Since starting this journey, I’ve been down as low as 178 lbs…maintaining comfortably around 183 pounds…gaining weight and reaching as high as 208 pounds.



Wow…that’s really hard to believe because I swear I don’t feel like I’ve gained 30 pounds and that’s the first time I have actually been honest with myself enough to communicate how much I’ve gained. Yesterday, I made the decision that enough was ENOUGH! I’m ready to move forward and stop digressing! I weighed in at 204 pounds and that’s the last day I will weight that much.

I still don’t know how I gained 30 pounds (some of it HAS to be muscle)…but I do know that in my efforts to get it off, I’ve found myself reverting back to my old DIETING mentality. I don’t know why I keep having to remind myself over and over again that diets do NOT work for me! So…I have decided to take a step back and get back on track by doing what I know works.

Once upon a time, I lost 68 pounds and I did so by following these simple steps

Make a Decision – Everything we do starts with a decision. If you don’t make up in your mind that you are ready to do this…that you WILL do this…you won’t!

When I first started my journey I had had enough! I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. It was a Friday, I had just finished eating my favorite Dunkin Donuts breakfast (sausage, egg & cheese croissant AND a blueberry muffin)…I was sitting at my desk STUFFED and disgusted! I made a decision that I was ready to make a change…NOW! I signed up with Weight Watchers and started tracking with my next meal. Why not Monday or even the next day? Because my decision was made…and many Monday’s and “tomorrow’s” had long passed me by. So…make up in your mind that today’s the day…and start NOW!

Make a plan of action – Decide on a method…what approach you will take to lose the weight? You must have a plan of action and stick with it. What works for everyone else may or may not work for you….how will you lose the weight? Will you count calories, carbs, points…whatever works for you…just make sure it is something you can do for life…not just for right now.

That is why I chose Weight Watchers. I had tried every other diet known to man…but in hindsight, none of them were something I could do for a lifetime and not be miserable. I know I needed structure but I also needed some level of flexibility. Don’t tell me exactly what to eat and when to eat it because then I feel stressed/forced/deprived…like I’m missing something…like it’s not my choice. I needed a plan that allowed me to make my own decisions but also would help me to understand “moderation”…helped me to know “when to say when” and how to make healthy choices…to help me take control of my life. To be able to go to a restaurant with friends and not feel like “I can’t” have something.

My plan was to stop chasing the fast weight-loss plans/fads…you know the ones that promised huge losses in short timeframes…the ones I never managed to stick with pass a day :-). I remember a 3-day Diet I tired…didn’t make it pass breakfast. I decided I would try the slow and steady approach…1-2 pounds a week. My plan was to commit to following the plan exactly as designed for one week and then reassess…to my surprise…I lost 8 pounds the first week, eating what I wanted, in moderation. I was HOOKED!!

Track your food

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard someone say, “I haven’t eaten ANYTHING today!” I then asked…”NOTHING all day?!?!”…”well…I had this…that…and that’s all”. Funny how that went from nothing to more then nothing. Every bite adds up! Whether you remember eating it, don’t consider it “really” eating or as a meal…it adds up…write it down!! Then you can see where you are “spending” your calories/carbs/points.

I often make a parallel with money and dieting. The first thing you’re taught when you begin budgeting money, is to keep a journal of your spending for a few days. By doing so, you have a record of how you are spending your money and then can see where you can make changes/cutbacks.

It’s the same with dieting/nutrition. Once you are aware of your habits you can see where you can cutback. Once you are aware of how much an item (food) “cost” (calories/points/carbs) you may find you can’t “afford” it (have had your max) or it’s too “expensive” (too many calories/points/carbs) and you don’t want to spend your “money” (calories) on (eating) that, afterall. That’s when you make different choices…healthier alternatives.

Plan your meals – Before leaving the house, pack your meals/snacks. Look at the restaurant menu before going…make your selection before you get there. Do not leave anything to chance.

By doing this, it reduced the likelihood that I would overeat. When I’m at work and hungry…I could reach into my bag and eat one of the snacks I planned for that day. If I knew I was going out to dinner, I would look at the menu ahead of time…find the meal that fit into my daily allowance…which often times required that I make different choices for breakfast and lunch to ensure I stayed within my allotted daily points. I would have to make a conscience effort to go off track.

Make Subtle Changes – You don’t have to give up all your favorite foods over night. Make subtle changes. If your goal is to cut out fast-food, start with eating smaller sized fries or replacing the fries with fruit…before you know it your desires change and you won’t miss it.

No one could have ever told me I would give up McDonalds or Burger King. I started by only eating the sandwiches…no hash browns or fries…then only grilled or fish sandwiches. As my daily points continued to decrease, I started making healthier choices (eating clean) because going to McDonalds was eating up too much of my daily points. I no longer eat ANYTHYING from McDonalds or Burger King and have ZERO desire to eat anything from there

Don’t deprive yourself but DO say no more than yes – Do not deprive yourself, if you want it…eat it..in moderation. It is important not to deprive yourself but it is equally important to understand that you cannot say “yes” to everything and still reach your goals.

I was so amazed the moment I realized that often times I didn’t really want the “bad” foods…that I was only eating them because I was used to eating them and that I was programmed to believe that I couldn’t eat chips, cookies, cake AND lose weight. But the truth of the matter was…I could eat those things as long as I did so responsibly (in moderation). Once I discovered that I could eat it, and lose weight I started asking myself…do you REALLY want it or do you want it because it’s there! I would walk into a gas station and because I was used to grabbing a candy bar and chips I wanted to grab them. My mind would tell me…”they are soooo delicious…yum” but I honestly didn’t want it. So, I started telling myself NO. When I stopped eating things because I did not want it instead of because I could not have it…it became easier and easier to turn down and I soon realized, I did not really want it and didn’t miss it. There is power in the word “no”…so empowering. After all…it’s just food…

Know your limits…don’t set yourself up for failure – I know that if I open a bag of anything I won’t stop until the bag is empty. Therefore, in order for me NOT to do that…I either remove a serving size, immediately…before eating it or only buy single servings.

Do not have two bad eating days in a row – We are all entitled to our bad days…just try not to have two of them in a row. Do not allow it to linger into the next day…do not get used to making unhealthy choices. The goal is to create a good habit. Learn from that day and start fresh the next day…my recommendation is not to allow a bad meal turn into a bad eating DAY…never just throw your hands up and just allow the entire day to be a waste…start over with the next meal if possible or at the very least…the next day.

Take before and transitioning photos/ measurements – Depending on how much weight you have to lose, you may not be able to see a change just by looking in the mirror. I used to say, if I lost 10lbs no one would know but me and the scale. But for those days when even the scale is not reflecting your progress…look at your before photos…pull out that measure tape and see your progress. Remember…slow progress is STILL progress!!

Stay active – It is recommended to workout 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week to lose weight. When I first started I made a rule…no matter how tired I was…I never allowed two days to go by without working out. I feared two days would turn into two years….Now, I can not imagine my life without exercise.

Don’t Give Up! – There will be good days…there will be bad days but the ONLY way to reach your goal is to keep going! No matter what!



Surround Yourself With Like-Minded Individuals – The whole reason I started blogging was because I needed an outlet…a place I could go to talk about what consumed my thoughts the most…MY WEIGHT! I knew my family/friends were tired of hearing me talk about it over and over again but not do anything. I needed to be around people who understood me…who could relate to my struggles…who were heading in the same direction.

Find a group where you feel comfortable sharing your struggles. Our Fit Momma Friends Facebook Group is a great place to start. 😉

Question: What’s your biggest obstacle for losing weight?