Change in the Season...

I'm not sure how to start this post. I feel like an apology is (again!) in order. I'm sorry friends, I've been a terrible blogger. What can I say? Work has been busy. Life has been busy. And I don't have internet at home. All of which leads to fewer blog posts.

I will try harder to post more regularly, because it helps me to refocus on this journey. And most importantly it gives me an outlet to talk about weight/ health related issues, thereby giving my (very tolerant) friends and family a much-needed break from the saga of Katie's weight loss journey.

And I'm dying to share some good news--I finally found my weight loss mojo again. See, I'm even smiling...


I'm not exactly sure how I got motivated again (there were a long string of months where I was fighting to stick to the program), but somehow I did. I've been counting points (on Momentum), sticking to my points, and have even started to follow through on some sort of exercise regimen. And the crazy thing is--it's showing up on the scale. I started weighing myself on my home scale and I started at 173 (on May 5th). I weighed in last week (June 2nd) at 165.5. That's 7.5 pounds in a month. Not bad!

It's the first significant loss I've had in a while. And there's really no secret to it. I ate less. I drank less. I moved more. Now, finding the motivation to do that...that's not so simple.

Oh, and I found an exercise dvd that I can actually stand. It's been ridiculously hot in Richmond these past few weeks, so I needed an indoor activity. I'm poor (per usual) so I decided to go to the Goodwill and check out their tapes. Lo and behold, I found this prize:


The workout is called Stephanie Huckabee's Power Fit, 5 Day Workout. Stephanie has quickly become my new best friend. The workouts are divided into different target areas (thighs and shoulders, butt and abs, etc...) and each one is 20 minutes long. The workouts are not that difficult--nothing like Jillian Michael's 20 minutes of torture--but they do exercise the key muscles and I definitely felt sore afterwords. The competitive, type A part of my brain says I should be doing more. But the realistic part says that 20 minutes a day, five times a week is SO much better than my haphazard, more strenuous exercise routine.

Plus, the workouts are moderate enough so that I'm not completely starving afterwards. Which is a good thing, since I only get 23 points a day.

Speaking of points and Momentum, it took a while to adjust to the new plan. At first, I was absolutely starving, but after a while I started developing some tactics to help keep me content:

• Protein in every meal is ESSENTIAL. I started eating an egg for breakfast as opposed to my oatmeal and that's really helped to keep me full longer.
• You can add beans to stir fries. The other day, I was cooking a stir fry and randomly decided to add half a cup of pinto beans. Not only did the beans add protein, but they also eliminated the need for rice. It was a win-win.
• Saving all your points until the end of the day is a recipe for disaster. You get too hungry and end up overeating at dinner.
• High fiber/ low calorie tortillas are great to keep in the house. You can use them for sandwiches, homemade pizza, wraps, etc. Lately, I've gotten obsessed with a wrap with almond butter, jelly, and sliced banana.

Anyway, things are going well on the weight loss front and I hope this motivation continues until I get into the 150s (at least!). I think that it might have something to do with the weather--my appetite really diminishes when it's crazy hot outside. Winter, on the other hand, tends to make me want to eat heavy things (bulk up). What do you think? Do any of you notice a change in your diet/ cravings with the change of the seasons?