Thanks and a Progress Report

About seven weeks ago I posted a request for help regarding my attempt to lose weight. I had just started back into following the South Beach Diet and I was terrified about my night time snacking. It was a problem! I really, really appreciate all the suggestions that you guys posted in the comments and e-mailed to me. You are all awesome!

Since then, I've talked a little about my progress but nothing detailed. A lot of times when people stop updating about weight loss it's because they've stopped making headway; that is not the case here. (Well, not this time. Ahem.) It's more of a "things are going pretty well and I don't want to jinx it" kind of thing. In the past seven weeks I have lost 19 pounds. (The first two weeks resulted in a very high loss, which was most likely a lot of water weight. I've slowed it down to about 1.5 pounds a week over the past month. Even though those numbers are lower, I like them more. That is mostly lost FAT!)

We've quit eating fast food completely. I haven't had a soda (diet or otherwise) for the entire time. I eat breakfast every morning, lots of salads, and a healthy dinner. I'm not following SB exactly, but my menu is high in vegetables and fruits, contains mostly lean meats, and limits carbs to one or two a day. It's close enough to SB to get the job done, anyway.

As far as exercise goes, I made it a week into "The 30 Day Shred" before I hurt myself. The cardio segments are pretty high-impact (for me; not so much for someone who is already in a shape other than round) and my knee just couldn't take it at my current weight. (My right knee was swollen so badly that it measured a full inch larger than my left. I was barely able to go up and down the stairs.) I took a break to rest it up and I will be starting up regular walking this week. I'm going to try out a couple other lower-impact videos in the next few days, but I think I'm going to have to save Jillian for a couple months from now. (I loved the video! I was seeing results. If you are thinking of doing it, you definitely should. I just couldn't hang with it right now. I will be back, though.)

You might be wondering about the night time snacking, seeing as how that is what I was most freaked about; I have to say that things are going well there too. Most nights I am able to keep myself distracted enough with blogging or games or some other activity. On the nights that I just can't resist snacking...we have a pomegranate. It's like the ultimate dieting snack. It takes forever to get into, they are fun to eat, and the entire thing is around 100 calories. Jason and I split them, so we end up getting even less than that. Also, those are the only times we eat pomegranates, so it's like we're getting a little treat. That's what we call a "win-win", people.

I have a long, long way to go but I am pleased with my progress so far. I've found that it is easier for me to focus on one day at a time rather than try to plan out weeks or months in advance. Without plotting out my expectations (if I lose "X" amount a week for "X" weeks then I will weigh "X" by "fill in occasion of your choice") I don't set myself up for a let down. My weight is what it is. All I can do is focus on eating the right things and moving my hiney. It's a really simple concept but it's saving me a lot of tribulation right now. I feel like I'm in a good place. Not bad for almost two months in, eh?

And that's my weight loss update! How about you guys? Anybody kicking butt on their goals right now? What is making you proud of yourself today?