Today's weight

Going back down. Today was 193.8. I think it helped that I was able to sleep in a bit.

5 Flat Belly Foods

From an article in Prevention - read it, it's fascinating! Foods high in monounsaturated fat (MUFA) actually help you lose belly fat.

1. Nuts and seeds - macadamia nuts contain the highest level.
2. Oils - Olive and canola are good, safflower has the most MUFA
3. Avocado - denser Hass variety packs twice as much as the bright green-skinned FL varieties
4. Chocolate - dark and semisweet are MUFA rich and high in antioxidants
5. Olives - green ones offer more belly-fat-fighting fat than black ones

Wednesday weigh in

I'm so glad the challenge isn't ending today. I'm the same as I was last week. Pooh. At least at the end of Feb I shouldn't be PMSing or on my period. So hopefully I'll have better results by then.

From Denise Austin today:
Get Excited About Getting Fit
Has your regular workout routine become a bit too . . . routine? Don't get frustrated — change it up! Even exercises you enjoy can start to feel dull and repetitive after a while. Here are some fun ways to get creative with your workouts this winter (and all year round)!

* Find a friend to work out with — it'll help you stay motivated when the going gets tough.
* Incorporate a yoga, spin, or kickboxing class into your workout every week — a little variety goes a long way.
* Try listening to music during your workouts — singing along to your favorite tunes will make the time fly by.
* Take your indoor workouts outside when the weather permits — a change of scenery can make an old workout feel new again.

ARGH

After my downward trend, I started an upward one. I'm journaling more thoroughly to track my calorie intake. I've still kept up my exercise trend. Trying to lift weights, but still having back and neck problems. But maybe I've been adding a little muscle. Measurements are all the same. We'll see what tomorrow's weigh in brings. It tends to fluctuate this time of month. As irritable as I've been, it's got to be getting close to my period. :-P

Progress

To those who wondered, yes, I am tall. I'm 5'11" and come from full-blooded Norwegian stock on my mom's side. Most of the women in the family are amazons! :-D My daughter is a striking exemption. At 5'6" or so, she's the petite one (and very thin!)

Weight's been going down a bit every day. 193.8 Friday, 193.6 yesterday and 193.4 today. I'd love to keep that trend going. I have exercised every day in 2008 so far except today, but it's still early. :-) The new Prevention magazine says the key to losing belly fat is eating a monounsaturated fat with every meal or snack. Nuts are one of the five recommended and they said macadamia nuts are the highest in MUFs. Sounds good to me!

My neck and upper back are still not back to normal after my fall on the ice, so I'm going to try for twice weekly chiropractic visits for a bit. It definitely feels better after I go.

Today is my daughter's TWENTIETH birthday! It goes too fast. My son turned 18 in Nov, so we're a houseful of adults and my identity as a homeschooling mom is almost at an end.

Oh, and I agree with kickboxingmomma, the key to not gaining more during the holidays is living far away from family! ;-)

Weigh in - 194.4

Well, I'm down a pound from last week, but up 2 from 2 weeks ago! 194.4 today. I've started walking on the treadmill and am striving for an Exercise Streak. Went to the chiropractor again today. My neck was getting pretty sore again.

And let's not let our resolutions morph in this way!

The New Year

I want to hit my goal weight this year. I started using the treadmill again today and lifted weights, too. I'm going to try to do some kind of activity EVERY DAY. I was inspired by The Amazing Shrinking Mom and her Exercise Streak.