Thought this was a good quote:

People are so worried about what they eat between Christmas and the New Year, but they really should be worried about what they eat between the New Year and Christmas.
~Author Unknown

I remember the day vividly.  It was 13 years ago.  March.  There was an unseasonably warm day so I went into my walk-in closet to grab a pair of shorts.  Went to put them on, and I couldn’t pull them up past my thighs.  I tried ALL of them on.  NONE of them fit.  Right then and there, I realized that I had been packing on weight and never really thought about it.  Back then I used to go clothing shopping all the time- buying new outfits monthly.  Sure I was buying a size up, but never really thought much about it.  I didn’t own a scale at that point, so I’m not sure how much I weighed.

I’m not a fan of exercise.  I despise exercise.  I don’t like getting sweaty.  But I joined a gym and spent my lunch-break lifting weights.  Only 20 minutes, and I never really got “sweaty” so it was OK.  I didn’t do any cardio.

But the biggest change was how much I ate.  I started keeping a food journal- writing down exactly what I was eating.  I took it a step further and at the end of the day I’d figure out how many calories and fat grams I’d consumed.   I don’t remember my calorie goal, but I do remember my fat gram goal was no more than 30 grams a day.

I ate smaller portions, but still ate what I wanted (to an extent).

The result?

I went from a size 10 to a size 4.  Actually, many of my clothes were a size 2.  And I had no trouble keeping it off.  I even ate a Burger King Whopper Junior EVERY DAY for lunch!  (No mayo, no cheese and just water to drink- it was cheap, too….I spent five-dollars per WEEK on my lunches!)

I was so happy.  I weighed 120 pounds and was the thinnest I’d been since high-school.  It is such a boost to your self esteem when you look good.

Then I got pregnant.  Gained 55 pounds with Trevor, never lost the last 10.  Even after the girls, I always held that last 10.  No biggie….I was 132 and wearing a size 6…..I felt good about myself and still think that 132 on a 5’4″ body is just fine.

But now the weight is creeping up again.

I know many people have bigger weight issues than I do, but it’s all relative.  If your clothes are getting too tight, and your weight isn’t being controlled, it’s not healthy.  And it doesn’t make you happy.  Whether you are creeping up from a size 10, a size 14, or a size 2, it affects how you feel about yourself… so don’t give me a hard time because I’m complaining that I’m now a size 8.

For my height, a healthy weight is one between 110-145.  Frankly, I want to be somewhere in the middle.  I don’t think 120 is a reasonable goal anymore….I was probably too thin then anyway.  But I do think 130 is a reasonable goal and anything below that would just be icing on the cake.

In my line of work, it’s easy to snack.  Little kids are always hungry and I’m feeding them every couple hours, so it takes effort to not eat when they do.  Yogurt, animal crackers, cheese sticks, granola bars, pop-tarts, english muffins, veggies with dip.

But I’m getting back on the wagon.  Going back to portion control.

No, I won’t do my daily Whopper Jr….and I kicked my Coca Cola habit (except when I go through drive-thrus).  I drink home-made non-fat lattes using sugar-free Torani syrups.  So my daily Almond Roca latte (or Peppermint Mocha) is only 50 calories and NO fat.

I do squeeze in a bit of dark chocolate every day.  But this is it.  I’m cutting back the sugars, the fats, the sodium.  I’ve set a goal to lose at least 10 pounds….I want to rock a bikini this summer!