24 pounds

I didn't meet my goal of losing 8 more pounds before Nationals--I only lost two! I haven't been as strict as I should be, but at least I'm still on my way down, however slowly. Our favorite breakfast place has a build-your-own salad they serve all day and I really like getting that for late breakfast (brunch I guess). It fills me up!

Molly is still not happy with my weight. She's fine with the skinny girls, but is apparently not planning to carry my fat ass around anymore. So, she's going out to pasture for a couple of months to have some well-deserved time off, and I'll concentrate on my new horse, Max, and losing more weight.

I made it!

Well, I haven't been posting here very much, but I thought I'd take a moment to let my loyal readers know that I made my goal of 20 pounds...a couple of weeks ago! I am now allowed to ride my horse every other day, and she seems happy with the lighter me. In fact, I've actually lost two more, for a total of 22. I'm hoping to lose 8 more before I go to Arabian Horse Sport Horse Nationals on September 19th. It's a little harder now that I don't have the gym, but I think I'm snacking less. I do succumb to temptation more than I should, but I'm also making a lot of good choices.

17 pounds

17 pounds gone, and people are noticing! I love it! I need to keep at it...I went ahead and started riding my horse again, just once a week, but that doesn't let me off the hook!

Found a new kebob place in town, and they serve salmon and brown rice. Yum! I ate half and had the other half for lunch the next day. I think it will be easier to control my diet when we start working from home (as of 4:00 this Friday--yay!). We'll be better about grocery shopping and eating at home, rather than eating out all the time where it is oh so tempting to get something naughty!

Weird but effective ways to know you're losing weight

1. You can feel bones you couldn't feel before--your wrists, clavicle, ribs, hip bones.

2. Ditto for muscles--you can actually feel the muscle when you flex it, instead of goosh.

3. Your belly button is shallower than it used to be.

Of course, there are the obvious...clothes fit better, you have fewer chins, people say things like, "Oh my GAWD! You're SHRINKING!"

Much better measures than that silly old scale! Even if mine does seem to be saying I've lost another pound...

Diet Tip of the Day

There are a lot of diet bars/protein bars on the market. These are great for on-the-go meals or snacks (just don't eat too many--no more than one or two in a day). Check the labels carefully--Atkins makes some tasty ones with good nutritional content. Some brands can be high in fat, sugar, or both, so avoid these. Look for high protein and fiber to nourish your body and make you feel satisfied.

I have two favorites. One is in the Atkins Endulge line, a nut chew bar. Tastes just like a Snickers (as long as you haven't had a Snickers recently). The other is Slimfast chocolate mint crisp bars (sorry, don't have the exact name). Kind of hard on my TMJ, but yummy!

I rode my horse today for the first time in over a month. We just walked on a trail ride, but it felt so good to be up there again!

16 pounds!

I just wanted to make a quick post to announce that I have lost 16 pounds! I am about ready to get back on my horse again! I really love the Sonoma Diet--it is a natural way to lose weight that makes a lot of sense. It is not a fad diet and it is not hard to follow once you understand it. There are a couple of great books and some wonderful recipes if you like to cook. If you don't, you can still follow the principles of it.

Diet Tip of the Day:

One of my favorite easy meals is to stop at the store and get a roasted chicken--many grocery stores carry them fully cooked, either hot or cold--and a salad mix with low-fat dressing. It's quick, it doesn't require a lot of thought, and it's yummy!

Happy Independence Day!

Today I declared my independence from my diet. I will probably regret it, but it was fun at the time! That's OK, I'll be back at it tomorrow! I think it's important to be able to do that from time to time, as long as you don't go TOO overboard or use it as an excuse to just give up. I tried to keep the portions of poison small, so I could get a taste of everything without completely gorging.

Happy Independence Day, everyone, and I hope you didn't gain too much weight today! :)

Shopping is becoming less painful

Yesterday I went to my favorite clothing store, the Liz Claiborne outlet. I put on a pair of size 18w khakis, and they were TOO BIG!!! I've been hovering between 18w and 20w for years, and this winter I thought I was going to have to move up because even the 20w's were tight. I tried on the same khakis in 16w, and they fit...I couldn't believe it!! Not all of the 16w's on the rack fit, but the 18w's were definitely loose. HURRAH!!!!

Yehaw, one more pound gone

Well, I was stuck for a couple of weeks. Despite my...ok, not my BEST efforts, but I ate pretty well and exercised sometimes...I wasn't losing any more weight. I was getting very discouraged, until I went to the gym today and weighed myself for the first time in several days. I've lost another pound! Yippee!!

Here's my warning for the day: beware of Skinny Cow! I love Skinny Cow...their products are sooo good for low fat ice cream. I thought they were a dieter's dream come true, until I thought to look at the label...and they have TONS of sugar. So, by the way, does Yoplait light yogurt. Check those labels--"light" doesn't mean it's diet-approved! It's no good to be low in fat if there's 20 or 30 grams of sugar. Better to have fat than sugar! Sugar is evil. Delicious evil, but evil nonetheless. I forget the brand, but the "Carb Smart" products are delicious and low in fat and sugar. I love the fudgesicles!

My Waist is Wasting Away

My name is Jennifer, and I'm a fat girl. I wasn't always this way...when I was a teenager, even until I was about 23...then, one day, I looked in the mirror and there was a fat girl staring back at me, wearing my favorite shirt and stretching it out.

I'm 35 now, and I've been on and off diets for the past 12 years. Sometimes I get skinny, and other times I give up after a week or two. Now, I need to really, seriously lose weight while I'm young enough for the skin to bounce back. Also, I ballroom dance and ride horses, both of which are not as attractive when you're carrying a bunch of jello around with you. So, here I am again, dieting. So, I thought, WTF, why not bring you along with me? Come on, let's lose some weight together! Hence, my weight loss log. I'll share my dieting tips with you as time goes on.

I've actually been dieting for a little over three weeks now, and I've lost about 10 pounds. 10 more, and I can get back on my horse (that's the goal I've set for myself). I generally try to follow the Sonoma Diet, which is the healthiest and easiest to follow of all the ones I've tried. The hardest part is cooking fresh food all the time! It's going ok, though, and my darling husband, Greg, is very supportive.

I'm funny sometimes...here's my take on fad diets:
The Ultimate Diet Plan Please read it! I'm a writer and a dancer in addition to a dieter, so please check out my other blogs right here on blogger!