Part 2 - under 300 milestone: what I've learned and new goals

Always believe the scale - I weighed in this morning on my own scale and it did show, in fact, that I was at 296 - exactly what the "foreign" scale showed Sunday morning. So, always believe the scale whether you want to or not.

I also took my measurements today and here is the change since June:

Hips: -8.5
Waist: -4.5
Arm: -4
Thigh: -2
Neck: -2

Total inches lost: -21

The last 6 months have truly been a turning point in my life. I feel more in control of my eating and cravings than I ever have before. My binge eating episodes have been slim to none and I've learned how to enjoy food in smaller portions without completely cutting out things I love (read: cupcakes)

Things I've learned that have made all the difference:

1. Measuring my food to a T and learning what typical measurements look like without effort.

2. With that, logging EVERY. SINGLE. BITE. of food I consume. I have done this daily for over 3 months. Funny, how my most successful time in the last 6 months were the last 3 months. Correlation? I 150% think so. When you log your food (truthfully), you learn A) what the calorie counts are on your everyday foods so you can plan better and B) learn what foods have outrageous calorie counts that you can leave behind.

3. Stop and enjoy your food! I am a fast eater. Always have been, always will be. I still have a ton of work to do on slowing down my pace at the table. But when I think about actually slowing down I ENJOY my food more. I TASTE the food and end up more satisfied. When I used to read this tip in articles or books, I huffed at the idea - but spend a week really "enjoying" your food and you will see what I am talking about!

4. A little in moderation, is OK. I don't need to ban ANYTHING I love from my diet. If I plan to have a cupcake, then I build it into my daily calorie total. I never feel deprived and I believe this may be key in cutting down on my binges.

Now what?

The question I get a lot is, "What weight do you want to be at, what is your ultimate goal weight?" And my answer simply is I don't have one. Maybe it's because I am scared of committing to a number and then not getting there. But it's also because I didn't turn to a healthier lifestyle over 2 years ago because I wanted to be a certain weight. I just wanted to be healthier and live a more fulfilling life. I experienced my little brother's death (not health related) and my dad's heart attack. I had chronic back pain (still do) and every morning felt like an 80 year old woman getting out of bed. At some point I knew my body would start to give out even more, and I didn't want it to be when I was 30. I never set out to "be skinny." Some days I think I'd be happy at 250, other days I want to aim for the sky and be under 200. The bottom line is I want to be fit. I want to be healthy. And I never want my weight to hold me back. So I'm not sure what that number is, but I think I'll know when I get there.

New goals

In addition to continuing what I have been doing already (improving my relationship with food, logging my calories and following Carb Lover's) I plan to:

- Lose 50 lbs by July 1st (I know this seems like a random goal, but I'll have more explanation soon)

- Finish the Mercedes half-marathon in February.

- Work to fill my diet with at least 7 servings of fruits and veggies daily.