Reached 40#s off today - so very happy!! It gives me the drive to go on and on to my ultimate goal - if I make 50# by Christmas I would be beside myself - that would be 50% there!!! OMG!! Thanks NS - you're a great tool to make my dreams come true!!!

Okay - I know we're only supposed to weigh in once a week - but folks I was so close I had to check it and guess what - I broke the barrier - that barrier that has kept me from succeeding for so long - I'm on my way home to my goal and I feel so great - thank you everyone for your help - NS and I are partners for life!!!

Okay - so I wanted to hit 40# off by Christmas - well, I'm now reaching for that goal by Thanksgiving - a month early!!! I'm at the jumping off point from a barrier that has held me back for a very long time - I'd get close then pop back up (in my weight) - then approach it again and up I'd go again!!! Well, this time, with determinateion and thanks to my NS food and my NS friends' support - I'm going to jump over the barrier and carry on to my ultimate goal!!! Thank you everyone for being there for me and supporting me in my efforts!!! Color me HAPPY!!!!

I really would like to hit 40# by Christmas - that's my goal - but I have to kick it up a notch to get there! I have to GIVE myself the time and attention to do the exercising - this has been an eating program thusfar - no exercise (other than the day to day stuff) and I was a gym rat in the past! I'm feeling my self-esteem gaining ground - I stand up for myself and I know myself well - it feels good!

I haven't felt this UP in a long time - my self-esteem is roaring back to life - watch out world - I'm headin' back to the top!!! I found a way to blow the plateau thing - I took myself off program SLIGHTLY - not in a big way because I'm still adhereing to the calorie count - but I got inspired by a wonderful salad I have been treating myself to on weekends - it's a chicken peanut soy/ginger dressing in a nice restaurant overlooking the ocean down in Ocean Beach (San Diego) - so I came home and said "wait just one minute - we can duplicate this salad with NS guidelines" - I took a NS Grilled Chicken Patty (prepped according to directions) and at lunch (3pm for me) went to Wendy's - got their small side salad ($1.99 and not so small but healthy) and dumped it into a larger bowl (a Martha Stewart Salad Taker - it's really neat - it has a separate dressing container - keeps the dressing from wilting the salad before you're ready) - put 1/2 container Wendy's Mandarin Orange segments (99cents), slivered almonds (free) and chicken over the top and then the 2T dressing and mixed it up - SO YUMMY!!! I'm eating the NS brkfst and in between meals a piece of fruit or a Yoplait Yogurt and I account for everything - still well within the caloric allowances - so here's where the "off program" part comes in - I ran out of the NS Grilled Chicken - so I bought a pkg of 6 chicken thigh fillets (no bone), salt (lightly) and peppered them and marinated them in a bowl with Oriental dressing overnight - the next day I put each fillet between Saran Wrap and pounded it to be 1/8" thick - repeating for each fillet - brown them in 2T olive oil - then poured in the marinade and allowed to simmer for about 1 hour - on a LOW flame/heat. When they were done I patted each fillet dry of the marinade and wrapped them in a new piece of Saran Wrap (wrap each individually so they are ready to grab and go). I've had 3 salads (one per day for "dinner" and so far dropped 3# - I'm beyond happy!! The food is YUMMY and my goal is just 3#s closer!!! Do I get bored with the same thing every day - no way - I change out the breakfast and lunch (I have been eating the lunch bar option) - lots of H2O - and a positive attitude!!! I'm really close to breaking a # I haven't dropped below in YEARS!!! Color me HAPPY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Are you ready for this - I was called a ... wait a minute, I have to quit laughing - okay, here we go - I was called a racist!!! Okay, I guess I should take this seriously - since it was my lunatic boss who did this - but quite honestly, it's not what she thinks that matters - cuz she's a lunatic wacked out lib/dem - they can't help themselves...but if she put this in my personnel file, then we have an issue - so I have my "fight plan" ready and I'm going in tomorrow with the frame of mind of finding out what she has truly done and fixin' it!!! So, I can exhale and smile - I know I'm not an racist - my friends know I'm not a racist and those fools who do think so - they don't really freakin' matter cuz they're freakin' insane!!! And how was your week?

slowly but surely - I have to keep my impatience in check - I know what I need to do to lose more - NOT eat ANYTHING after 6PM - get more exercise! Now it's my responsibility to step it up!

Although I have a very long way to go before I reach goal - I am seeing changes in my body after only 12#s off - and those small changes gives me confidence - I'm getting back the "self" that knows my capabilities and can stand should-to-shoulder with anyone! When I lost the weight back in 2001 I clearly remember how very confident I was then. I was going to take art classes, learn to sing and learn a language. That has only been 8 years - I'm still the same person - so why does the addition weight weigh down that confidence? People say "chubby" people are the same as thin people - no, they are not! I remember that woman - I will be that woman again! One baby step at a time - each pound off is one more step - I'm so happy to be on this journey! Watching me come out of this shell! Come along with me my friends!

I'm excited - this is a new piece of my future and it's ONLY positive!!  I remember how GREAT I felt when I lost weight on Optifast but that was temporary because Optifast is NOT reality - and I was still in a sick/co-dependent relationship - those issues are gone and I'm in it to win it - for ME!!!

NS is real food - this may take awhile to accomplish but I know that the real me is under these layers of fat and she is going to break through with a BANG!!!!  NS, exercise and ME - the buddy system!!  WATCH OUT WORLD - HERE I COME!!!