The scale smiled with a 165.5 this morning. No workout because I'm making up time for a holiday lunch I'm taking with my coworkers today (how does that work?). Tonight, more work in the basement and tomorrow? Leg day. Tough stuff! I've discovered that, even though I'm given back calories for the workouts I put in, if I don't use them, the weight comes off. It's hard because I want to eat more. I'm convinced I've got to eat better, not more. Do I detect a goal for the new year? Yeah, I think it's been brewing for a while. I'll get it down here soon I'm sure.

In the meantime, I'm enjoying this number and hope that it creeps on down a little further over the coming days. Could it be that I might actually lose weight rather than gain it this holiday season? Hmm. I'll believe it when I see it.

Salt is definitely my enemy. I have seen no change in two weeks, but I've been inhaling the stuff like crack! It seems I want it and sugar more than anything on the planet when TOM is set to appear (which it did last night). When I use some self-control, I'm able to prevent the cramps from hell and the stave off the bitch inside; however, most of the time, I cave into my cravings. Then, what happens? Why, the cramps from hell and the bitch inside come to the party. Water is truly the trick. I've got to get my water-schedule back under wraps. I've also been slacking on my food entry. So, for the past two days, I've made sure every morsel has been logged.

An observation: when I work out, I'm hungrier through the day. This doesn't surprise me, but I tend to just make my limit when I'm eating (my limit also changes as soon as I enter workout time). For example, my standard max of calories for the day may be 1, 315 (that's not it, but this is for the example). When I enter my workout time, say 30 minutes on the elliptical, that 1315 suddenly becomes 1515. Well, I'll just about make that 1515 before the day's end. The observation I made is that when I workout, if I keep it at the standard max, the weight disappears. It's so hard, though. The body is in need of more food because of the workout, so I feed it. Then, I deal with no movement on the scale. It could be that I'm not taking into account that my water is less than ideal and the Salt Monster is every present.

So, what do I do? First, I'm going to try and practice some self-control next month. The goal will be not to cave into my cravings. Try as I might, I always have a lot of trouble, so it will need to become a mantra of sorts. This week, I've also been going for my water again and the process of getting back to 2 liters has begun. This one is tough, but I've done it before. I can do it again. Finally, I will need to see about changing what I'm eating for lunch. The frozen meals are wonderful and convenient, but they're full of salt. I guess they have to be or they wouldn't taste like much. Healthy Choi.ce does a pretty good job of not going too nuts with the salt they add, but it's still quite a bit (typically 600 mg). If I make my lunches at home (like my hubby) I'll probably be better off. This also means more cooking (and more work).

I've got a lot to try and figure out, but I'm not discouraged. No change is better than a gain and I'm grateful. I would, however, like to see those numbers dropping again. I gotta be bathing suit ready in a just a few short months! Eye on the prize...

The numbers have been around the same, so no change for last week. I've been working out and doing the 30 or more minutes on my elliptical trainer. On days I don't, I've been firming it up with The Firm - Standing Legs, The Firm-Upper Body and The Firm-Tough Tape 2. All leave me dripping wet and exhausted, but I'm pleased with the results. The weight isn't changing, but my body sure is.

I think once TOM comes and goes, I'll let go of a lot of this excess water. It's the same story every month. I just wish I knew how to combat this without taking diuretics. Playing patient is not an easy thing to do...especially when it comes to weight. Ugh!

For me, I'm happy if I don't add extra poundage in the next few weeks. I've been dipping into the Halloween candy and that's got to stop. I threw away the cupcakes I made because no one was eating them but me, and they were just sitting there anyway. I was having maybe one every couple of days. The recipe made twenty-four. I brought 8 to work and the girls each had one. I've probably had four or five. They were just getting moist and going to waste.
For Christmas, I will definitely make my rum cake, but I know I won't be eating that alone. It's a family favorite and shouldn't last too long in the house. That will probably the sweetest thing I eat in the next few weeks. My most immediate goal is to stay strong and not touch any of the treats my neighbors try to push on me. Oh, the holidays!