An update ...

I forgot that yesterday was supposed to be my measure day, so I did it this morning ... I've lost another 1/2 inch on my bust, one inch on my waist, and 1/2 inch in the hips. Not too bad, considering I ate fattening and sugary food throughout the day on Tuesday.

I didn't weigh myself, not sure why. Probably because of the pigout day I had, not to mention I'm entering the PMS stage, which means BLOAT CITY.

I was chatting with my BFF Steph this morning, who, by the way, is svelte and gorgeous and has about the cutest baby daughter I've ever seen (besides my own, of course), and she mentioned a conversation she had with her sis wherein the topic was being able to eat whatever without repercussions.

I see the phrase "I eat whatever I want" occasionally in interviews with slim celebrities and what not, and not only is it a grating comment, but it's also misleading to those of us who eat emotionally or compulsively. We gnash our teeth and tear at our clothes because So-and-So is able to remain a size 2 while eating anything she wants, but the truth is, she probably doesn't WANT to eat a dozen Double Stuf Oreos at a time, or several scoops of butter pecan ice cream (is that an "old person's" ice cream? Once when I mentioned it was one of my faves, an acquaintance asked me if I was 80.), or half a pepperoni pizza, or a cheeseburger and large fries, or an indulgent dessert after a sizeable meal, etc. What I want to eat and what a normal eater wants to eat are entirely different things - hence the weight difference.

So what I've got to want is to eat foods that will get me closer to those smaller jeans AND not feel deprived while eating them. Tall order.

Though the one thing I have going for me is that I do enjoy working out. And I also tend to just automatically make better food choices when I do ... I may have mentioned that before.

I get an email newsletter from Get-Fit Guy, and today's was about the ideal weight. If all his calucations are confusing, he also conveniently provided this very helpful and very interesting link. I was pretty happy with what it considered my ideal weight to be, though I haven't been there in several years. Sigh. I also did the weight loss calculator and was surprised to see that my "to lose weight" daily calories were 1,000 cals lower than my "to maintain" calories. 1,000 ... that seems like a lot of extra food, which I'm obviously eating during weeks that I don't lose weight. Seeing those hard figures is always eye-opening.

Not bad so far ...

When, oh WHEN am I going to learn that I can not tolerate bread!?

But before I get into that, I've had a couple good days. Yesterday I weighed myself, though our digital scale is acting up so I'm not entirely sure it's accurate. I also took measurements ... yikes. Talk about the cold, hard truth (or soft, squishy truth, which would be more accurate here). Not sharing these figures. Maybe when I get to my goal, but for now - eek. I just can't share. Too embarrassing.

Let's see ... ate rather well; not a lot of flour, and sugar? Let me think ... no, not a lot of sugar now that I think of it. Last night as I was working, I got a craving as I do most every night. I usually crave a bowl of cereal, but last night, it was for one of the Drumsticks we have in the freezer (the ice cream kind, not the from-a-chicken kind. Anyone who knows me knows that I would NEVER eat a chicken drumstick). But I ignored the craving and kept right on working. Would have been too hard to eat an ice cream cone while typing anyway.

This morning, I felt a pull for a Burger King croissanwich, but again, drove right on by. I hadn't given myself time to eat breakfast, but luckily my boss made some mini zucchini muffins and brought them in, so I held myself over with one of those. Yes, one. Amazing, no? She had also made a Chex-like mix that was super yummy. I had some at about noon to hold myself over until lunch at 1.

Then, tonight, we had spaghetti, and I had a small serving. But then, I was pulled in by the dang garlic toast. Within minutes after I ate it, I was so bloated and felt sickish. I'm not sure if it's the mold allergy or what, but I felt pretty bad.

The good news is that I was sitting on the couch feeling bloated and awful, and decided to work out. So, I did a 35-minute step aerobic tape - I know, can I BE any more 90s? But I love doing step aerobics, and I've gotten into pretty great shape doing it in the past. I also did some weights, mostly arms, for about 15 minutes.

No snacks tonight. That's two nights in a row with no snacking, which is really good for me.

I came across an interesting article today as well. Actually, it was just the intro to the article, but it caught my attention:

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Tweak Your Lifestyle - by Jessican Girdwain, Health magazine

It's a familiar story: you pledge to honor a daily elliptical routine and count every last calorie. But soon, you're eating cupcakes at the office and grabbing happy hour mojitos, thinking, Oops, diet over.

There is a better way: Swap the all-or-nothing approach for one or two healthy switch-ups in your daily routine. "Doing this can lead to more weight loss than you ever imagined," says Marissa Lippert, RD, author of The Cheater's Diet. [Side note: Love that book title. I'm so going to check that out.]

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The article went on to share these small tips that women who had lost quite a bit of weight did, like never skipping breakfast or listening to super fun music while working out, and the point was that they just did these minor changes, not some whole big lifestyle overhaul.

Which is what I do all the time. Only, I won't just stop at restricting my diet and vowing to work out every day. I'll tack on "I'll floss my teeth twice a day." "I'll get up 20 minutes early to have my quiet time every morning." "I'll have a spotless house by the end of the day every day." and so on. So many changes all at once, pretty much guaranteeing that I'll fail.

It's these small, mindful steps that can really make a difference, which is what I'm counting on. And for me, working out is SO key. When I'm working out on a regular basis, I just automatically eat better and eat less.

So, that's what's going on so far. Pretty pleased with myself. I was going to post a "before" photo, but forgot to have one taken. Maybe tomorrow.