i reached the 30 pounds gone mark today. this is a terrifc milestone for me and I am so very thrilled. i went back to my food logs and weight charts in 2007 to do some comparing. i want to be sure i dont make the same mistakes i did back then to not stick with this for the long haul. i found some very interesting information:

weight loss (then): i joined ck on may 1, 2007. i had lost about 15 pounds during the 3 weeks prior to joining ck, but they weren't healthy pounds gone. i was desperate to lose weight, so i was eating way too few calories (under 1000) and drinking meal-replacement shakes. of course that less than auspicious start may have messed me up, but i nevertheless count my start as 5/1/2007. it took me the next 27 weeks to lose 29 more pounds. i kept trying to convince myself that it was a great weight loss rate and not to get discouraged. I mean technically, I had lost 44 pounds in 30 weeks, but i knew the first 15 pounds (in 3 weeks) perhaps did me more harm than good. in the back of my head, i kept thinking about reaching my goal and how long it would take me to get there --if ever. when the "if evers" started to creep into my brain, i knew i was doomed. a self-fulfilling prophesy, perhaps? i started gaining weight after week 27 on ck and the rest is (as they say) history.

weight loss (now): i re-started ck on 6/16/10. i hadn't put much of an effort into losing weight prior to that date. just a lot of "wallowing in self-pity", tears and trying to soul search my way to a good place. when i finally made up my mind to come back to ck (see , my profile regarding rock-bottom) i decided to just move forward and not look back. i couldn't change anything about what i did in the past, but i could (and wanted to) do everything in my power to change myself and my future. i started a healthy diet regimen (see below) and have stayed on track almost 100%. i had a few less than stellar days, but overall i have been "absolutely determined to succeed" and stuck with my plan. here i am 13 weeks later and 30 pounds lighter. a great weight loss rate (2.3 pounds vs. 1.6 pounds per week in 2007). some would argue that it is too fast, but i disagree. i will explain why shortly.

my diet regimen (then) : when i started in 2007, i set my calorie target to a few hundred more calories than i am eating today. Although i don’t have the records from 2007, i have a fairly good recollection of the types of foods i was eating. , luckily all my custom foods and meals are still in the diary so it was easy to recreate a few typical days. I may not be 100% accurate, but i think am pretty close. i was basically eating lean meats, fish, veggies, fruits and (mostly) whole grains. i remember not always feeling satisfied and always looking for "something else" to eat especially at night. i was watching my fat intake, but not necessarily my sugar intake. i relied on a lot of pre-packaged snacks and protein bars. in fact, nearly 35% of my calories for a day, came from some sort "healthy" cookie, chip, bar or "frozen treat." i was also eating way too much fruit. i ate watermelon like it was going to disappear from earth soon. and i can't forget all those slim fast bars and the microwave popcorn. between the bars, the popcorn and all that fruit i was eating over 100 mg of sugar a day and over 5000 mg of salt. no wonder i was hungry all the time.

my diet regimen (now) i am extremely conscious of the amount of sugar and pre-packaged foods i eat. I have adapted the south beach diet by adding a calorie cap (approximately 1700 calories a day). i also made a few minor tweaks to fit my lifestyle and needs. The south beach diet is basically a low sugar, good carb, good fat diet. you become very mindful of the glycemic indexes of the foods you eat and what certain foods do to your hunger (can you say too much sugar = too many cravings and increased hunger??). On any given day, i eat no more than 50 mg of sugar . my calories are almost evenly divided between protein, carbs. (complex only) and healthy fats (olive oil, nuts). by avoiding a lot of fruit and those “healthy” bars i don’t get the cravings like i used to get from all that sugar. i am never crazy hungry or have that "if i don't eat something soon i will die" feeling. in fact, i have lots of energy and feel terrific most of the time. my "snacks" are reduced-fat cheeses, nuts, iced decaf coffee (love it) and no-sugar added frozen treats, such as fudgsicles ( i consider these my one vice, and let it go).

conclusion: for me, sugar is the demon. of course i watch the types of fats i eat too, but i am less concerned about an occasional taste of real butter than i am about a snicker's bar. the snicker's bar always leads to another and a taste for more sugar. a dab of butter on a whole grain slice of bread is - well, it's delicious, but i can stop at just one.

now about losing weight too quickly: i think i am leveling off to a nice pace of under 2 pounds per week. i believe my body was just doing a "happy dance" for me this summer. i got rid of all the packaged snacks and fruits -- (i know some fruit is very good for you) but my favorites were always the ones with the highest sugar and glycemic indexes. so for now i choose to tremendously limit fruits from my diet. it is almost as if i detoxed my body during the past 3 months. i never (ok, rarely) felt overly hungry or deprived in anyway. i was so ecstactic everytime i got on the scale. i was (and still am) so proud of what i am doing for myself --and only for me - this time around.

with fall just around the corner, it will be apple season soon. apples are low on the glycemic index so i will certainly be adding braeburns back into my diet.

the long haul begins now. i still have over 100 pounds to lose so the end is not even in sight. in fact, i don't even think about when i will get there any more. i set short-time goals for myself and look a bit into the future - not all the way down the road. who could really ever see that far anyway? i'll just ease on down this road and see where it takes me!

also, it is time to get moving more. now that i have a few less pounds to carry around, i can begin to exercise more. first step; joining the ymca and taking swimming lessons. because of the arthritis in my ankle, i need a very low-impact cardio plan. i always hated swimming too. i hated to get my chemically straightened, oh so thick hair wet. believe me, it is a nuisance to take care of. for the most part, it only gets washed once a week at the hair salon. yes, i know it is a lame excuse not to swim. but it really is a bear. for years i stayed out of pools, even in the summer just to avoid getting my hair wet. but since i started with the keratin (brazilian) straightening i can blow-dry my hair myself. i still don't want to (and shouldn't ) wash it more than a couple of times a week. but between being able to handle my own hair and a supposedly waterproof swim cap meant for long hair i am going to go for it. yes, i really am!!!!

ok, it took me almost 2 hours to write this blog, but it was worth every minute. i feel ready to face the day (ok afternoon)! i've got rooms to clean, stores to shop at and calories to count. i plan on having a great day. you all do the same too!!