Status Update.........

I'm trying desperately NOT to chase away any of my readers with frequent updates about my attempt to lose weight.

It's slow, but it's still happening.

As of this morning, I have lost 20 pounds. I would LIKE to lose another 30, but I will settle for an additional 20. I'm not sure 30 more is feasible at my age.

I think I'm having more success this time around because I am NOT following a program. I'm not counting points, calories, fat grams, or carbs. I am simply trying to practice portion control and cut down on junk.

I am still off chocolate and beer for the most part, and honestly I don't miss either one. I'm also determined not to be one of those people who sits around and moans about what she can't have. Occasionally (VERY occasionally) I will have a beer, and I don't beat myself up about it. I approach it kind of like I did when I quit smoking. If I had said at the beginning, "I'm never going to have another cigarette in my life," I think it would have been overwhelming. So when I first quit, I said, "I'm not going to have another cigarette today." Then the next morning I said, "I won't have a cigarette until I get out of school." By the time 24 hours had passed without a cigarette, I felt like I had it licked. It's the same way with some of the foods I crave. I don't kid myself and say I will never eat another piece of chocolate. I just say, "No, I don't need those calories today. Maybe tomorrow when I've had a chance to exercise." And the craving passes. Most of the time.

When we were in Jamaica I had a few (okay, more than a few) mixed drinks. It was an all-inclusive resort, after all, and I didn't want to feel like I had wasted my money. We didn't go crazy at meal times either.

One of the things that has helped me the most is a line that I heard about a year ago, and I made fun of it on my blog when I read it. Someone said, "Don't eat until you're full. Eat until you're not hungry anymore." I think I said something along the lines of, "If I could do THAT I wouldn't HAVE this little problem." But I keep that thought in the back of my mind. First of all I have to get rid of the "eat until it's gone" syndrome. I have a tendency to eat everything that's on my plate (and then some). I asked my mother once if she had made us clean our plates when we were little (because ultimately don't we blame EVERYTHING on our mothers?). She laughed and said, "From the time you could sit up I had to PUSH you away from the table." I distinctly remember going around the table and eating scraps off family members' plates after they had finished. I wasn't hungry; I just didn't think anything should be left. My eldest brother called me the "human garbage disposal." That could also be why his last words to me were, "See ya, Fats." (I was eleven.)

I'm glad I started this weight-loss campaign back in the fall. I hate it at this time of year when it seems that everyone decides to lose weight, and the motivation doesn't last. So far (**knock on wood**) my new eating habits feel like just that -- habits -- and I don't have to work very hard at it. (Please, Karma, don't kick me in the teeth just because I said that.) I don't have to make a New Year's Resolution to try to lose weight and exercise; I just have to continue what I've been doing already.

Rereading this, it sounds to me as if I'm tooting my own horn, and I assure you that's not the case. If I write occasional blog posts about my efforts, that makes me more determined to stick with it. I don't want to have to write in a few months, "I gained all 20 pounds back, and then some." I hope to have the nerve to post some before-and-after pictures when I get to my preferred weight.

I have to remind myself periodically (like every day) that slow weight loss is better in the long run than quick weight loss. Still, it's frustrating to see the scale stay in the same place day after day. I did get into a new number set on Christmas morning though. That was the best present Santa could have brought me! I stepped off and on the scale three times to make sure it wasn't a fluke. That means I actually LOST weight on our trip to Jamaica. I'm sure it had something to do with the almost-six-mile bike ride.

I'm going into cycling withdrawal too. My exercise in general hasn't been what it should be lately, due to the extremely cold temperatures and the fact that my elliptical is sick. (Yes, I do have a membership to the YMCA, but I haven't been since our line dance teacher left. Maybe THAT needs to be on my New Year's Resolution list.) But I'm missing cycling most of all. I walked past my (brand new) bicycle today in the basement, and I patted the seat lovingly. I can't wait to get back out there and ride. I just don't do cold.

Another status update: I am making progress on my list of 50 new things to do next year, when I will turn 50. I am up to 31, and I have only cheated a couple of times, putting things on my list that I knew I was going to do anyway (like the cross-state kayak trip). I am still taking suggestions for additions to my list.

I would also love to hear any of your successes and suggestions related to eating/nutrition/weight loss.

Thanks for stopping by. You are the best!