------------
UPDATE:
During lunch on Monday (today) I walked/jogged a total of 50 mins.  Managed to log 27 mins of VIGOROUS ACTIVITY!!! Total activity today so far is 64 mins.  I rule. Waiting for the crowd to die down at the gym, then I will start doing my laps.
Swimming - I swam 36 laps in the pool...about 30 mins give or take ... and the equivalent of 4000 steps that do not show on my pedometer! The  link shows step equivalents to regular exercises.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Off track

For whatever reason I totally derailed this evening.  Just bored I think ... next thing you know I found a few cookies, brownies, and some candy.  GEESH!  Not awesome, not awesome at all.  What will be awesome is getting back on track tomorrow.  I have no idea what got into by brain, but I need to keep my eyes on the prize.  And by eyes I mean all 4 of them!  Okay, just kidding ... just a little joke regarding my glasses that are on the way :)

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend and that you are looking forward to a week of being kind to yourself and others, as I am.

Allison

Saturday, January 16, 2010

"Men seldom make passes, At girls who wear glasses"

A nice Dorothy Parker quote for you! Oh, the reason for the DP quote?  I, for the first time in my 35 years, have been prescribed GLASSES!!!  Having mixed feelings.  Needing glasses is a bit of a bummer and just a sign I am getting older...yet I have always wanted a cute pair of glasses.  So there you have it. In about a week my glasses will be in and I will have something new and expensive to lose immediately!  

Today has been a wet and dreary day in Atlanta.  Of course a week ago I was iced in ... so I shouldn't complain, right?

Not a lot to report in the last couple of days.  I finally was able to get a good night's sleep and my grandmother is getting better.  We haven't had any "im about to pass out" scares since Thursday night, so that is excellent.  She isn't close to 100% but she is getting around and sort of eating.

Exercise has been a thing of the recent past for me, nothing much to report other than what I accidentally achieved while shopping.  I've been sooo tired with having 2 - 4 hrs of sleep a night that there was no way it was going to be happening.  Tomorrow I am hoping to motivate myself to get to the gym.  There is an elliptical and/or a swimming pool that is calling my name!

Food wise I have done well, though no HMR meals to report.  I've been concentrating on lower sodium while keeping low cal/low fat.  Last night I made a delicious lower sodium "baked spaghetti dish (meatless)" and tonight I made my Greek Lemon Chicken Soup.  Each serving is about 250 - 300 calories and no more than 300 grams of sodium.  Trying to get away from the Lean Cuisine (and onions) and manage the sodium.  I am not a cook, so baby steps, right?

My calories have been under target, probably too low for the last few days.  My body probably doesnt love it when I have less than 1000 calories to eat.  My crutch for a quick meal replacement has become Builders Protein Bars (by Clif).  It's a nice way to spend 270 calories and have 20 grams of protein.  I've tried Peanut Butter, Chocolate, and Vanilla Almond.  All good.  I generally have 1 a day!

One last thing ... I have been meaning to thank Kelly for giving me the "Beautiful Blogger Award" the other day.  If you are not following her blog, please check it out!  She is an amazing young woman who is working hard to have the prom of her dreams!  The award is designed for me to share information about myself and then pick 7 bloggers to pass on the acknowledgment.  I will have to work to find the 7 bloggers ... I am not really good at making blogger friends!  :)  Thanks again Kelly and I will follow through with my end of the bargain very soon!

Allison

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Quick note

Hey everyone.  Just wanted to publish that I did very well last week surpassing the 15 lb lost since 12/10/09!  Yay me. 

The last couple of days have been long and tiring.  My grandmother was ill yesterday and around midnight it escalated to the point of needing to call 911.  Fortunately no serious issues.  She had an infection that made her sick and lightheaded, that was compounded by dehydration and she was going in and out of consciousness. 

We spent all night in the ER and arrived back home around 5:30 this morning.  According to my GoWearFit i slept 1:11 ...not quite hitting my goal of 8 hrs a night!  I am exhausted, naturally, so not really in the mood to celebrate.

I will say that when starvation set in around 3am last night ... I also had good sense.  The hospital had a 24hr McDonalds.  I used my phone to see the nutritional information (calories/fat/sodium) of 6 pieces of chicken nuggets...and thats exactly what I had.  We actually ordered one huge 10 piece meal (supersized) and my BF ate ALL of the fries and 4 of the 10 nuggets.  I was pleased with myself. I could have easily drowned my sorrows into that enormous bag of fries.

That is all for now.  I hope to keep up this rate of loss (3lbs a week) so that I am able to reach my goal of 36 by my 36th! 7.5 weeks to go ... at 2.7 pounds a week and I am there!

That is all for now ... time to crash!

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Is it cheating....

If I want to officially log my weight a day early?  I am really liking what the scale says TODAY and am afraid my body will realize its error and adjust accordingly in the wrong direction tomrrow :)  Today I am at 254.5 ... the lowest weight I have seen in almost a year!!!  That weight would mean 3.1 lost the past week...pppppllllleeeeaaassssseeeee stay that or below for tomorrow.  I am feeling fairly dehydrated today (i didnt drink enough water yesterday, was a stress kitten) so I probably will pack on 2 lbs in water today.

Oh well, I know its only numbers!  Someone DID tell me that she could tell I had lost weight even from last week (thank you Mindy) so I will take it!

Today has potential to be stressful...I have my sweet wonderful grandma that isn't feeling well.  As much as I hate not living in the condo that I am paying for, I will be sad to leave here.  To that end, I hope to take advantage of taking the day off of work to maybe look at possible paint samples. 

Organic oatmeal time!  The Kashi whole grain hot cereal that I made last night was awful.  Never. Again.  I will stick to my oatmeal, thank you!  I am LOVING the Publix Greenwise Maple and Brown Sugar organic instant with a splash of cinnamon.  It is a great way to start the day!  It's low sodium, low calorie, low fat, and has fiber/protein. 

My goal is to be productive today around the house ... help out my "old lady" ... eat low sodium and of course watch everything else ... take a nice walk!

Ta!
Allison

Monday, January 11, 2010

Weight loss projection spreadsheet

Hi!  About a year ago I stumbled upon a spreadsheet on another weight loss blog (losingtofindmyself.com) that spelled out the formula for estimating calories in/out and charting projected weight loss over time.  My Plan is all about this math...being accountable for what comes in, exercising, etc. 

This is an excellent way to get an idea of what is possible.  Of course your numbers may vary week to week from these projections...but its nice to come up with a formula that best meets your goals. 

Example:  I plugged in my starting weight, starting diet date, my calories per day eating and my weekly calories burned during exercise.  The spreadsheet calculates your BMR (how many calories you need per day/ week to maintain) and charts the deficits based on projections.  Check it out. I have made a note on guesstimating if you are doing Weight Watchers or a point based system vs counting actual calories. 

Here is a screen shot:


Here is a link to download the Excel spreadsheet: http://www.nosilla.net/gowearfit/weightloss_projection.xls  I promise this is a safe file!

Let me know if you have any questions ... and I would like to thank Ken from losingtofindmyself.com for taking the time to put this together and letting me run with it!

Allison

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Fat lady in the pool!

I did it ... finally!!  Walking in the door at LA Fitness there was naturally a sign that read, "Pool heat off for the day".  Yay!  Doing it anyway.   I will say this, the locker room of my local gym is gross.  The quality has really taken a hit with the level of amenities at my local La Fit.  There were NO wet bags (a fact I wish I'd known prior to going) and none of those nifty things that squeeze the water out of the swim suit. No matter...nothing was stopping me!

There I was, in my traditional fat lady swim dress (with swim shorts under), bright blue swim cap, and pink goggles.  At this stage of the game, I dont really care about what others think, which is a good thing ... because nothing puts it all out there like swimming.  The swim dress is really not ideal for actual swimming at it floats up, but its what fits...so i deal.

In order to deal with cooler water temp, I took a cooold shower prior to getting in.  Once I hit the pool, it seemed fairly reasonable.  Nothing like an icy shower to put the non-heated pool into perspective!

All of my gadgets were with me.  I am probably looking like a bigger dork now, but I don't care.  I have my lap counter that i wear on my finger the click my laps...and my nifty mp3 player that fits on my goggles. I am wired for sound and ready to go.

In all, 30 laps (25m).  My laps were certainly labored and I can tell it is my first time in the pool doing laps in a long long time.  I figured my laps were about 40 seconds each, so that works out to about 20 mins of activity.  I probably could have done several more, but I realized I was running late and had to pick up my grandmother who was mall walking at the same time.

Feeling good about the swim...feeling good about the thought of doing it again very soon.  I need to evaluate my schedule and the pool schedule and try to fit in a swim during the week, I'd hate to think I can only swim on weekends.  There is an LA Fit by my office so that makes it easier.  Of course the pool may be more crowded during peak after work hours...and god forbid I see someone I know there.  Its much easier to be brave at the gym when you don't know anyone!

Anyway, that is all for now.  I rounded my afternoon off with a nice pasta/chicken dish that should last me for the rest of the day.  Tonight I will have a protein bar and finish my 1200 calories for the day.  Tomorrow its back to work, and back to working the first full week in almost a month.  Man...the holiday's do spoil.

One note about being social ... I was a total hermit this weekend.  Due to a conflict I was not able to attend the baby shower that I'd planned on attending.  As guilty as I felt about that, it removed the likelihood that I was going to eat a piece of cake, a cupcake ... lots of little savory bits in philo dough cups...etc.  At this point in my program, I am fragile  and could easily talk myself into one break, how often do I go to a baby shower?  Fortunately I did not have to fight with myself...and disaster was averted.

Ta!
Allison

Friday, January 8, 2010

Snowed in ... and the smell of bacon is wafting...

Sigh ... its so much easier to be a good girl when I am at work!  My grandmother (my BF and I are displaced because of the flooding in Atlanta last Sept) made my BF a lovely southern breakfast of biscuits, gravy, bacon....and it smells so damn good.  I of course have had my organic oats for the morning :)  No gravy for me, though its quite a test!

The roads are a bit icy, so taking a walk is out.  I don't have an "at home" workout routine, so I am at a bit of a loss.  What to do, what to do!

Hoping everything clears up so that I can go swimming tomorrow at the gym.  Cross your fingers people!

I am going to have my grandmother make some sour kraut to kill the bacon smell...hehe.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Month 1 Results

Just finished up my first full month on my new program.  I am please to say that I have lost 11.6 so far.  Not bad considering the holiday's!  Definitely pleased with my progress.  I did realize, however, that my math on the # of weeks until my birthday was flawed.  My weekly count to the left went from week 5 to week 8 ... which means I only have 12 weeks to lose my 36 lb goal.  With that pace I need to lost 3 lbs a week.  I will do everything within my power (within reason) to reach that goal...but given that I just shot myself in the foot and lost 2 weeks, I will NOT be disappointed if I fall slightly short of my goal.  What will be disappointing is giving up in any way, which I just do not accept.

That said, I have corrected my weekly count and linked each weeks GoWearFit 7 Day summary. It will show all my crimes and successes! 

I am getting to the point of looking forward to getting active, which is nice.  Today I walked / semi-jogged a bit in our parking deck at work.  The 1 lb arm weights I had on my wrists increased my calorie burning by 30-40% when doing a brisk walk.  That is awesome!  Now I have wrist weights for home AND for the office. No excuses!

To help with my goal, I am going to start swimming laps a couple times a week (most likely weekends), target an average of 45 mins a day of moderate activity and try to get an overall reading of 60 mins a week of "vigorous" activity. Today while walk/jogging, I racked up 12 mins of vigorous activity. I just need to do that 5 more times :)

Food wise my focus is shifting a bit to a lower sodium diet.  I've been concerned with the sodium content in my everyday (admittedly processed) diet.  Now I am going to try to keep my sodium around 1500 mg per day. 

We will see! 

What were you doing a year ago?

I know ... I was packing and getting ready for Hawaii!!!  Today ... wondering how cold it can possibly get here in Atlanta, NOT packing for Hawaii :)  I found my old post from a year ago. Very interesting to see what was on my mind, and realizing that I am pretty much in the same place.  That diet sprint for 8 or 9 weeks was great, too bad I didn't keep the momentum!  Interestingly enough, this sprint and that last print, day 3 was a nightmare.  Funny how that works out.

Finally took the time to finish the book I have been reading, Confessions of a Carb Queen by Susan Blech   overall very glad I read it and would recommend.  The psychology of failure and forgiveness is certainly very interesting.  It is very easy to be hard on yourself when you feel like you haven't succeeded, it is not as easy to be kind and forgive yourself and move forward.  Definitely a bit cathartic to be inside of the author's head as she struggles.  

As for myself, I had a great day.  Made a wonderful low(ish) sodium dish ( inspired by the book) and did very well at the gym.  Thanks to my iPod Touch and an episode of Glee, the 25 mins on the elliptical few by.  Unfortunately I was running late to a meeting, otherwise I believe I could have stayed in the gym longer.  Now that I am a month into this thing, I am going to need to increase the exercise.  This weekend I will make my way to the pool at the LA Fitness.  I assure you the fat lady in the pool with the swim dress, blue and pink swim cap, goggles, and little waterproof mp3 player on my head will be a spectacle!  The good news is that I totally don't give a shit.  One thing is for certain...life is too short to care what other people think.  That said, I still have to change into my gym clothes in the restroom rather than the open locker room!!!

Tomorrow I will run my GoWearFit report, weigh-in, and post the data for the world to see!

Until then ... nighty night.  Time for my nightly date with Craig Ferguson.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Last push for the month!

Today marks the last full day before I officially finish out the first month of my new way of living. Some accomplishments I am already focusing on:
  1. I have increased my water intake … no longer living a high sodium dehydrated lifestyle!
  2. Getting active! I have met my goals for activity most days/weeks … now it’s time to kick it up a notch and raise the bar.
  3. Taking accountability. Even on those few “diet holiday” days, I was accountable. It may be ugly, but it’s listed! I successfully counted calories and wore my GoWearFit for the last month.
  4. Keeping up with the blogging! I am terrible at staying focused on the blog. When I stop blogging, that means my head is in the sand (or somewhere else I won’t mention) and that is bad. The more I blog, the more focused I am and the less I am hiding in shame!
  5. Finding inspiration. It’s everywhere if you look. I have found some folks on Twitter and in the blog world that are keeping me on track and letting me know that I am not alone in this. Thank goodness!
The weight has come off a bit … but that is really just a side effect of all of the above! My overall goal is to lose A LOT of weight. The only way that is going to happen is to honor myself and keep on the right path.


More to come …gearing up for another lunch hour spent in the gym!

Allison

Monday, January 4, 2010

Reading for inspiration

Last night I decided to peruse Amazon.com for diet related memoir type books. Honestly I have never read a memoir on someone’s experience with morbid obesity. The book I found and started reading last night has been interesting. The book, Confessions of a Carb Queen by Susan Blech is the one I have started on first. It is a very honest account of what it is like to be very large ... daily struggles on topics that are personal and taboo … hitting bottom … and rising up and respecting one’s self.


There are areas that I can totally relate … especially the day to day life, social interactions, and the games we play with ourselves. Other things I do not relate to as much …but I am sure that many do. The author is a binge eater … to the degree of hard to believe. Eating many many large meals a day, one after the other, that I cannot really relate to fully. I can certainly eat my way out of a half-gallon of ice cream in a few hours, but not quite in the way that treats food like a drug. Her account is very much of being in a “food induced coma”.

One point of interest … she was not always overweight. As an adult she was actually a “gym rat” and was very into bodybuilding. Another point where we deviate. I personally have NEVER been at a “normal” weight … not since the age of 7 or 8. I am guessing it is a different feeling to know what it is like to be thin … and wanting to re-discover yourself rather than to have always been heavy … and wanting to discover yourself entirely. I fall into the second category.

I’m halfway through. The writing is difficult as the author is not a writer (nor am I for that matter) but I am enjoying the read … and cannot wait to finish this evening. I will say it is brutally honest. I bought the Kindle version of the book. I am a huge dork and cannot bring myself to buy paper books anymore! Check it out if that sounds like something that you are interested in. You will likely see yourself in there somewhere. It is almost like sharing your most intimate secrets and fears with someone. I’ve never had that luxury. Of course now I am talking to myself on this blog, so that is close!

Next on my reading list : Half-Assed: A Weight-Loss Memoir by Jenna Fulda.

Anyone have any other suggestions?

Allison

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Sooo Cold!

Wow, I realize it is winter ... but damn, I live in Georgia.  It is NOT supposed to be in the teens with gusty winds in early January...just sayin!

Goals for the day:
-steps : 5000
-calories : 1200 in, 2600 out (-1400)
 -water : 84 oz (downing 7  12oz glasses)
-locate or buy swim cap
-dismantle the christmas tree

That's about it folks!  It's frigid today so I am not sure the strategy on the PA (physical activity).  Perhaps a bundled walk outside ... and bowling?  Not sure ... but I will get back to you!


Oh, as a side note, how cute am I as a Mad Men character?  I picked the only plump option ... oh, how I wish I had those curves!!!

The coffee cup is a nice touch ... though most of you don't know me personally, one of my treasured finds is a ceramic "we are happy to serve you" coffee cup.  I bought mine at momastore.com, but here is a link to the website that features them: http://www.wearehappytoserveyou.com/

Its just fun!

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Happy New Year!!!

What are your resolutions this year?  I am assuming like you, you are resolved to lose weight.  Obviously I will officially declare that losing weight is one of my resolutions.  More specifically I am resolving to get back into the pool.  Swimming laps has always been a great way for me to get in the cardio and keep it low impact.  Years ago I was able to swim 60 laps (25 meter) 3 x's a week.  I haven't been in the pool on a consistant basis in 3 or 4 years.  Goggles (check), Swim cap (check), lap counter (check), cute little waterproof ipod shuffle mp3 player (check).  I am all set!  

Today, I took a nice walk around the neighborhood ... burned quite a few calories and have walked my steps to meet my daily goal.  One day down ... 6 more to go :)  I will admit to being naughty yesterday ... but I logged the calories as much as possible.  I did very well while out to eat, but late at night I was craving dessert and gave in (I blame the mimosas). The holiday's are officially over, thank goodness, and so are the rationalizations!

My next "holiday" will be my birthday in March.  Until then, I am focused on my goal to lose 36 by my 36th birthday.  I started this leg of my journey on 12/10 and am down around 10 lbs (official weigh-in Thursday).  Feeling very refreshed and motivated. 

Good luck to you all and Happy New Year!!!

Allison