celebration!! - and a great idea of weight tracking

Tues. Mar, 20th 2012
Current weight: 209
LOSS this week: -6.5
Total loss since on this journey: 49 pounds 
Total weight loss during 10 week goal timeline: 9 pounds - 11 pounds to go!! 

General thoughts: I am sooo unbelievably close to 50 pounds lost that I can taste it. Had a great week and I'm proud and excited and feel soooo good! My biggest moment this week was going over to a friend's for dinner and they had plates of bulk barn candies to share. I wasn't so tempted by the gummy candies .. but the cadbury mini eggs ....... those are unreal! However I know myself and if I had eaten 1, I would have eaten 25... so I just tried to have as much self discipline as I could (and that's not easy). I think though it is becoming easier to say no as I become closer and closer to my short term goal. I can't wait to be under 200 pounds ... I think the last time I was under 200 pounds was in first year university over 8 years ago ... so I'm determined!! What I did differently this week was I just got serious about tracking and ensuring I'm in my calorie range. I exercised 6 out of the 7 days which probably played a big role - found it definitely easier to fit in with March break. I would still like to at least definitely be working out 5 days a week for sure which I think is doable.

Now something that my lovely Mother recommended that she had heard about (it's a great visual reminder to encourage weight loss).

You set an attainable goal - so mine is to be under 200 pounds by my engagement party in May. This would mean a 20 pound loss.

In one masion jar you use rocks to represent each pound that you want to lose (or also known as your starting jar). Then in the other jar you use this as your weight loss jar. So each week you weigh yourself in you move the rocks to the appropriate jar (e.g., if you lose 2 pounds you move 2 rocks from the starting jar to the finish jar).

Now the real kicker is when you gain weight. If you gain weight you have to move the rock from the "finish" jar back into your starting point jar. The process of doing this hurts (I had to do it last week) so it helps to motivate and is a visual representation to keep you on track. I have it in my kitchen because I often go in here and graze unnecessarily. These jars will help me remember how far I've come and that I still have "rocks" to lose before I reach my short term goal.

Thanks Mom for this great and motivating idea. Try it out next month and let me know what you think.