oh that IS good news!!!! Keep up the good work! I've been "saming" "gaining" or "inching" for the last month so I totally need to get-it-ON! What did you do differently? I need a little push.
Well, I've been, for the most part, saming over the past 6 months or so.

So frustrating! I lost what I gained on the Sept WDW trip, and I've pretty much been the same since then. In November, a friend and I started walking for 30 minutes at lunch, 4 days a week. On top of that, I've been riding the bike for 40-55 minutes a day, 3 days a week, and every other week, I run Jasper at agility class. In January, we did get a treadmill, so sometimes I've been replacing the bike with the treadmill. I had stopped writing things down. I was just keeping track in my head of where I was calorie-wise for the day. I'm sure I missed some things, but I'm not sure it was that much. However, I did start tracking calories, water intake, exercise, and weight in a spreadsheet at the beginning of February. Josh decided to start exercising and counting calories too, so I wanted to keep better track myself. And now I see the loss. I don't know if it's because I've started eating more different foods, I've been tracking things closer, or I've just started telling myself I CAN do it. (Because I felt like for so long that I was stuck)
Josh did want us to set a goal, with a reward for our May trip. For every size we go down by May 1st, we get $500 to spend on clothes, and if we both get down 2 sizes (pretty much our ultimate goals, though I may want to go 1 size further if I still feel like I can), we each get a bonus $500, so if I get down into a 14, by May 1st, and Josh gets down to a 38 (I think), we both get $1500 to get new clothes, etc. And we'll go to Chicago to go shopping that weekend. Here's the thing... It's not likely all that will happen. I don't feel overly confident I can get down into a 14 by then. It isn't much time. I'm almost down to a 16. I'd say I have about 10-15 lbs to go maybe? I'm already there at Old Navy, and I can get them on at New York & Co., but the waist is too tight, and my fat bulges out at the top. So, I am pretty confident I can reach that goal by the time we leave in May, but I'm not at all confident I can go an entire size down beyond that. And I told Josh that. I think that's why he made the stakes so high for our goal. He's in sales, and he's used to having these enormous goals put in front of him, along with these big rewards. He finds it motivating. I do too, to an extent. We had to work together to come up with a compromise that worked for both of us. And I think we did a great job. Now I AM motivated. So maybe getting my head back into it is what made the difference. I'm not really sure, but I'm trying to be confident, without getting TOO confident now. Because I know it'd be a huge let down if I end up right back up at the same place where I was last week when I weigh in next week. I guess we'll see how it goes come next Friday. Anyway, that was a really long-winded way of saying I'm not sure what made the difference, but that's what has changed.
Gross!

I guess the ice couldn't hurt, could it?
I made lentil soup this morning. I used 2 cups chicken broth, an envelope of Lipton veggie soup mix, some veggies from the freezer, and a pound of lentils. I also threw in some fresh baby spinach towards the end.
The lentils are 80 calories per serving...10 gr. protein....11 gr. fiber....so I figure the soup is around 120ish calories per serving?
For dessert, a fiber one key lime yogurt parfait....layered fiber one, flax seed, and the F1 yogurt. 210 cal....23 gr. fiber.
I'm full.
Oh! I'm gonna have to save that recipe. I bought lentils a long time ago because I like them, but I have no idea what to do with them. The soup and the yogurt both sound good!
So, today is the day my friend usually comes over and brings her puppy, and my friend and I goof off (watch movies or other DVDs, play with iTunes, surf the web, etc.) while our dogs expend each other's energy. It's great!

Well, she's sick today, so I'm getting a lot done! I've put together a table we got last weekend at Ikea and put some magazines into some baskets (also from Ikea) and straightened up a bit. I'm about to be on my 3rd load of laundry, I've had a healthy breakfast and lunch, I'm catching up and actually posting a lengthy post on this thread!, and my dog is getting "floor time", meaning we have started moving her gate (She usually is just in the kitchen.) to block off the dining room where the cat's food and litter box are, and letting her roam the house while we're home, and she's being SO good! This is a huge accomplishment for her. She's actually starting to listen to us!

, although she's choosing to fall asleep on the couch right now instead of playing. I think she misses her friend, Dutchess. But I'm so thrilled that she can be in the living room with us when we're here without having to be in one of our laps because she wouldn't stop going to the cat's food and, even worse, litter box!

And we've even devised a way for the cat to be able to get back and forth without Jasper being able to!
Anywho, I better go for now. I've gotta finish up some tidying of the coffee table and move the laundry over. Josh and I are going out for sushi tonight, and to see Fool's Gold, as our belated V-day celebration.

I'll try to check back in later on. Hope everyone's having a Peep-alishous weekend!
