Effort: 85%

I think I'm at about an 85% effort level. I'm still going strong even though I had Buffalo wings... and Buffalo chicken dip.. and cookies.. and some chips & dip... while watching the Steelers get spanked by Green Bay. I left a little room for the extra calories and fat, but I can guarantee not enough! I did weigh last week, but it was again in the evening and doesn't reflect my mid-morning weight, which is when I usually weigh. I was up to 12 lbs. I haven't weighed in about a week and a half. I will wait for Sunday. Oh I forgot.. I made mac & cheese today with real Land O' Lakes margarine (because there is no better brand in my opinion.) Oh yes, I did eat some. I redeemed myself at dinner though! (see recipe next post!)

I haven't been exercising like I need to because I hate doing it alone. Mike's been getting called in at all hours of the day and even the night, so I've been pretty lonely in general but really feeling it on this lifestyle change.

For the most part, I know what I can eat without thinking too hard, and what I need to stay away from (Kraft mac & cheese for instance) so meal planning isn't such a monumental task and grocery shopping is enjoyable. We still take a while reading labels when we want to try new things, comparing brands, etc., but Mike does it with me and we enjoy the time together and making joint decisions about what we buy.

One of the best ways I've found recently to add some veggies to a meal - ready-to-eat diced peppers and pico de gallo (tomatoes, onion & cilantro) from Winn Dixie. I made steak & cheese roll ups not long ago, and threw a few tablespoons of peppers into the skillet after the steaks were done and sauteed them for a minute or two, then tossed them into the roll ups. Tasty! Even my picky 11 year old ate them and asked for more. Mike makes omelets with them, and I use them in tacos and other things. Yum!

Looking forward to this weeks weigh in, and hopefully getting my lonely butt outside to walk this week!

How are you doing??