Happy New Year

"We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's day."
Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Well, here we are with a NY facing us. I meant to blog more over the holidays but missed that opportunity. I did very well. I had a few treats. Went to a couple of dinners and scarfed down more than my share of fudge and brownies but I was very selective in my splurges and spent the rest of the month being more rigid and in control so I didn't gain or lose.

My snacks continue to be lots of apples. They were on sale $2.50 for 5lbs so I bought 4 bags, filled the dinning room table bowl and put the rest in the cold room. I also bought a bag of oranges and one of tangerines but I just can't seem to get interested in them. They burn my mouth and taste bitter so I have been chopping them up and tossing them to the birds.

I tried the Hershey's SF Chocolate Syrup on my snow cream - yuk! It was awful. Very bitter and chemical tasting. I preferred it without the chocolate. I still like the Hershey's SF Chocolate Chips. They are a bit chemical but don't have the bitterness that the syrup does. I toss them into ice cream but mostly prefer to just grab a tablespoon full for a snack now and then.

Well, the past year didn't go as well as I hoped. I spent 3 months on low cal/low fat then 5 months on low carb maintenance. I managed to get off 30 pounds (sometimes a little more) and hold that off. I would have liked more but anything going down is better than the past 6 years of increases.

For the new year, I am going to try to be more specific than "I'm going to lose weight". This year I am going to set a goal. I want to say 50 lbs but I think I will try for at least 30 by mid June and then re-evaluate the situation. I was too open ended last year. At the same time, I don't want to be too restrictive this year. If I just keep going negative I will be happy LOL.

I am currently eating whatever I want but being mindful of everything I eat. When I head out for groceries in mid Jan it will be low cal/low fat all the way. I will not try the frozen dinners approach this year. I don't need the chemicals and last year did teach me some ways of making LF foods from scratch on a low budget. It is winter and the high electric bills means lots of cheap potatoes and rice.

I am already tired from the bread this past month but I intend to stay LF until at least May or
Jun. I hate the food but I guess it is time for some pay back after all those years of indulgence. If I have lost at least 30 lbs by Jun I will again try to do a low carb maintenance diet for awhile. While I prefer eating low carb, I can't seem to lose weight by it because I keep wanting to add a few high carb items like a cup of yogurt, an apple or a box of raisins for my snacks.

Hope everyone else is doing well and losing or at least maintaining.
Happy New Year,
Linda B in TN:}