Glad I did it

Well, going ahead and exercising for those 30 minutes or so yesterday really paid off. It's because I made myself stick with it at the gym, I also did better with eating. I'm on a Relay for Life team that hosted a euchre tournament yesterday. We had lots of food there, but I really filled my plate up with fruits and vegetables (and a couple deviled eggs) and avoided all the sweets there. My Mom brought these bars that are one of my favorites and she doesn't make them very often, so I went ahead and had a small piece. But I stayed away from all the cookies, brownies, Rice Krispie treats, candy, and all that stuff. If I hadn't been serious about sticking with it and going to the gym for awhile, I know I would have been more tempted by all those goodies.

I joined Weight Watchers at work on Thursday but didn't stay for th emeeting because a group of us were going to lunch to celebrate a birthday. Instead, I told the leader I'd come to a meeting today and stay to learn about their new program. I think I'm really going to like the program because you can have unlimited fruit now. I really love fruit, and if I know I can go ahead and have a piece of fruit guilt-free whenever I want a snack, I'll do just fine. In fact, I went t the grocery store this afternoon and stocked up with pears, nectarines, and bananas, as well as cucumbers, butter lettuce (my favorite), baby carrots. I also stocked up on those cocoal roasted almonds I mentioned earlier this week--I love those things and they're a great way to satisfy my chocolate craving and add some protein, too. I think i've had a 100-calorie pack every day this week. Now that I can calculate the points for them, I'll let you know what they are. But I really, really recommend them--it feels like I'm eating candy without the guilt! I like that they're in 100 calorie packs, too, so I'm not tempted to fudge a little on how many I have.

Someone had a great idea in the meeting this morning. They said that when they fix oatmeal in the morning, they add blueberries and the oil you're supposed to have every day with Weight Watchers. She says it reminds her of a blueberry cobbler. I'm going to have to try that one--though I didn't buky any blueberries today.

After going to Weight Watchers, I met Matt at the Markin Center. I feel like I had a really great workout. The last couple of times, he's had me get on the treadmill because that way I can get a better workout by putting the treadmill on an incline, rather than the flat track. I figure that will be good when I'm in Rome walking up hills, too. I'll be back to work out on my own tomorrow.

I'm so thrilled with the way things are going. I'm feeling like I have more energy and I just plain feel good about myself. And of course, this makes me all the more motivated to stick with it. I know I have a long road ahead of me, but like Tammi, the Weight Watchers leader said, even little amounts of weight loss add up. Tammi said that studies have shown that even a 5 percent weight loss can result in lower blood pressure, more mobility, and other positive results.

I'll be excited about every 5 percent, every 5 pounds, and you know, I'm going to be excited about a .5-pound loss, too. After all, a half pound is two sticks of butter!