For some reason it has been really hard for me to make sure I am getting all the water I need. When I first started LA I was able to get my 8 glasses in by about 2PM every day, maybe by 4PM. But the past couple of weeks I realize that I would barely have six glasses by dinner time! That isn’t good – especially since it is summertime and thus getting hotter and hotter. Today I have my six glasses in, and it’s almost 2pm!

Last week we went to the beach and took several bottles of water with us. We ended up buying a couple of small water jugs to take with us next time. It only takes one time of going to the beach to realize what you took too much of and what you need for the next time. We plan on going again in a few days so I’m glad I found just what I was looking for in the jugs!

My friend Tishia Lee left a great comment:

The key when we slip up (and it will happen from time to time – we are only human) is exactly what you did, got right back on the plan!

This is so true! The most important part of her comment was getting right back on plan. Sometimes it can feel easier to throw your hands up in the air, give up and go for the junk food. Easier to grab the bag of popcorn or chocolate and say why not, I’ve already messed it all up.

That is just not true. Whatever you did wrong, it is recoverable. Having a moment where you give in to having your favorite snack (or salty food like me) isn’t that bad. Start over, start again and keep on track.

These are the moments when having inspirational quotes around you would be great. Find a couple that work for you and tape them to your mirror and your fridge.

I joined myfooddiary.com back in March and for the first month or so I was very diligent about keeping track of everything I ate or drank. It’s great to do that and see that if I kept eating the same way I would lose anywhere from 1 to 2 lbs a week, just what I am aiming for. For the past few weeks though I haven’t been as diligent and now I’m looking for a free place to keep track online. I would like to be able to keep track of the food I’m eating as well as my weight so I can see the loss over time. Then again I could start an excel workbook to help keep track of my weight, so really I just need a food website.

I joined sparkpeople.com and am working on setting up my own site. I’m going to stay subscribed to myfooddiary until I get used to the spark website but so far it looks good!

Since I’ve lost 11lbs now, it’s time for a mini goal. I’ve been going up and down in weight for the past three weeks or so, and I think my goal will be to stay at 10lbs lost for two weeks. Hopefully I will lose an additional few pounds in the next couple of weeks, but since there are always fluctuations staying at 10lbs lost will feel great.

I think my treat will be a haircut. I’ve been talking about this for days and months I’m sure. My hair has always been in a short hairstyle for the past ten years or so, with a break when I was pregnant with my first child. Of course after spending 41 weeks pregnant and growing my hair out, the day before I had her I cut it all off. I’ve been having good hair days and bad hair days though lately the bad hair days are winning. I have the business card of the hairstylist I am going to go to and have been casually searching for a hairstyle I’d like to have. I really love one style that Natalie Portman had a few years ago – she had very cute styles when her hair was growing out after being shaved off.

I’m excited! I’m glad to have lost weight again, I feel happy and energized and ready to keep losing. I still need to add exercise, but am eating right. A new haircut will just add to my feeling great.

My friend Tishia Lee posted about a May Day Weight Loss Challenge that is going on over at Tales from the Scale. It officially started yesterday but I was gone all day and not online except for a few minutes and that was after midnight!

The challenge is lasting until September 18, which is great because weight loss is a long term thing.

Let’s see, between now and Sept 18 is 19 weeks – it is said to lose 1-2 pounds a week to lose safely and keep the weight off, so between now and then one could lose about 38 pounds. My goal for this challenge will be to lose 30 pounds. My weakness is sticking to eating right – I did buy a new cookbook which I think will definitely help. It is hard to stick to the plan when you have a family to cook for and feed!

I need to also exercise. My goal will be to exercise three to four times a week – be it heavy house cleaning, yard work, walking, or the elliptical machine. I know that just a little activity will help and I also need to actually count my activity, realize that an hour of mowing and weeding the yard is burning calories.

The past couple of weeks have been really hard – I haven’t been able to stick to my diet plan for a full day. I wake up easy morning starting great, eating well, drinking water, but by dinner time the plan is out the window.

So for the first time in two weeks I checked in at LA Weight Loss yesterday – and had a 3.2 (or maybe 3.4) pound gain. I’m not too upset since I’m sure some of it is water weight, but I am a little disappointed. LA has a, I guess you can call it a plan that is called Take Off – it’s a juice you mix with water and then follow a different eating plan for a couple of days. So I started today, it’ll get me back on track I know.

I’ve been struggling for the past week or so with sticking to my goal. Every day I wake up and my goal is to stay on track for the day. Every week my goal is to have lost when I go to check in at my center. I haven’t made any large goals yet. I did get back down a size and got my figure back – I’ve always been curvy, but I’ve also always had a hourglass figure. And just this week I realized it is back.

I’ve only bought one pair of pants in this size, my older ones are baggy on me and that’s okay for now. I don’t seem to be losing as fast as others that I know which is disappointing – but I also am not doing all that I can.

Last weekend was not a good eating weekend. I had chocolate, popcorn and chili. I need to get a cookbook that I can use on this plan as I am still eating the same foods, prepared virtually the same way, every day.

But this week (up until today) has been great. I know I’ve lost weight and I am excited again. I think it is hard to stay excited when you are eating the same foods so I am definitely buying that cookbook.

[tags]losing weight, goals, staying on track[/tags]

I’ve done such a great job staying on track. I’m eating every two to three hours, the kids are eating healthier, we are all full and not snacking after dinner on anything bad (ie we aren’t eating *any* junk food!).

Until tonight. Tonight I had hershey kisses and wheat thins. Reduced fat wheat thins, but wheat thins nonetheless.

I did keep track of the servings (four kisses and six wheat thins) but after entering them into my food diary – wow! Eating that fast snack – that wasn’t that satisfying – I found out that it was more calories then my afternoon snack and dinner put together.

I veered off of my goal. So far my food diary has said I will lose between 1.7 and 2.0 pounds per week – but not today, today it said one pound. It’s very late but I’m going to drink at least a couple of glasses of water before going to sleep and drink more tomorrow AM. I’m checking in around lunch so I’m crossing my fingers that I’ve lost since last time.

We should all have goals. I am a list maker so I have tons of lists with various goals ~ what I want to do in my life, this year, regarding work, with money, with a career, I could go on and on.

But I don’t have a list for losing weight. I know it is going to happen, it already is (woo hoo 2.8lbs!), and I’ll lose more.

And I’m putting this oh so cute purse on my list. I’m not sure where to put it. It isn’t clothes so it’s not like I will need it once I hit a certain size. It will be the most money I’ve spent on a purse though so it has to be a big goal. I’m going to make a list of rewards for myself – a list of goals I want to meet and what I will do once it is met.