Man, It's May! Weight Loss Progress

So I've been mentioning in a few posts that I am following the Hungry Girl Program and have been pretty faithful since September of last year.  I am not out to break any speed weight loss records but instead am taking it slow and steady, that way I don't feel like I am depriving myself and I am making it a sustainable habit.  So far I've lost a little over 43 pounds and have not been at this weight since 2006.

Here is a comparison photo from August 2016 to February 2017 and then one from today.

In addition to following the plan, I've begun taking a walk around our neighborhood daily and doing some plank exercises at night before bed.  I am definitely not a fan of exercise and though I had a membership to Planet Fitness a few years ago, I think I only went 10 times in a year and a half.  I don't run.  I have never been a runner.  When I walk I listen to music and use the time to look at the world around me and do some thinking.  When I first started doing planks I could only hold it for 30 seconds.  Now I am up to at least 2 minutes or more.  It requires no special equipment. 

I've been keeping a food calendar/journal since I started and write down pretty much everything I eat during the day and note the exercise I do.  I've been wearing a basic pedometer and keep track of my step count.  Since I work from home doing transcription which keeps me at a desk most of the day, I was not getting too many steps in.  I find that if I can get at least 6000 steps a day, I notice weight changes.  Each time I hit a lower number on the scale I give myself a star.  This month I have 4 stars so far!  That may only mean a loss of 4 ounces, but it is motivating me when I see the stars to keep going.  I also took my measurements so when I hit a patch where I feel like nothing is happening on the scale I re-measure and the decreasing numbers help me see that something indeed is changing. 

I am taking medication for diabetes and my most recent numbers were so good that if they continue to fall I may be able to cut it down, if not completely eliminate it.  Since diabetes is in my family and I had gestational diabetes when I was pregnant, I am not surprised I have it now, but keeping control of it is important.  

Preparing four meals at a time is helpful, especially on those really busy days.

Drinking these teas has been a staple.

This is one of the "snacks" you can have - strawberries stuffed with ricotta cheese and topped with chocolate chips.  I could have had 6 stuffed strawberries but 4 was enough.

Trying new things like powdered peanut butter and tofu noodles have been pleasant surprises.  They are not half bad. 

I am about halfway to where I'd like to be but as I said, I'm not out for speed, I'm out for sustainability.  I can definitely tell the weeks and months I concentrate harder than others but overall I'm pretty pleased.  Weight is definitely one of those subjects that is kind of hard to discuss and I'm not at the point where I am comfortable putting my exact weight out there, but seeing the difference in the mirror is pretty cool.   

How about you?  Have a weight challenge/success story?  Love to hear it if you'd like to share.