Sweating & Snacking Together At Last!

Sweating and snacking...not necessarily at the same time, but both have certainly helped me on my weight loss journey.

I was recently asked to check out Kraft Canada's Rice Thins Brown Rice Crisps and review their new "Sweat and Snack" program. The program was developed by personal trainer Jo-Ann James, founder of Vital Steps Inc. and includes four workout circuits using inexpensive and easy-to-use equipment that most people would already have at home (or like me, intend to buy one day).

I was intrigued because I'm a sucker for healthy low point snack foods, and because the program includes exercises that you can do at home, the gym, anywhere. I'm heading back to work in a couple of months and my exercise routine will be changing to fit in with my new schedule, so a good set of exercises I can do at home is very appealing.

The "Snack" portion is obviously referring to the Rice Thins Brown Rice Crisps. I was sent a package of each of the three flavours - Sour Cream & French Onion, Sea Salt & Pepper, and Sweet Mesquite Barbecue. Any time the Little Man spies any kind of snack packaging he's in like a shot, so I of course had to open them up immediately for a taste test. Mr. Awesome's dad (or Opa Awesome) was over for dinner so we all had a taste. All three flavours were good, but the Little Man and I were fans of the Sweet Mesquite Barbecue and Opa Awesome preferred the Sea Salt & Pepper.

The serving size is nine crackers and they're a decent size so it's a fair portion. One serving has 90 calories, 1.5g of fat and 2 grams of fibre so that equals two Weight Watchers points. Not bad if you have points to spare. Now, I might not choose these over a lower point snack if I was tight on points for a given day, but I would certainly munch on them if I had the room. Even so, I still really like that this is a healthy snack option for my family.

Some nutritional highlights:

• All flavours are gluten-free
• Baked, not fried
  
• A source of fibre
  
• Made with brown rice
• Contains 13g of whole grains per 21g serving
  
• Low in fat and have zero trans fat and zero cholesterol
  

Blah, Blah, Blah...But What's In It For You?

When I agreed to review this program, I wanted to make sure there was something in it for YOU. Sure, you can run out to the store and grab yourself a bag of these tasty snacks, but what about the "Sweat" part? Unless you actually RUN to the store, there's not much exercise in grocery shopping. The program isn't for sale and it isn't available online anywhere. I wasn't about to tell you how great it was and then say "But too bad for you, you can't try it" because a) that's mean and b) what would be the point of that?!

The nice people at Kraft Canada have said I can post the program right here, on Finding My Weigh! I've uploaded it via Scribd, so hopefully my tech skills reign supreme and you can see it below.

All four circuits incorporate the same equipment, available pretty much anywhere these days. Here's what you need:

• Exercise ball
• Jump rope
• Resistance bands
• Yoga mat

I tried Circuit #1 just now. It says to do the full circuit twice but I will admit that today in the interest of time between naps (the little miss's naps, not mine unfortunately), I only did it once. I will be doing it "properly" in the next couple of days but I'm on my own this week and time is precious, people!! I hadn't done ANY resistance band work before and holy-mother-of-God is that hard. Probably why I hadn't tried it before...

I invite you to give these circuits a try and let me know what you think. You can scroll through the document below for all four circuits, as well as some simple health and wellness tips they've put together. If all goes as planned, you should be able to download it yourself from there as well. Yay for technology, or "Techology FTW!" as the cooler kids would say.

Happy sweating!

Tuck and Roll!

My friend's sister has a gift. She has an extensive background in fashion retail and has recently been dabbling in personal styling. I had them over last week to help me plan my shopping strategy as I start to rebuild my wardrobe. Mr. Awesome and I will be doing a major shop down in San Francisco in a couple of weeks and I need to have a plan of action or he'll never survive. Or he'd kill me for spending too much...either way, without a plan one of us isn't getting out alive.

Sarah is like Stacy and Clinton but without completely slagging my current wardrobe. Of course my current wardrobe is fairly nonexistent, so there wasn't really much to criticize. I have had a few things tailored already - things that I really liked and I knew would be cheaper getting altered than buying new. This included a few blazers, one pair of pants, one dress and a couple of skirts. I've given away almost everything else, so I was expecting a long shopping list but no real outfit building. Man, was I wrong!

One of Mr. Awesome's talents is the ability to look in a cupboard that I consider basically bare and create a fantastic meal. Sarah is like that. She dove into my closet headfirst, digging out items I haven't worn in years (but they still fit so I haven't given them away), pairing them with the newly tailored pieces and creating very cool outfits I would NEVER have put together. I was trying stuff on all evening, with her showing me potential outfits or "ideas" for outfits when I get a few more items. Mr. Awesome was thrilled to know that I actually have quite a bit to work with already and that the shopping trip wouldn't be quite the dent in our bank account that we originally thought. Maybe just a ding.

There were a couple of other surprises. Sarah introduced me to a few concepts I'm still trying to wrap my head around. Tucking things in, for example. I haven't tucked something in since bodysuits went the way of the dodo bird in high school, but apparently ALL the cool kids are tucking these days (does that sound dirty?).

And leggings. And skinny jeans. I have lived the better part of my fashion-conscious life with hips I lovingly refer to as saddle bags. I literally looked like I was wearing jodhpurs if I wore anything even remotely form-fitting. Only recently on my weight loss journey have the saddle bags started to disappear, and I'm still getting used to it. Whether or not I have the guts to actually do this look still remains in question, but I did actually try on a pair of legging-type jeans yesterday and I can see how they MIGHT be okay...MIGHT.

And belts. I stopped wearing belts ages ago because they made me feel like a sausage and because I didn't tuck anything in, I believed that belts would just add extra bulk to my midsection. Now belts are everywhere and ON TOP of clothing. Who knew?! On my shopping list is now at least one skinny belt.

And rolling the sleeves on my blazers. Giving it the "boyfriend jacket" feel without actually having to go out and buy a new jacket. I would NEVER have considered rolling the sleeves of a blazer, but when she puts the whole outfit together it just works.

The woman seriously has a gift. She needs to go into business doing this for a living. She has given me ideas, tips and a shopping list of things to look for. And she makes you feel good about yourself, instilling confidence and making you believe you can look great (even in skinny jeans). My problem is I want to go and get it all NOW, but I need to restrain myself until San Francisco. Maybe just a couple of things...

Another thing I really want to get but that we didn't specifically talk about is a wrap dress. Stacy and Clinton are ALWAYS talking about the benefits of wrap dresses, drawing attention to the narrowest part of the body, etc etc. Everyone they ever make over looks great in one, plus they make a whole outfit on their own. Definitely a must have, and I'm pretty sure Sarah will approve.

She's offered to come over again once we get back to go through all my goodies and make more outfits, as well as to go shopping with me if there are any items I'm missing.

It's a whole new world of tucking, rolling and belting and to be honest I am a little afraid. Anytime we give someone a ride somewhere and drop them off, Mr. Awesome yells with glee "Tuck and roll, 'cause I ain't stoppin!" as he pretends to not bring the car to a complete stop to let them out. While some do question his deranged sense of humor, I think the expression is appropriate here. I'm not stopping, I'm going for it.

Tuck and roll, baby, tuck and roll.


All images are from the Banana Republic website.

FOUND! Peace is Restored to The Awesome House

Oh sweet baby Jesus, he's been found. I just went through the second bedtime without Leo and again, the poor little man was asking for his buddy in a heartbreaking little voice. We didn't have the same drama as last night, but I think that's only credited to extreme exhaustion from a fun day in the sun.

I decided to have one last look in our bedroom. I flipped our bedding, I looked under the bed, and then something told me to look behind our headboard. It's a fairly high headboard and there's not much room back there, but the little man has been known to drop the odd car, book or Swiffer broom back there.

There he was, all floppy and green and smushed down at the bottom of the crack between the bed and the wall, right beside a tea towel and the aforementioned Swiffer. Yes, I need to do a bit more housework. And yes, we have another Swiffer. I do actually do SOME housework.

I snuck into the little man's room and laid Leo down beside him. All is right in our little world once again.

Until I'm greeted by the next trouser bomb. Then it all falls apart again. But for now, peace reigns over our kingdom.

EMERGENCY: Leo the Lion is Missing

We have an emergency, people. The little man's best buddy is missing. This is a major catastrophe.

He was last seen in the hallway and/or bathroom, depending on which witness you interview. There was some discussion of him going to the laundry to get rid of some incriminating stains, but when the laundry was searched he was nowhere in sight and there was no evidence he had been there recently. Not even the one magic hair that is always discovered on crime shows leading right to the person of interest.

I have looked everywhere. In every drawer, in every closet, in every kitchen cabinet. I have done four loads of laundry since the "Leo needs a bath" conversation and he wasn't in any of them. I have checked the van, as Leo sometimes accompanies us for car rides.

It's driving me nuts.* I seriously can't find him and there aren't THAT many places in our house that he could be. We live in a one-level house and it's fairly open. Not that many nooks and crannies for a floppy knit lion creature to fit in. Where the hell is he?!

The little man is usually pretty good when Leo has to take a bath because he's had pee/vomit/poop/food on him, and goes to bed without much complaint. We never wanted him to become SO attached that he couldn't sleep without him, and it's never been an issue. Except, of course, for when Leo is now actually missing. Last night he knew Leo wasn't in the bath, and wouldn't accept any other explanation. He just wanted his buddy. My heart broke for him. He finally fell asleep surrounded by three other stuffed animals that were weak substitutes at best but seemed to do the trick.

I know he'll turn up eventually, and the little man will likely move on before I do, but every now and then he pauses whatever he's doing to look at me and say sadly "Mummy, I want E-O." At that moment I forget all about the pooping, peeing, whining, sister-hitting monster that I've been living with for the past year and all I want to do is find that damn lion and make my little man feel better.

So if anyone out there sees a green floppy lion wandering the streets, please let me know. It's been unusually hot and we have had the windows open so he may very well have escaped. It's the only reasonable explanation for where he could be, because he is NOWHERE in this house.

But maybe I'll just go look one more time...


* Whenever I say "It's driving me nuts" I hear Mr. Awesome say "YAR!" in a pirate voice. This is because he loves a joke about a pirate who goes into a doctor's office with a steering wheel on his penis and when asked what the problem is he answers... well, you can finish that punchline for yourselves.
Just one more reason why Mr. Awesome is truly awesome.

Ok, Seriously. I HATE Potty Training.

When I was pregnant (and let's be honest for a while afterwards), I did everything in my power to avoid sudden laughter, coughing, sneezing... all in fear that I would accidentally pee my pants. I will run the risk of sharing too much information when I tell you I basically wet my pants a few times when caught off guard by a sneeze. I would go to the bathroom every ten minutes to ensure my bladder was as empty as possible and avoid any nasty surprises. I know the feeling of wet pants and it is just awful.

At least, it was awful for me. It's apparently not so awful for the little man. He doesn't seem to give a rat's ass if he's on the toilet or not when nature calls.

I am so bloody sick of potty training. We've been potty training for eight months now and every time I think there MIGHT be a light at the end of the tunnel we take seventy three steps backwards. He can go to college in a diaper for all I care. Hopefully baggy jeans are back in style then to mask the padding from the Depends undergarments.

For a while we were really making progress. He was telling us when he had to go pee and was going on the potty. He wouldn't go by himself because he can't pull his own pants up or down (not for lack of working on it), but he was going with us.

Then he stopped telling us he had to go, but would still go whenever we took him. Sometimes he would put up a fight, but would still pee once he got there. Now, it's any body's call what the day will bring. Some days he tells us he has to go, some days he pees on the couch. Some days he'll go when we take him, some days he pees in the back yard. This morning he peed on the couch while watching a movie. I have no idea why. For some reason he would rather wet himself and sit in it than mention that he has to go and get up and go to the bathroom. He's a kid of the new millennium, he understands TV can be paused if necessary. He doesn't suffer the hardship of having to wait for commercials like we did. We then went for a four hour round trip excursion and he didn't go once! There is no rhyme or reason to it.

And don't even get me started on #2. I can count on one hand the number of times the kid has actually intentionally pooped on the toilet. It is a daily occurrence that he drops a bomb in his shorts. For eight months we have been asking him to go on the potty, dumping it in, showing him where it goes, flushing it goodbye... at the first sign of a grunt we head into the washroom and sit him down, only to sit and wait for...nothing. Yes, we've had some great conversations in there, but no progress in the poop department. And take your eyes off him for a second once you're back out of the washroom and he's in his room and filling his shorts faster than you can say "Nooooo!"

Today, he peed his pants while playing in the backyard with his Opa. My guess is he didn't want to stop playing to come in and use the washroom. There was absolutely no indication that he had to go, he just went. It was just before bath time so I took off his pants, changed his shoes and let him hang out for the world to see. A few minutes later I heard some exclamations of dismay from Opa and discovered that he had pooped in his play house.

WHAT THE HELL? WE HAVE TOILETS!!!

I am beyond frustrated. One of the recurring pieces of advice I received when we started this journey was to never go back to diapers or Pull-Ups, as he would surely regress and we'd find ourselves set back at least six months. He sleeps in Pull-Ups, but he's been in his "big boy" underwear during the day from the beginning. Sure, the occasional long road trip or flight brought out a Pull-Up for the day, but otherwise we have stayed strong, making sure we have changes of clothes at the ready just in case.

And for the most part, we have had very few accidents when out and about. There was the infamous "Code Brown" incident at Costco back in March, but that was a juice-induced issue that he literally couldn't control. It's when we're at home that's the problem.

I don't know if it's an attention thing, or a rebellion thing... our reactions have gone from loving and comforting to exasperated to concerned to comforting again... there is no identifiable pattern to know if it's something we're doing or not doing. He gets the concept and understands the process. Even if he's already peed in his Pull-Up when he comes into our room in the morning, he still knows he has to go to the bathroom before we do anything else. He can tell us where he's supposed to pee and poo. He gets it all in theory but doesn't seem to be able to put it into practice.

Nobody told me it would take this long. I understand from talking to friends and doing a bit of research that the poo thing is pretty common for boys. I'm not totally sure why it's only boys that have an issue with it, but it seems to be the case. It's gross and the worst part of every day, but I can deal with it. It's the pee that is driving me nuts. He's three and a half and has been potty training for EIGHT MONTHS. I would just like him to be able to pull his own pants up and down and TELL me when he has to pee. Is that too much to ask?!

I don't know how much more of this I can take. It wouldn't be so bad if he wore diapers in college, would it? It might hurt his dating life a bit, but then he could just focus more on his studies...right? It could be very beneficial for his grade point average and ultimately his career.

See? Every cloud has a silver lining.

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We Find The Defendant...HUMAN!

I hate guilt. It eats at me for days, weeks, months and sometimes years. I still get pangs of guilt over minor wrongs I may or may not have done to friends years ago. Even if they were just misunderstandings, I still have guilt creep up on me when I'm least expecting it.

I wrote a post this morning about weaning the little miss and in one paragraph mentioned some frustrations I'm having with Mr. Awesome not taking on more of the bottle feedings to help with the transition. I then titled the post "Maybe Mr. Awesome Should Grow Boobs," making it seem like a bigger deal than it is. It was meant to be a funny title that grabbed your attention, drawing you into the wonderful world that is my blog, but I immediately started to regret it.

I started to get the guilt sweats. You know, that panicky feeling that you've done something wrong, even though you probably haven't. Mr. Awesome is definitely not one to "sweat the small stuff," letting things simply roll off his back when I would be stamping my foot and screaming in protest in the same situation. I knew the post wouldn't affect him, but also never wanted him to think I didn't appreciate everything he does. He does a lot, I'm just particularly sensitive right now about holding my little girl to feed her but giving her a bottle instead of breastfeeding. She really doesn't care one way or the other, but again...there's the guilt.

What really made me feel bad was the thought that my readers would get the wrong idea of Mr. Awesome. You only get to see a snippet of my life and I, although very lightly, bitched to you about my husband.

But then I thought...SO WHAT? I bitch about my kids, I bitch about my weight loss journey, I bitch about the woman in my Weight Watchers meetings who is always whining... I write about what is happening in my life at the current moment and I always try to write as openly and honestly as possible. WHY would I ever hide the fact that I'm a little cheesed with the man I married? That's reality, baby. NO marriage is perfect, and I defy anyone to tell me that they never once have been frustrated with their partner. Dating, married, straight, gay - we are human and humans have emotions. There will always be minor disagreements, heated discussions, yelling matches brought on by lack of sleep because your baby is teething... As long as your relationship is open, candid and honest, a few skirmishes here and there are no big deal. If you got along all the time it would be boring!

I love Mr. Awesome. More than that, I LIKE him. He is one of the good guys. We have a great marriage where it's safe to express how we're feeling. Like I said earlier, nothing really phases him so it's usually me expressing my feelings, but that's beside the point.

So yes, I was frustrated with my husband. I don't think women admit this enough. It is perfectly normal to have these feelings and if nobody ever talks about it, then we might start to think it's just us and there really is something wrong!

I have heard so many people express their relief when they hear that they are not the only parents experiencing the hell joys that only a whiny, disobedient preschooler can bring. I know one woman who actually sought out counselling for her son because she didn't TALK to anyone to find out that everyone she knew was going through the same thing! We need to have that same sense of relief when it comes to our relationships.

Why would I try and hide my feelings? If this blog has shown anything, I'm not perfect. Having these feelings does not mean we are bad parents, bad wives, partners, or people. We are human.

Maybe Mr. Awesome Should Grow Boobs

This past week was World Breastfeeding Week. I'm not really sure what that means, because if you're breastfeeding you can't exactly feed MORE during a specific week, and if you're not breastfeeding, you can't exactly start from nothing... it's not like a week devoted to yoga, where you could reasonably increase or begin your yoga activity. But I digress.

Given all the struggles I had feeding the little man, it's somewhat appropriate that I started weaning the little miss during a week that has been devoted to breastfeeding. She's nine and a half months old now and I am pretty happy that we've made it this far.

When I was pregnant with her I told myself that I would give feeding a try but wouldn't beat myself up if it didn't work. I had such a painful time last time that I wasn't going to go through that again. Well, the little champion started feeding while I was still in the labour bed at the hospital, and she hasn't really stopped since. I visited with a lactaction consultant once early on to make sure we were on the right track, but we haven't had any issues. I said I would go six months, then eight...now we're closing in on ten. It's become so routine and easy that recently while Mr. Awesome drove down the highway I climbed into the back seat of our van and fed her while we were both buckled in to our seats. Thank god for the sun shade that provided some privacy otherwise the drivers in the other lane might have had an eyeful. I don't want to be responsible for a multi-car pile-up, that's just not good road etiquette.

Although feeding has worked out so well, the time has come to wean her. It's the right time for many reasons, some practical and some emotional, and I'm happy with the decision.

It's going pretty well so far. She's eating a lot of solids, she takes a bottle, and we're down to early morning and late evening feedings only. The one thing I didn't expect to encounter during this process was being the only one doing it. With the little man Mr. Awesome took on half the feedings, sharing midnight wake-ups with me and everything. He was fantastic, never complaining, just jumping in as a full partner. This time around, not so much. He's gotten pretty used to me just grabbing her and feeding her wherever we are when she happens to need it. I think he'd be happy if breastfeeding went on forever, given how easy it is for HIM! He does give her the occasional bottle when I'm not home or if I've negotiated with him beforehand because I want to go to bed and I know she'll need one more feed around 11pm. Now that we're weaning I'm lucky that she will take a bottle from me without much complaint, otherwise there would be some Awesome battles underway.

We should be completely done within a couple of weeks. We're heading off on a kid-free trip to San Francisco early next month and the grandparents will be staying with the munchkins so that's kind of our deadline. That will also mean we're well and truly done when I return to work in October.

It's a bit bittersweet as I will miss the closeness and the simplicity of it all, but the little miss is a snuggle monkey anyway so I'll still get my cuddles. When the little man was born I never in a million years thought breastfeeding would be something I would miss.

It's amazing how two experiences and two children can be so very different. Does that mean she might not whine like he does?! Hey, I can dream...

Me, Only Better.

I think the reason Weight Watchers has worked this time is because I finally realized that it is NOT a diet, it truly is a lifestyle change. I always understood that in theory, and this time something clicked in my brain and I finally get it.

What I didn't expect was the change in my lifestyle. Does that sound like a contradiction? Yes, I have made Weight Watchers my lifestyle. Yes, my way of eating has changed forever. Yes, exercise is now a permanent and enjoyable part of my life.

But by changing my lifestyle, my style of life has changed. Let me explain before you stare at your screen with a big "Duh."

When I'm talking to people about my weight loss, they nearly always say something to the effect of "You must feel amazing" or ask "How do you feel?" I usually answer these questions with exclamations about how good I feel, how I have more energy, how I can play with my kids more... easy, fairly predictable answers.

I only truly realized this week just how different my lifestyle and way of thinking were. When we renovated our house and moved in two years ago, we had pre-painted siding installed. The boards just had one coat, basically a primer, and the siders sealed all the seams with a putty that irritatingly stood out like a sore thumb. We knew when it was installed that we would have to paint the house within a couple of years, but it was a much cheaper option at the time.

Two years ago if you had told me "We have to paint the house," it invariably would have ended up with Mr. Awesome out there every day slaving away and me offering very little participation. I would likely have done a little bit and then made an excuse for why I needed to go inside, sit down, etc. I simply didn't have the energy. I wouldn't have had the staying power to paint window trim, let alone a whole wall. It was partly the lack of energy and partly sheer laziness brought on by the lack of energy. I was stuck in laziness loop!

We've just completed four full days of house painting, and when I say we I mean WE. Okay, Mr. Awesome stands at 6'5" so he has done a little more than me because he can reach the high parts easier, but I have definitely held my own on the workload. I've only stopped to make meals or relieve the babysitter, but otherwise I've been out there, roller or brush in hand. I've hardly sat down (unless I was painting the bottom of the wall) and I haven't even been that sore afterwards! I've painted a HOUSE! I can look at our house with pride and know that I actually actively contributed to how it looks, not just sitting and picking out colour swatches.

When I realized how different my energy and attitude were compared to a couple of years ago, I was shocked. It made me look at other instances where my outlook is different, my decisions have changed, etc.

I no longer park as close as humanly possible to my destination to save the walk from the car. I take stairs with ease, and quite often instead of an elevator. I spend a LOT less time sitting on the couch. When out for a walk, I never used to be able to keep up with Mr. Awesome (give me a break, he's 6'5" for Pete's sake) but now it's not even an issue. We are going to San Francisco next month and we're planning on renting bicycles and riding across the Golden Gate Bridge. And I'm EXCITED about it, not dreading it!

I'm the same person I was before, but better. I'm not afraid of trying new things. I don't say no to new opportunities or activities because I'm worried I won't have the energy, or that I'll be too big, too heavy, too slow.

Who knew that by making a lifestyle change, I would give myself a whole new life.

Keeping a Hard Ass in the Face of Illness, Or Parenting a Sicky.

Nope, this isn't a post about working out while sick, because who the heck wants to do that?! This one's about parenting a preschooler who isn't feeling well and wants to push every boundary known to man.

I'm a practiced hard ass when it comes to the little man and his whining. Counting to three, multiple time outs, I can hand it all down without a crack in my icy veneer. But what the hell do you do when your little love is sick?

Our little man was feverish and nauseated last week. The poor little monkey. I knew he was whining because he didn't feel good. I knew he was tired and didn't know what he wanted. I felt so sorry for him, and I hugged him every chance I got. But when the whining started, I was torn.

We are doing everything in our power to stay strong through the whining, so that he learns that it DOES NOT work, it DOES NOT get him what he wants, and it WILL result in a time out. But when he's sick, all I want to do it make the sadness go away and make him feel better. I want to give him fudgesicles at every meal and let him sleep in our bed every night. (Yes, he did sleep in our bed one night, after he barfed in it, but no, he did not get fudgesicles at every meal.)

Here's the problem. He is the king of "if you give them an inch, they'll take a mile." Give in once and he believes he can get whatever he wants at any time. We've basically outlawed chocolate milk in our home because we had one jug of it ONCE and he lost his mind when he couldn't have it at every meal. It took weeks before he accepted that it was well and truly gone and stopped asking for it. We can't afford to show weakness, or the whining will NEVER end!

So how do you maintain the same rules and level of consequences when they're sick? Or if you do bend the rules while they're under the weather, at what point in their recovery do you lay down the law again?

I look forward to the day when the whining and blatant disobedience stops and I just get to be mummy again. Should kick in right about the time he turns 35. I hope.

She Shoots, She Scores!! GOAL!

I started Weight Watchers on December 18, 2009. 32 weeks ago. 224 days ago. 63.6 pounds ago.

On Friday, July 30 I reached my goal.

I originally set my goal as 170lbs. This represented a loss of 53lbs and would be lower than I had been in years. It seemed very, very far away. It was more than I had ever lost before but I wanted to be realistic.

170lbs was also outside the BMI range for "normal" so I got a doctor's note so Weight Watchers would approve it. It bugged me that my end point was outside the range that some 19th century Belgian researcher deemed normal. I know this is ridiculous and I can rationalize the hell out of why the BMI is inadequate, out of date and doesn't matter, but it still bugged me.

Turns out it didn't matter. 170lbs came and went. The goal I had thought was just a pipe dream passed by like any other weigh-in. It was realistic after all and I knew I could keep going.

I set my final goal at 160lbs. And as of last Friday I reached it, at 159.4 pounds.

I now begin the wonderful world of maintenance. I have to figure out how to eat to maintain the right balance between calories consumed and calories burned. I get extra points, but have to stay within a 2+/2- pound window. And we're weaning the little miss this week, so any extra points I get from maintenance will shortly go away once breastfeeding is finished.

I'm basically riding a fine line between breastfeeding and maintenance and trying to keep it all balanced so I don't really have to change much in my eating habits.

My balance is not one of my best skills, so this should be interesting. Let's hope I don't fall!