-60 lbs

Yesterday, the number on the scale reflected that I have lost 60 lbs.

Holy moly, guacamole.

29% of my body weight.

I am not depriving myself, and I think that is key. I am still eating those two squares of dark chocolate every night, enjoying Wine Wednesdays and a pee wee ice cream cone on occasion. It was just last week that I was pleasantly surprised to learn one s'more was about 190 calories, so I splurged on one a couple days in a row (there's the change- before I would have eaten 2-3 in one night).

Another key to my success has been eating many, many more fruits and veggies. I have fruit every day as my mid-morning snack (peaches are my current favorite). I've never been a salad-as-a-meal kind of person, so I usually have a sandwich for lunch- tuna, ham & cheese or turkey. Onto that plate I pile steamed veggies, and maybe a slice of watermelon on the side. My current favorite afternoon snack is Chobani Bite greek yogurt... yum! They make a few flavors but my favorite is the coffee one with dark chocolate chips. It's 100 calories and tides me over until dinner.

Dinner always has a veggie on the side, if not part of the main course itself. When I grew up, I didn't think I liked vegetables. Turns out, I just didn't like boiled vegetables, which is pretty much the only kind my Mom made. Roasting veggies is the way to go. It has changed my life. It sounds fancier than it is. Pretty much you just take any veggie, put it into a ziplock bag, add olive oil, salt, pepper and any other seasonings you would like (we use garlic powder a lot). Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray, spread the veggies out on the sheet and roast them about 15 minutes at 425 degrees. It really is as simple as that, and it makes every vegetable taste outstanding.

It's hard for me to believe how small changes have made this big of an impact. I used to diet in the worst way ever- eating salads that didn't fill me at all, cutting off sweets entirely. Turns out I needed to eat more- more veggies, more fruit. They're filling and they keep my body regulated.

I am very happy to have come this far. This experience has made me believe that I can, in fact, do just about anything I set my mind to.