Date Weight Belly
Jun 01 165# 38" (approximate)
Dec 29 141# 34"

I'd say it was a pretty good year in the weight loss department. But I still have a few more inches to shed from my waist.

I need to get back to exercising. Haven't done that regularly in a couple months. Plus the holidays were a killer for me food wise. Too much good stuff! So for now I need to focus on exercising and watching what I eat... which is the cornerstone of all weight loss programs.

Date-weight-belly
Aug 13 158# 37.5"
Sep 15 150# 35.5"
Sep 21 150# 35.5"
Sep 29 148# 35"
Oct 06 147# 34.75"
Oct 13 146# 34.5"
Oct 20 145# 34.5"
Oct 27 144# 34.25"

There's nothing like consistency is there?

Date-weight-belly
Aug 13 158# 37.5"
Sep 15 150# 35.5"
Sep 21 150# 35.5"
Sep 29 148# 35"
Oct 06 147# 34.75"
Oct 13 146# 34.5"

A couple days ago I put on an old pair of Dockers and they fit perfectly! I didn't even have to suck in my stomach to button it! Plus, I now have to wear a belt with my favorite pair of jeans!

Ah, breakfast. It was once a meal I avoided. I mean, why waste time pouring a bowl of cereal when a cup of coffee was enough?

Of course, that was back when I was 15 pounds heavier. But I've had something for breakfast for the last couple months, and I do feel a lot better.

I still need to work on snacking during they day.

Go in my strength training which I hadn't done in a while.

Date-weight-waist
Jun 01 165# 38?
Aug 13 158# 37.5?
Sep 15 150# 35.5?
Sep 21 150# 35.5?
Sep 29 148# 35?
Oct 06 147# 34.75"

I've had a bad week. I know, the last set of numbers above are going in the right direction. But the whole week was... off. With family issues and time issues and everything else that life threw my way, I just didn't put what I know to do to be healthy in action.

I have to realize that a bad week or day for me isn't that bad in the grand scheme of things. It's not like on a bad day I'll go out and eat a chocolate cake or down a 2 liter bottle of Pepsi, or go hog-wild with a grande hazelnut mocha at Starbucks. Truth is, I have no desire for candy bars or soda pop or a cappuccino. The attachment isn't there. (I do plan on going to Starbucks this December for a Pumpkin Spice Latte. Yes, I'm planning that far ahead.)

For me, it was a bad week for two reasons:

This was a much better day. Started off with my 'regular' breakfast, which really does make a difference for me.

I didn't walk... again. And I need to find ways to get more veggies in my diet.

9am breakfast - bowl of cereal with 1/2 banana, milk & coffee
11:30am - toast (1) with jam - a couple glasses of water
1:30 - Lunch - Scrambled Egg Wrap - 2 eggs scrambled in a whole wheat tortilla with cheese, Canadian bacon and dollop of salsa to taste.

3:30 - 8oz Smoothie
5:50 - 8oz Smoothie
6:30 - Tuna sandwich w/lettuce and a bit of mayo
7:45 - 16oz Smoothie

This is a bad day. It started off bad and didn't improve much. In fact, my lunch, which should have been my cheat meal, was probably the best choice food-wise I made all day.

The first of the month is always hectic. I drive my mom around (she doesn't have a car) to do errands. Add to that I had a headache all day, and skipped by evening workout - which I shouldn't have done - made for bad choices. But the nice thing about this is I can always start again!

In June of this year, I weighed about 165 pounds and had a belly-measurement of 38". On September 29th I weighed 148 pounds and had a belly-measurement of 35". I don't know about you, but those numbers look pretty good to me.

I did this all by changing my diet. I didn't join a gym (but I do try to work out at home.) I didn't join Weight Watchers. I don't put my food into Zones. I just make smarter decisions about the foods I eat.

And I decided to write out my diet (what I eat) for the world to read and scrutinize.

Now I've read plenty of diet books. While there are quite a few that are really good, there are some that are just plain scary. For me, the book that made the most sense was The Abs Diet, which my diet is based on.

I recommend this book for these reasons:

1. It simply has you replace the bad foods with better foods and teaches you how to eat better.
2. You don't have to count calories or Zone your foods or check off boxes for protein, fats and carb consumption.
3. You get to eat more often. Yes, it's like an "eat when your body tells you to" diet.
4. Instead of just telling you to exercise (most books spend a page or two telling you this) the Abs Diet shows you things you can do.

While The Abs Diet is my book of choice, other good books are The South Beach Diet and The Mediterranean Diet. The Zone Diet is okay, but reads more like a medical journal than a diet book.

Date - weight - waist
Jun 01 165# 38?
Aug 13 158# 37.5?
Sep 15 150# 35.5?
Sep 21 150# 35.5?
Sep 29 148# 35"

For the last few weeks my weight has been steady at 150 pounds. Two weeks with exercise and eating right, I couldn't lose that extra pound to get to 149. Until this morning.

I've been recording my weight on Saturday morning the last couple of weeks, and it was getting a bit depressing seeing that scale sit at 150. I plateaued. But as of this morning (which won't be an official weight) I think I may be on the way down again.

Date - weight - waist
Jun 01 165# 38"
Aug 13 158# 37.5"
Sep 15 150# 35.5"
Sep 21 150# 35.5"

and unofficially
Sep 25 149# 35.25'