Week 11, Day 4

A mile walk today with Little Man in his stroller. I wish he lived closer so I could do that every day! Coming over here to visit is so good for me -- gives me the added boost to keep going in the weight loss and fitness goals.

I saw the pictures that were taken yesterday and I do NOT look good. Terrible double chin when I look down -- like a whole other face beneath my chin! And my lower half is still huge. It's kind of depressing, but I like knowing I'm getting rid of this. I'm turning 50 in March, and I want to be under 200 pounds by then. That gives me 37 pounds to lose in 4 months. It's a good goal.

Like most of America, we had leftovers for dinner today. Unfortunately, by the time the green beans got to me, the bowl was empty. So I had ham with a tiny daub of cranberry sauce on top. Mom served pie for dessert, and I didn't say no since pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving is a favorite. But I regretted it and ended up leaving half of it on my plate. I think that's a big step, though. I grew up with parents who insisted I clean my plate. Leaving food (especially dessert) and walking away feels almost like a sin. Like God Himself is going to punish me. But I am at the place now where I'm okay with stepping away. Next step will be at Christmas and just flat out saying no to dessert. I don't have it normally in my life, and I will not indulge at Christmas. I had my splurge at Thanksgiving, so I'm okay with it.

Today's Tip:
This tip seems especially relevant since I have trouble sticking with my diet when I come visit my parents and Mom has such good food. This is from Jillian Michael's newsletter. Go to www.JillianMichaels.com to subscrbe. It's free, and you can't beat advice from a trainer like her! So here it is: Many of my contestants on the The Biggest Loser have this problem: Moms, dads, brothers, sisters, husbands, and wives always push food on them. I tell them exactly what I'm telling you: Acknowledge these behaviors. Recognize the problems, sit the people in question down, and let them know that you are trying to lose weight and be healthy. Tell them how they can help and support you. Chances are they'll want to help and will be willing to learn new recipes so that they can cook for you without sabotaging your health and happiness.