When I started, I weighed in at 168.  I'm 5'6", so that's overweight, though not terribly.  I didn't feel very attractive, and I didn't like the way my clothes fit.  So, I started lifting weights, working out a bit, watching what I ate a bit, and by the end of my 8 week program at the gym I'd lost a whopping two pounds.   I did lose a couple inches off my waist, so I felt okay about it, but it was still discouraging, especially when I looked at how much a friend had lost in that time period (she found out a couple weeks later that she was pregnant, so that explains a lot).  I know, muscle weighs more than fat, so I'd actually lost a fair amount, but it still didn't feel like I was making progress.

Even after I stopped going to the gym (long story, mostly just couldn't afford it, but also had a house to work on) I tried to be conscious of what I was eating. took the stairs instead of the elevator at work. just little things like that that weren't a huge change but would add up later. and slowly, the weight started coming off.

i attribute a lot of it to the fact that my new home has stairs. also to the fact that my metabolism finally caught up with my change in jobs (went from standing and moving all day to sitting all day).  I'm happy that it took this long to lose, in a way, because I know that slower weight loss is easier to maintain, and it's more likely to stay off.  but today, I weigh 146.  I haven't weighed this little since my first or second year of college.

So i'm pleased about that.  lets just hope i can keep it off with all the recent life stresses. I don't even want to talk about work.  also, i'm sure that now that i've finally reached something of a goal weight, i'll get pregnant and blow it all to hell.  that'd be okay, though.

also, pie. i made a berry pie from berries i had in the freezer.  the raspberries and strawberries are from my parents' garden.  the blackberries are not, but there's not that many of those in the pie. It looked like it might be a little sloppy so we'll see what happens. if nothing else, ice cream.  I like knowing what's in my food. my pie has no high-fructose corn syrup, no preservatives...it's berries, sugar, cinnamon, flour, butter. made my own crust (flour, salt, shortening, water). berries were home grown, no pesticides, no fertilizers (other than what comes out of the livestock...). speaking of livestock, those are also delicious. nom. If they keep doing this, i'm going to need a bigger freezer.

what else...um...bought myself some tasty beverages. I got a 6-pack of Woodchuck Amber, a hard cider type thing. I've just started drinking these, after having one at a local bar that had it on tap. I know tap is usually better than bottle, but I don't really enjoy going to bars that much, so this will have to do.

anyhoo...time to eat my pie.