Deck the halls with bought of holly,
Fa la la la la la, la la la la.
Tis the season to by jolly,
Fa la la la la la, la la la la.

Don we now our gay apparel,
Fa la la, la la la, la la la.
Troll the ancient Yuletide carol,
Fa la la la la la, la la la la.

See the blazing Yule before us,
Fa la la la la la, la la la la.
Strike the harp and join the Chorus.
Fa la la la la la, la la la la.

Follow me in merry measure,
Fa la la, la la la, la la la.
While I tell of Yuletide treasure,
Fa la la la la la, la la la la.

Fast away the old year passes,
Fa la la la la la, la la la la.
Hail the new, ye lads and lasses,
Fa la la, la la la, la la la.

Sing we joyous, all together,
Fa la la la la la, la la la la.
Heedless of the wind and weather,
Fa la la la la la, la la la la.

 
Back to life, back to reality
Back to life, back to reality
Back to life, back to reality

I keep thinking of this song as a return from a very busy vacation at Disney to a very very busy work week.   I did ok with my eating on vaction.  I can't say I did the best but I can't say I did the worst either.  I planned my meals for the most part and when I stuck to my planned meals I did great.  It is when I  threw my meal planning out the window that I did not do so well.  But I did try to reduce the damage by splitting the bad stuff such as dessert and big meals.  

This week and next week will be crazy at work.  We are in the middle of the end of the quarter, Christmas, and COA.   That is a trifecta of busy time!   At least the Christmas Party is fun.   I took some time today to help bag up all the gifts.  I love all the extras my work does for the kids!   It gets me through my job when things are so tough at work.  I will try these next few weeks not to let stress eating get the better of me.  What do you do when things are crazy in your life to keep the good fight of your weightloss journey? 
 
It is hard to eat right.   It is really hard to eat right on vacation.  This week I am in Disney World with my family for nine days.   I planned my meals, bought special food, mapped out the better meals online for inside the parks, I felt really prepared.   One thing I was not prepared for was the backlash I have gotten for having "different" food from everyone else.   I am on a diet and I don't expect everyone to be.  I thought it would be a good thing for me to just buy for "one" on all my "diet food stuff".   (And please be advised I did bring other food for everyone to share.)  Boy was I wrong!  Oddly enough it appears that what I thought was I nice thing has some how turned into a nightmare.   (NOTE: This may have to do with the fact that my entire family is tired so we are all a bit touched in the head right now!) Who would have thought my canned chicken soup, mixed fruit, egg beaters, light chips, and sugar free items would be so appealing to everyone.   I DID NOT SEE THAT ONE COMING!!!!?????!!!!!   I guess this is reason number 199999999999 why this is so hard.   What are some unexpected things that are hard about your diet?  and how do you handle them?
 
It has been a busy week and I have been sick too but I still lost a pound.  I tried to keep my calories low within reason and keep the snacking down.   Next week I might either weigh-in early or skip my weigh-in.  I will just have to see how busy I am before I leave for vacation.   I hope to lose some weight like I did when I was in Europe.   I plan to walk, swim, split meals, and eat as light as I can.   I also have Turkey day to contend with.   I plan to eat modestly and only make one trip.   Last week I was glad to lose even .2 pounds and this week I am thrilled to report this one pound loss as well.  Each little step gets me closer and closer to my goal.   Today I tried on a few things from my skinny days and was happy to see that some of them fit.  Some of them were tight but I was still able to get them on.   I feel so close to where I want to be.  It feels good to be so close to that finish line.   I realize that after I reach my goal I will have to work to maintain.  But I know I can do this.   I know I can get there.  I am so close!  I can feel it!   
 
I have been a very "busy bee" this week.   I have worked my ever shrinking tail bone off.   Exercise has been put on the back burner but I have been very careful with my calories and food intake.  I hope to lose at least a pound with week.   I had some nonscale victories this week.  I tried on a pair of 12 pants Tommy bought for me about a month ago and I was able to get them zipped and buttoned.   They are still a little too tight for me but it felt great to be so close to a size 12.   My mom also let me try on a size 10 bathing suit she had bought randomly becasue it was so cheap.   I was shocked that it was similar to the pants; it fit but was tight.   But the way I look at it, it will fit In April when we go to Europe again.   What other victories are you celbrating besides weightloss in your journey?
 
I came across this the other day.  A fellow fitness/weight loss blogger posted it.   I have been thinking about this since last week.  A lot of people I know are training for a 5K or an Ironman or a marathon but I am just exercising.  I kept thinking, should I be doing this and is there something wrong with me because I'm not?  Then I saw this and I felt better.  "Not that there's anything wrong with that" it just isn't me.  I don't see me competing in some kind of race or anything of that nature.   To be blunt, I hate exercise.  I don't get a natural high when I exercise; I don't feel amazing after I finish, in fact I am usually panting and about to collapse.   BUT!!! It IS worth it!!!   I hope people don’t read this and think this is a discouraging blog.  That is not my intentions.  I am writing this blog for the rest of us out there.  The ones who don't really like exercise, who don't really enjoy eating less calories, for those of us who would rather run to the nearest Hardees and have a huge meal.   Let's be honest!   With all of that being said, I wouldn't trade my -65lbs for the biggest yummiest burger or cheese cake or sitting on the couch.  NO WAY!!  I have come way too far for that.   I AM SAVING MY LIFE!!
 
I had my weigh-in today.  I didn't have a huge loss.  I didn't even lose a pound.  I only lost .2lbs.  But this week I had a million reasons to gain.  I had candy temptations, I had stress at work, I had an ARC meeting for Spicer, and I was on my period (sorry about the TMI).   Every week I fear, "This will be the week I gain a pound."  So far I have been lucky to avoid gaining weight.  I have come close by not losing but I have never gained.   So this week even though it is just a tiny loss I am going to be proud of my little loss and post it proudly in my goal section.   This week I have learned to be proud of my weight loss no matter how small it may seem it is still a loss.  
 
When I started this weightloss journey I looked at my current weight, bmi, past weight, possible clothing sizes, and arrived at the goal of 80lbs.   As much as that sounds somewhat logical it was kind of a guess at best.   More like a nice round number that "sounded really good at the time."   As I get closer to this "goal" weight I realize it might need some adjusting.   Tommy and I have decided to get out body fat percentage measured.   After researching the subject we feel this is the most acurate messurment of where we need to be.  BMI can be deceptive.  There have been many critics of BMI over the years.   One thing that seems to get the most over all support is body fat messurment.  Here is the breakdown of body fat percentage and where both men and women should be.  My goal is to be in the average or fitness range.  I will keep you posted when we find out.  Murray Health and Wellness offers a body fat analyisis, I am a litte scared but hopeful.  

Women: Essential fat 10–13% Athletes 14–20% Fitness 21–24% Average 25–31% Obese 32%+
Men: Essential fat 2–5% Athletes  6–13% Fitness  14–18% Average 18–24% Obese  25%+
 
Yesterday I had a personal best of almost 11 miles on my bike.  Tommy and I also made it to MSU campus in record time.   It felt great after last weeks lack of exercise.  I did end up doing the stairs, riding my bike, and lifting weights so it wasn't a total loss last week but that was all on Saturday.   This week I didn't work out Monday but I did bike yesterday and lifted weights tonight.  

I was a little worried about the temptation of candy this week.   I realized the key is to have a little candy but count it.  I have factored the few pieces of candy I have enjoyed in my calories and just had a little less at meal times.  Candy is not to be feared but enjoyed in moderation.