255.4

Well, I've only lost 5 pounds since my last post over a month ago. It's possible that I had dipped a little lower on the scale, but I let two (healthy) weeks pass without weighing myself and then ate my way through Chicago for 7 days. I'm not sure how I feel about this number. Obviously, I'm happy to see the 250s but I know that if I'd worked a little harder I'd easily be in the lower 240s right now. What's interesting, though, is that I've noticed quite a difference in my body with these last 5 pounds. That, I really like. Here are some wonderful things I've noticed since the 250s:

-I'm getting more dramatic reactions from people who haven't seen me in a while (and from people who have)
-I can cross my legs easily, and it's comfortable
-I am getting a much greater sense of my natural figure (under all the fat) and I like it
-My size in Old Navy jeans is 18. Five months ago I was a size 24 and couldn't shop for jeans at Old Navy-they stop at size 20. (I went into the dressing room praying the 20s would fit. I almost cried when they were too big.)
-I'm not as disgusted by pictures of myself.
-I feel lighter and more confident overall

Obviously, these are fantastic things that have been making me very happy lately. I can't believe I've come as far as I have on this journey. I've said it a million times, but I've never kept up with a "diet" for this long, so I've never experienced all these things that come along with significant weight loss. True, it's going much slower than I'd hoped (I blame that partly on my unreal expectations and partly on my spotty effort) but what surprises me is that I keep trudging on. I'm guess I'm not the quitter I thought I was (at least not yet!).

All that said, those 7 days in Chicago were disappointing (health-wise only; in every other aspect they were incredible). I thought I was finally at a point in my journey to health that I wasn't a binger anymore. I thought I could eat unhealthy food without going overboard.  I set out on my trip truly believing I could eat whatever I wanted in moderation and not feel crappy about myself. Well, that didn't happen. The company I was with was definitely not in a "moderate" mindset when it came to food and I found myself letting their decisions guide mine. It's amazing how hard it is to eat healthy while watching others eat whatever they want. I'm certainly not blaming others for my choices, and actually, it's an important lesson. I have been living alone (kind of) and shopping for myself for the duration of my lifestyle change, and that makes it very easy for me to control what I eat without serious temptation. Eating with other people, whether it be in a restaurant, on the street, or in a home, is something I have to learn to do without compromising my healthy habits. If I someday marry someone, or just move in with someone, who eats a pint of ice cream every night, I can't let that be an excuse to do the same. I just can't. I have to be okay with other people eating what they want around me.

One thing I find kind of interesting is that there were many times on the trip that I didn't want to eat more and my body was telling me VERY clearly that it was full, to the point where the idea of more food almost disgusted me. It wasn't like my old binging days where I was never too full for another dessert. On this trip I was most definitely too full on a few different occassions, and I knew it in both my body and my mind. But since others were having more, I did too. I don't really understand this. Was I afraid I was missing out? Was it just old habits rising from the dead? The whole all-or-nothing mindset? I don't know. I got no enjoyment out of it. It scares me that I do things that I get no enjoyment out of. I did it day after day. I sincerely hope that the next time I find myself in a similar situation I really listen to myself.

That's about it. It's nice to know that I only have 82 lbs until I'm at a normal weight (according to BMI), which I think will actually be pretty thin for me. My ultimate goal is a little farther than that, but I know I will be very happy at 173 so that's what I'm going to consider my final goal. When I get there, I can set a new goal if I want. Ideally, I'd love to get to 173 by January, but I know that's a little unrealistic at ~16 lbs per month. I'm going to set my goals at 12 lbs per month (that's about 2.5 lbs per week) and just let myself be thrilled if I surpass it.

So, here are my goals for the rest of the year:

Sept 1-    243
Oct 1-     231
Nov 1-    219
Dec 1-     207
Jan 1-      195

I'm going to try to get back to (haha) weighing in every Friday. Now that I have no job (or at least, I make my own hours), I have the time to devote to weight loss. The idea that I could start 2012 in the 100's is SO motivating! I'm ready to take this really seriously and get it over with. 

Friday Weigh In: 260.9

SO CLOSE TO 250s. I'm looking forward to the 250s at my next weigh in.. this is going to be a good exercise week!

Structure

Great news...  my most recent weigh in put me at 262! That's 38 lbs down.

Lately there hasn't been much rhyme or reason to when I weigh. I typically just do it when I feel like, which tends to be a morning after I had a good eating day and good workout. Then I forget what day it was and forget to blog about it etc.. I would really like to go back to my original plan to weigh in on Friday mornings and post about it Friday night. So that's what I'm going to do. I'm really hoping to be in the 250s this Friday!

My blood tests came back perfectly normal. Guess it was just a stubborn plateau... I'm so glad the scale is moving again!

My move to Chicago is getting super close and starting to feel real. It's a great motivator!

That's it for now.

264 picture

Haven't weighed in a few days but the last time I did I was at 264. I'm a little disappointed when comparing this picture to my original picture when I was 30 or more pounds heavier, but I do notice differences. All of my jeans sag on me now, except the 22's I have that I haven't worn in years. I'm throwing out a bunch of clothes this weekend. Some because they're too big, some because I just never wear them and never plan to wear them again. I'm moving to Chicago in 2 months and I want to edit my belongings down to as little as possible before I make the trip. Anyway, here is my progress picture at (or below) 264.

I'm going to make a HUGE push in July. My goal is to get *at least* 30 minutes of dedicated exercise 6 days a week. My "runs" take over an hour but I just don't go often enough. I think that the added exercise is really going to make a difference in how fast the weight comes off. My goal is to lose 15 pounds in July. I think I can do it if I stop having "lax" days where I snack a little too much and skip exercise. If I can take off 15 in July and 15 in August I'll be in the 230s when I move. The last time I was that weight was probably in middle school (10 years ago!). My long term goal is to be at my ideal weight (170) by 2012. That may be a little unrealistic, so I will see where I'm at in 2 months and reassess. 

272 Picture

2

I will be taking a better picture (front-on) this weekend to better reflect my results, but this is what I looked like about a week ago after weighing in at 272. I see some differences between that and my starting pictures but I can't wait for some SERIOUS differences!

Back again..!

It's been a while. The good news is that my absence does not coincide with a "relapse"... I've actually been doing okay. I did make a huge mistake: I got discouraged and resorted to extreme measures (low/no carb, high fat diet) when I really knew it was not the right decision for me. I remembered that my parents lost no less than a pound a day following that kind of diet years ago and I really wanted to see RESULTS! so I thought I could/should do it. First of all, it's very hard to do that diet as a vegetarian. Second of all, I wasn't enjoying the food I was eating. Third of all, it doesn't fit into my health philosophy. Lastly, it only worked for the first week. After that I hit a serious plateau that lasted for weeks, despite my commitment to the diet and to exercise. I have spent the last week trying to ease myself back onto carbs by adding fruit and rice to my diet. Before too long I'll be eating my PB&J oatmeal again. I'm disappointed that I got off on that path because all in all I think it has thrown a huge wrench in my weight loss and I'm sure my body is not happy that I'm playing around like that. Oh well. Lesson learned.

The truth is, I have not weighed myself in over a week because I was getting so discouraged with the plateau that I was scared. I was afraid to find that the number may not have budged and scared that my reaction to that would be self-destruction (through food). It's so frustrating to work hard and not see any results! My last weigh in, which was 8 days ago, put me at 272. I have hit the gym, the road, and the veggies HARD since that weigh in and I'm hoping for a happier number tomorrow. Regardless, I do feel *pretty* good about myself and I'm glad to know I am 100 lbs away from a healthy weight. Strangely, that feels MUCH better than 130 lbs away. I can't wait until I have less than 100 to lose! That's going to be amazing.

Another reason I'm feeling pretty good is my exercise. I don't think I've blogged since I've started exercising. I am LOVING it! I wish I'd started sooner! I have been going for 30 minute jogs (paired with 30-40 minute walks home) or spending time on the elliptical machine at the gym. I'm finding that it is getting so much easier and more enjoyable! Usually by the end of the 30 minutes I am EXHAUSTED and can barely make the last few minutes. Last night, I actually still had energy. I could really tell that my heart and lungs were shaping up because I felt so much more comfortable the entire time, even when I increased my speed or climbed a hill. It's nice to not feel like you're dying! I'm excited to take my runs up a notch with speed and/or time.

Even though I've been feeling pretty good and noticing some changes in the mirror (and getting more compliments) I am definitely still frustrated about other things and struggling with certain issues. I am annoyed that my pants aren't falling off of me. Yes, they are looser, and that's nice, but for the amount of time I have been working I feel like I should be swimming in them! Hopefully soon. Not sure if I ever mentioned my size: I wore a 24 pushing 26 when I started. Now my 24s are loose and I'm wearing a 22 in some things. It's nice but I just can't wait for something more drastic. I'm hoping I'll be squeezing into 20s when I hit 250! When I reach a size 18, I think I'm going to buy a pair of American Eagle jeans. I've never been able to wear clothes from any brand like that. Truthfully, I don't imagine I will be someone who shops at AE often (not really my style) but the highschooler in me can't wait to wear the same jeans everyone else does. I will also be able to buy pants and skirts at Old Navy when I get into 18! It's extremely exciting to imagine getting out of the plus size stores.


I feel kind of silly talking about those things. However, for the first time in.. ever, actually... it doesn't feel like a dream anymore. I actually feel like I'm doing this for real and I'm going to carry through til the end. I might even be in those AE jeans by the end of the summer! Maybe I should buy a pair with my next paycheck as thinspiration?



















I got a little off topic.. I was talking about things I'm struggling with. Another thing I am struggling with is what my deflated body is going to look like naked. I am very worried about this although I know it shouldn't be my focus right now. I can't help it. I have stretch marks all over my body.. I'm afraid they're going to look even worse when my skin is looser. I'm also worried about my boobs. They're already saggy and uneven... are they going to look gross when I'm skinny? I have been saving up a lot of money to move to Chicago. Hopefully I will get a job before or soon after moving. If I do, I will probably put most of my money toward surgery on my breasts and, if needed, my stomach. If I'm going to work this hard to get the body I want, I'm going to go all the way. My goal is to feel great about myself.

My writing is really lacking in this post. I don't have the energy to proof-read right now. I just needed to get some thoughts out. If I find some batteries to put in my scale, I'll weight tomorrow and post an update. Be prepared for total devastation if I'm still in the darn 270s!

4-22 Weigh In

Friday's weight was 284.8! That's almost 10 pounds down! I'm starting to notice (very subtle) differences in my body and my clothes just feel better. I'm motivated.

I also found a little empty journal in which I wrote down my measurements some 4-6 months ago before I started this weight loss journey. This upcoming Friday I will take my measurements again and compare.

It's actually a blessing in disguise that I have 0 Easter plans and will spend the day home alone... no food temptations.

I'm going to try to post more regularly and start to address some of my food-related and weight-loss related emotions. I've been going to Overeaters Anonymous meetings with a co-worker, which challenge me to understand what's going on inside my head. It's interesting.

Back!

I'm finally back. I feel very guilty for neglecting this blog for so long. It's been 2-3 weeks since I last posted. As you can guess, that's because I hadn't been doing very well with this whole lifestyle change. The good news is, I'm back on track now! I have been doing great for the last 7-8 days and I feel fantastic. I've actually been hitting it a little a harder than I was before and I think it keeps me more motivated. I'm still eating healthy foods and balanced proportions, but I would say my calorie intake is below 1500 now, rather than the 2,000 I was shooting for before. This is partly an accident. I unintentionally skipped a few meals last weekend (fell asleep before dinner, made meals that were too gross to eat, etc) and my stomach really seems to have "shrunk". Since then I just haven't felt the need for much food. One morning I couldn't even finish my bowl of PB&J oatmeal. This behavior is not normal for me but it feels right and goes back to my original goal of listening to my body. The other great stride I've made is to cut out sweets & dessert as much as possible. I'm not making any rules that say I can't have dessert but I'm going to try to limit that meal to special occasions for now, as that is the area in which I have the LEAST amount of self control.

I feel lighter already. I feel less bloated, my clothes fit better (though this may be my imagination), and I feel more confident. I tried to weigh myself yesterday but I think my scale may need new batteries, as it wasn't working. That's okay- I'm going to wait until next Friday when the results will hopefully be more impressive.

Anyway, just checking in. Soon I will upload some photos of food.

Getting Back on the Bandwagon

I'm afraid I haven't been doing very well lately. Last week I gained back the 3 pounds I'd lost the week before. I partly contribute that to starting my period the evening before the morning I weighed in... I'm not going to get too down about it. But even so, I just haven't been careful about eating. I haven't been focused. I even binged one night. I ordered a stuffed crust pizza and bought two slices of cake from the grocery store (Confession: If I could have afforded it, I might have purchased a whole cake.) The good news is, the pizza wasn't that great. It didn't stop me from eating 2/3rds of it, but it did stop me from eating the rest the next day. I woke up the next day and had oatmeal for breakfast and made a relatively healthy bean-based dish for lunch/dinner. Since then I have been doing better. I have been snacking wayyyy too much, but not on anything overwhelmingly disgusting for my health. I'm pleased to find that even though I'm struggling to keep my portions under control, I haven't been totally ridiculous about the foods I choose (excluding the pizza...)

Anyway, my new favorite oatmeal is peanut butter & jelly. Hot oats, one heaping tablespoon of natural peanut butter and one tablespoon of strawberry preserves. It tastes just like the classic sandwich. I like it even better than the cold PB & banana oats I was into last week.

Anyway, that's all. I've been avoiding blogging because I've been embarrassed. Tomorrow is a new day. I'm going to do some form of exercise tomorrow.. FOR SURE! No excuses. I'm ready. I'm craving it. I think it's the new push I need. I think I'm going to walk to the stadium and do some laps and stadiums... that will definitely wear me out.

Sick Puppy

My dog/buddy is very sick today! I won't go into the details because they are extremely disgusting, but it was very bad. I took him to the vet after work and they did a bunch of tests and don't really know what's wrong. They wanted to take x-rays but I'm going to see how he feels tomorrow, first. I felt bad about that decision, but ever since we left the vet he seems to be feeling a lot better so maybe it was okay. I already spent $320 on his tests and prescriptions.. the x-rays would be $100 more, with little promise of result. If he gets any worse I will definitely take him for the x-rays.

I've been a bad blogger. My mom has been in town since Friday and just left this morning. We've been busy! We had a great time! I will be honest, they weren't my healthiest days. I didn't binge or eat a pint of ice cream or anything- so that's good! I just didn't make the best choices at every meal and definitely ate larger portions than usual. Oh well.. tomorrow is a new day!

I weighed myself on Friday... 292.4! That means I lost 3 pounds last week. Not too bad, since I haven't exactly been suffering and I hardly did any exercise at all. I am prepared to plateau this week, but we'll see. I'm not going to let it discourage me, regardless.

I'm too lazy to upload my photo from last Friday.  I will post it this upcoming Friday, with the new one.

Amanda

Veggie Pizza and Cold Oatmeal

Not together!

I've been so busy these last few days, I almost forgot I had a blog! Well, nothing new or exciting going on in my world of weight loss right now.. just staying on track and eating the same few recipes over and over again. One of my favorites is veggie pizza on whole wheat naan (or any suitable whole wheat flatbread). I spread a thin layer of pesto, followed by marinara sauce, a thin layer of cheese, tons of peppers (red! orange! green!) onions and mushroom, and then top it off with sun-dried tomatoes and goat cheese. For a 450-650 calorie dinner (depending on the flatbread used) with A TON of flavor, it really can't be beat.

 Naan pizza in the making... (this one is on white)

 Mmm!! 

I've also been dabbling in "overnight oats" ... I am VERY pleased with this breakfast! I've been eating oatmeal in the morning for a while now (and on and off over the last year) but I don't find it incredibly delicious. I mostly eat oats because they're easy to make at work and are extremely filling- not to mention healthy (fiber, protein). Overnight oats, on the other hand, are incredibly delicious! I mix 1/2 cup rolled oats with 1/2 cup water and a 3oz greek yogurt. I also mash in a banana and a tablespoon of peanut butter. I let it all chill in the fridge overnight (the oats soak up all the liquid and come out very creamy) and then eat it first thing in the morning. I definitely prefer this cold mixture to hot oats. I'm going to start experimenting with other add-ins in the coming weeks. I also want to mix it up and have a hot non-oat breakfast every now and then (I'm thinking egg & cheese on a crumpet) but it's so hard for me to get up early enough to cook anything. Oh well. We'll see.

 I didn't take a picture of overnight oats... here are some hot oats I had the other day! With half a banana, some walnuts, and a few dark chocolate chip/chunks.

I'm going to pick up some new things on my next trip to the grocery store, and try out some new recipes. I've been seeing a lot of funky lentil dishes... I've never cooked lentils before but I like that they're cheap and versatile.

 Speaking of groceries and being cheap... I am $66 into my food budget for this week (out of the $100 total allotted) and I don't foresee myself spending the last $34! This is very exciting. I am typically not good with money. I have really enjoyed making all of my meals at home instead of eating out, and I just can't get over how much cheaper it is and how far food stretches when you don't eat six thousand calories a day. If I make it to the end of the week (Friday) only having spent $66, I'm going to put the remainder toward a pair of sunglasses. I really need sunglasses.

My mom is visiting me this weekend. I'm very excited! She is also changing her habits and getting healthy. Instead of spending the weekend gorging ourselves like we used to, we're going to eat sensibly and find other fun things to do (like shop for sunglasses!). Can't wait.

Anyway, that's all for now!

Amanda

First Weigh In & Grocery Shopping

So I bought a scale today. I was anxious all day at work, and even on the drive home once I'd purchased it. Like I said, I haven't weighed myself in over a year. If I remember correctly, the last time I weighted myself was summer '09, when I was going to the gym regularly and had lost 20-30 lbs. I think I was in the 270's then. I knew I'd gained weight since, but I had no idea how much. My clothes still fit (when you're this size, you can gain or lose 30 lbs and chances are your clothes are still going to fit- it's a blessing and a curse) but I could feel the extra weight on my body and I started noticing it when I looked in the mirror, too. Anyway, I was expecting the worst when I stepped on the scale today, but to my surprise I was at 295.4. I'm not exactly proud of myself- that number is still horrifying- but I am just glad to be in the 200s. I weighed myself 3 times just to make sure. I tend to lose weight quickly at first when I change my eating habits, and so I wouldn't be surprised if I shed 10-15 pounds in the last couple of weeks. Regardless, I'm going to consider 295 my starting point, with a goal of 160. That's a 135 pound loss.

Interestingly, I came across this blog today, run by a girl who lost exactly 135 pounds herself. I thought that was a cool coincidence. I became all kinds of inspired after reading a few of her posts. Her way of eating is very similar to mine- everything in moderation. Her food looks amazing.

Anyway, I had a light breakfast and lunch today. Oatmeal with a bit of maple syrup for breakfast and leftover whole grain vegetable spaghetti for lunch. The pasta wasn't that great so I didn't eat much of it. I have been adding hummus to my pasta sauce lately which makes it creamy and adds an interesting flavor.. but it wasn't enough to save this batch.

On to dinner. Typically, I would spend a Friday night eating a gigantic take out meal (tons of bread, salad, pasta, potatoes) followed by an exorbitant dessert (pint of ice cream or an entire carrot cake bar, for example). It's embarrassing to write these things but I think it's important to put it out in the open. I never want to be like that again.  I remember how horrible I felt after eating that much food . It was delicious, yes, but it never seemed worth it in the end. Tonight my plan was to meet a friend for a late Indian food dinner- I thought it would be a great chance to test my portion control at a restaurant- but she canceled. Since I wasn't going out to dinner I wasn't going to gorge myself on takeout, I decided to go to the grocery store and test out my new budget, which I'll talk about in a minute. I came home and made one of my old favorites: a grilled tofu and muenster cheese sandwich.

I used my favorite fresh bread, which comes in extremely big/long slices, so I only made a half sandwich which is probably comparable in size to a normal sandwich. I used to eat two huge sandwiches (4x what you see in the picture) at one meal. Luckily, this is enough to fill me up now, along with a big side of arugula. I am LOVING arugula!

I dressed it with a tablespoon or so of caesar dressing by Simply Dressed.

I really like this line of salad dressings. No high fructose corn syrup, preservatives, or artificial flavors. I have the balsamic too.


Anyway, my dinner was awesome. I made the sandwich the same way I normally do, but really took it easy on butter and had the deli slice the muenster cheese thinner than I would normally get. I will probably have this again for lunch tomorrow, since there is a bunch of leftover tofu and the rest of my arugula is starting to wilt.


On to the budget: My goal is to spend $100 a week on all food and household supplies. That includes my going-out-to-eat food and things like paper towels, trash bags, etc. I did a little online research yesterday and realized that $100 a week for one person is extremely high. Honestly, I used to eat out almost every meal and probably spent more like $150-$175 a week just going out to eat (not including the groceries I would sometimes buy and waste, or any household products). Compared to that outrageous number, $100 doesn't seem so bad. I estimate I will spend $20 of that eating out at one nice restaurant once a week, and $15 a week goes to my dog's food and treats. So that leaves me with $65 a week in actual groceries. I could probably cut that back even more, and maybe I will in the future, but for now it's barely enough. I would rather spend a little more on groceries and get fresh, good foods that I actually like, than skimp and have to buy a lot of frozen and packaged stuff. Some of my favorite foods that aren't exactly on the cheap side: dates, greek yogurt, jarred sun dried tomatoes, cashew butter, quality cheese, etc. I also pay extra for cage free eggs and organic milk or soy milk. I will feel really great if I can stick to this $100.

I'm about to pass out. This is my weigh in photo for this week. I am going to take a photo wearing the same thing every Friday, to track my progress. This is very hard for me. I hate pictures of myself as it is, but this is even more humiliating because I am forced to see every roll and flab dead-on. I never realize how fat I really am until I see it in a photo. Oh well. It's extra motivation. All I can do is live better. A year from now I will look back at this photo with pride at how far I've come.

Why I've Started This Blog

I've always been fat. I was a pretty fat baby, then I was a fat kid, a fat teen, a college fattie, and now an obese adult. Like many people in my situation, I let my weight hold me back from living the life I really want. I had the "my real life will start when I'm skinny" mentality, and I was always going to work on the getting skinny part tomorrow. Thousands of tomorrows later, I'm worse off than ever.

As a South Florida native, I've always dreamed of living up north. I was going to move out of state for college, but then an in-state scholarship clipped my wings. Then I was going to move immediately upon graduating, but a convenient job offer (when nobody in my field was getting such a thing) in my college town convinced me to stick around. I'm a firm believer in everything happening for a reason, and I'm glad that things worked out the way they did. My job has allowed me to save enough money and garner enough experience to make a cross-country move somewhat reasonable, and so a couple of weeks ago, I finally set a date. I'll be moving to Chicago on the first of August, 2011.  I may or may not have a job lined up at that point; I'm taking a leap of faith. Either way, I'm going, and that realization led me to an epiphany: I don't want to be fat and alone in my dream city. I don't want to hide in my bedroom inhaling a pint of ice cream when there's a whirlwind of life happening outside my door. I want to go out and meet people. I want to walk into a job interview in a fitted suit feeling confident and attractive. I want to be comfortable in a plane seat when I fly home to visit family. I have all the tools I need to live the life I've always dreamed of, so why am I holding myself back?

This is my new beginning.  I've started a weight loss journey that is about much more than weight loss- it's about taking care of myself and learning to love my body. It's about changing my habits, my attitude, and ultimately my self image. It's not a diet or a "program". It's not something I'm going to fall off of in a few weeks or months- I'm changing my lifestyle.

I would be lying if I said I've never "changed my lifestyle" before, or yo-yo dieted, or went to the gym for a few weeks and then quit. I've done those things. But I truly feel that this is "it". I feel different. Something clicked. Gone are the days of making one mistake and subsequently throwing in the towel completely. Gone are the days of "all or nothing". That never worked for me.

I'm about two weeks in right now, and feeling fantastic. I haven't suffered, haven't been tempted to quit, haven't felt deprived. This is an amazing thing for me. I feel like I'm "getting it". My plan has been to listen closely to my body and obey it. This means I eat whatever I want, and I eat as much as I want. I don't eat anything just because I think I should- I only eat foods I really like. It didn't take long before I started wanting healthy, whole foods and filling up on them fast. I don't count calories, but I am loosely aware of them and estimate that I take in well below 2,000 now, and always feel satisfied. A month ago? I probably took in 5-6k on an average day. My stomach has "shrunk", and after a few days without greasy and sugary foods, I found that I didn't crave them any longer. It's a fantastic feeling!

Now, about my weight... I haven't actually weighed myself in over a year, but my guess is that I'm around 300. I'll find out for sure tomorrow. For my large 5' 10" frame, my ideal weight is 160. That's almost half my size. It's intimidating to think about it that way, but it doesn't worry me- I'm going to focus on 10 pounds at a time until I reach my goal. My plan is to weigh myself and take a photo every Friday. I started this blog for myself, as a way to journal (photo-journal maybe?) my food and exercise habits and ultimately track my weight loss, but I wouldn't be surprised if I sometimes stray into other aspects of my day-to-day life. If anyone else stumbles upon me- that's great! Just keep in mind that I'm anything but consistent!