Have you seen my ticker?

::points to bottom of page::

I'm in DOUBLE DIGITS! For weight loss, not actual weight. Obviously. I'm not Mary Kate Olson, after all, though I wouldn't mind having her bank account.

You know how I had a really bad week last week? I think there was a delay with it catching up to me because halfway through this week, the number on the scale made me very sad. I stepped it up somewhat at the end of the week and tried to stay hydrated and voila, over a pound and a half lost this week (which sure beats the weight gain I was anticipating).

I wasn't fantastic about keeping track of what I ate this week. I'm good during the workweek, but then I had Friday off and didn't write anything down the rest of the weekend. I mentally kept a log, but I couldn't write it all down now even if I tried. I'm pretty sure I stayed in my points allotment though.

I also didn't workout. Not once. I should have, but I just couldn't find the energy or willpower. I did rearrange all the furniture in the guest room though. That counts for something, yes? I'm also getting back into just taking the stairs at work. Except in the morning when I first get here because it's already hotter than heck outside and it's hotter than heck in the office and who likes to start off the day sweating--am I right?

I'm off the soda though. Aside from a squishee (AKA: Icee) last night, I haven't had any sodas for almost 2 weeks...I think? Or I just lied. I honestly can't remember. Maybe a week and a half?

Okay, so my goal for this week is to keep on drinking the water. Just more of it. It makes me feel good and refreshed. Again, I would like to work in some exercise. Like I said before, playtime/storytime/any awake time with Little comes first. I'm thinking maybe if the Hubs and I continue this limited/no cable thing, we can maybe play some Wii, which even if we're doing "lazy Wii," it's still more active than sitting on my fanny. I'd prefer to get in some dedicated time for pilates, since the thought of Jillian Michaels makes my lower lip quiver in fear.

4 more pounds until my first goal! Woohoo!! This also means in 4 pounds I have to post progress photos. Eek. I'm not happy with how I look. In some aspects, I'm not upset. I've said before that I couldn't care less about my stretch marks. Taloola and her followers can stick around as long as they want (really.), but holy crap am I displeased with the state of ze thighs and hips. Those are definitely my biggest problem areas. I was looking at honeymoon photos and though I'm not going to beat myself up about the past when I can't change it, my legs looked super heavy. I remember I was retaining a lot of fluid, sort of like when I was pregnant. I remember my legs being really hard to the touch they were so packed full of fluid. My legs weren't always like this. I used to have skinny legs. I think. Granted, my knees sort of poke out on the sides of the caps--always have--but they weren't always so...heavy. Full. Solid. That's just my honest assessment. I intend to change that and at the end of this weight loss challenge (or whenever I feel the need to be a show-off), I shall post photos of said legs.

That's something that's changed mentally for me. I don't beat myself up or get down on myself about the way I look. Before I would...and then I'd turn to a Taco Bell chalupa for comfort. Now I don't. I see something I don't like and I think: "Okay. That's temporary. I have the power to change what I see in the mirror."

I think it helps to be seeing a difference on the scale. I'm not sure if I see any difference in the mirror yet. I'm taking photos as I go, but no obvious changes. It's encouraging though to think that I've lost 10.8 pounds since I started in early June. That's over 2 bags of sugar. That's a lot. That's progress. I think the rewards, which have yet to come to be, will also help. 4 more pounds until Reward #1, which I've changed. Again. Now it's a My Pal Scout and a play remote control, which I'm excited about. Kaelyn's really getting into grabbing everything in our hands. We have plenty of remotes we're not using, but she loves the sounds her "cell phone" makes so I think she'll like it. She also seemed to like the My Pal Scout/Violet at Toys R Us and of course, I think it's pretty cool I can plug it in the USB drive and program it. This is no Teddy Ruxbin (sp?), people...speaking of which, wasn't that thing a bit...creepy?

Anyways, so I'm doing well. I just need to keep with the program and it's been a no-brainer pretty much. Track points, stay within my points and flex points, and lose weight. I can do this. 10+ pounds down, 63 pounds to go...