January 30

I'm down 15.5 pounds!!!! I am soooo excited!!! It feels real a doable! I'm going to get to the weight I want this year! I have a goal to be down 25 by the end of February. People still don't notice 15, I've way to many too loose, but they will notice 25! I have a pair of pants that I can get on but hurt to wear more than 5 minutes....They will be grand, and the others will need to be sinched up. Here's to baggy pants!! I want them! I am thinking my neck is looking slimmer. I could be imagining. I was able to wear a shirt buttoned this week that I've never been able to button. Oh, I am so excited! I am ready for this experience! uh huh!

January 11

Have walked 3 days in a row. Am disgustingly sore.

January 9

A new year! I love January. I love beginnings and renewals. It is 40 days between Jan. 1 and Feb. 9, my birthday. 40 days is a significant measure of time in many cultures in history.

Today I slept for 12 hours. It was fabulous after a hectic week. Josh went with me on my favorite walk, The Bog Trail. It is not a long walk--we extended it half way through by diverting to another path--but it speaks to my soul every time. Right now everything is so stark. Suddenly I remembered that in February last year was when I walked this trail and was overwhelmed by the pussywillows. Sure enough. The empty branches showed evidence of small buds.

I love how healthy I feel when I walk. My head is clear, it feels good to be alive.

I did put some pounds on during our vacation but was able to drop it off first week back. So...! Now my goal is to drop 5 more by my birthday!

Here's to a fabulous-- and light -- 2010.

December 10

I jogged a bit over a mile today. It was this time last year that I was struggling toward my goal of 5 miles by my February birthday. I haven't jogged in weeks, so was very very pleased that it was a snap to do it. I want to get back up to 3 miles. Five takes a lot of TIME in a day!!

I'm down 12 pounds. That is, a couple of days ago. I have gone freak out for the last 2 days. Funny, because I had a dream that I was an anorexic. The next day I wanted to eat all day! I was worried that I gained over Thanksgiving, but I did NOT. That was awesome. I started taking an antioxidant, Protandim, and maybe that has helped.

I had not eaten sugar for weeks, my goal was to stay off just for the heck of it, except for Thanksgiving, through Christmas. Alas, sugar is indeed a habit! I should have left it alone at Thanksgiving! That chocolate beacons me.

Nov. 18

I'm down 10! uh huh! uh huh!

Curtis is down 3.5. I'm so happy for him! He is very tickled with this new regime, says he feels sooo good and it's something he can maintain. He came to bed last night in a guilty mood. "I ate 2 olives." I said, "Well, that is less than come home, having a snack before dinner, eating dinner, having dessert, and a snack before bed." He can loose really fast and I'm betting he will indeed be down 20 before Christmas. He'll be in Tennessee for 5 days the first week of December, other than that he'll be home, ie, less meals out and fabulous restaurants that are paid for by his work that beg to have 3-5 items off the menu tried.

Nov. 16

It seems that I have inspired Curtis. After seeing me not eat dinner at Fresh Choice, he's decided to try it--to not eat after 5:00 or before. The first day he didn't eat after lunch, silly man, really believe "no pain no loss!"

Since then he's been reasonable.

Last week he called me from the road and said he was suffering from acid reflux and that he would go to the doctor about it when he got back. I suggested at the time that he not eat such big dinners. This morning he told me "I cured him" because he's had no more startling nights of reflux. heh heh. He weighed this morning, and while he hadn't weighed at his top, he was down 1 from our start, and that has to mean he'd dropped 3-5 pounds in about 5 days. He does that. pout. Not only am I not eating late, but I"m not eating sugar. And I'm poking along way slower than I'd prefer!!!

Anyway, I'm really really really glad he's back in the game.

Josh's life as he knew it will never be the same. Football is over. Today he has his first day of getting out of school at 2:00. He doesn't have a 6th period. So he's taking the train home and it stops 2 miles from our house. I suggested to him that he plan to walk home, or even jog, for his exercise, but I'd pick him up at the station if it were raining or he was tired or whatever. I hope he can continue to loose, or at least maintain. Beautiful man child.

Nov. 12

I am so proud of Griffy! He knocked this flu out in 4 days!!

I coached him to not "fight" it, but to feel it. To picture the little germs in his body and picture the antibodies dancing with them and escorting them right out of his body. He said he had a dream of just that, he described it to me in vivid detail. Sweet boy!

And I'm down another pound, yessss, one more and I'll be at 10, the lovely 10. Not that it can be seen yet, but I sure can feel it in my pants!!! 10 more after that and I'll be able to wear these jeans that I bought and have never been able to wear...

We went to a movie and dinner last night, Fresh Choice, and I did not eat but REALLY enjoyed the company of my boys/man. It was late. I did, however, have my first chocolate attack in weeeeeeks. I managed through all of Halloween with a huge bowl of candy bars on the table for a week after and didn't eat one piece. But we have these See's chocolate bars that we are selling for a fund raiser...I took a nap to ease cramps and woke up....c-h-o-c-o-l-a-t-e. Yup. They were too sweet. But I crunched down 2 and a half anyway.