Day 77: Halfway There!

Day 77

Weight Loss: 26 pounds

Goal:  50 pounds

I kept to my week of no cheats and daily affirmations and had a successful week.  I reached my halfway mark and blew past it!  I have been striving to get the the 25 pound loss that would indicate that I am half way to my goal, and am so excited to reach it!  I feel a great sense of encouragement and a renewed sense of purpose.  

But the major impact of the No Cheat week was to regain control and stop drift.  It just happened to occur over Halloween, of course.  I had been slipping up with more frequency and less guilt.  I would make my son some pasta and "just taste a bite" or a pinch of some cheese I was going to sprinkle on their pizza ended up in my mouth-- "just a bite."  Then there were the bigger cheats like wine dinners and cocktail parties, after all it was "just one night."

The "just this" and "just that" exceptions added up and impeded my successful weight loss.  There will be plenty of opportunities to take a night off once I reach my goal.  I relearned the ability to "just say no" this week.  On Halloween, I did not even have "just one."  Instead, I saved a Capitol Hill Fudge Graham Snack bar for the evening and it was delicious and on program.  By the time I finished, I was full and had my chocolate craving fulfilled.  Another rainy day I wanted to go to Starbucks and "just have a skinny vanilla latte; it's not too bad," but I reminded myself that I can do anything for seven days and I resisted.

When you break your goals down to small steps, it is easier to deal with then focusing on several months.  The daily affirmations have been helpful, too.  I intend to continue that practice and to change my mental image of myself.  "I am a beautiful, healthy, thin woman, and I look awesome in a bikini!"

The next two weeks before Thanksgiving and my 28th wedding anniversary, I am going to stay focused and work hard to stay on Program and lose as much weight as possible.  The Holiday season is always a challenge and many people decide to take two months off, since they are going to cheat, anyway.  I know I can do a whole lot more damage in two months then I can by just giving myself the three or four days of holidays off.  I intend to develop a plan not to just survive the holiday, but to thrive.  I am going to bring in the New Year 40 pounds lighter than I started the year!  And I am going to do it by sticking to the Capitol Hill Cookie Diet and by just saying "NO!"