A Taste of Home

I always wonder if everyone has the same problem I do when it comes to food from back home. Maybe it's just all the delicious food we have here in NJ. The cuisine here really reflects the NYC and Philadelphia influences. 

I am originally from South Jersey. I usually tell people unfamiliar with the area that I'm from a small town near Cherry Hill. If that is not enough, I tell them it's just outside of Philadelphia. When I am away from my hometown, I miss things like good pizza, rolls, diners, delis, cheesesteaks, Wawa, etc. Looking back now, I can see why I was obese my entire life. The food here is phenomenal.

Well, Dan and I temporarily relocated to South Jersey while we wait for our house to finally close. His mother was kind and patient enough to take us AND our two cats in. Dan and I have to commute an hour and a half for work and bar prep classes each day. Unfortunately, the commute has replaced my daily exercise time. To make up for it, Dan and I went on a long walk through Pennington Park.   However, that one workout does not compensate for all the local eats I have enjoyed recently.

I had veggie pizza (and salad) on Friday, a six-inch Italian hoagie on Saturday (which totaled 28 points!), and a six-inch chicken cheesesteak hoagie today. I regret eating all those unhealthy meals in the same week, but I enjoyed every bite of them. I think they have satisfied the craving, and I can get back to my usual eating habits. I have to say, it tastes good to be home!

What is one dish or food that you love from back home?

U.S. News Ranks Best Weight-Loss Diets

This morning, while munching my breakfast, I heard HLN report that U.S. News ranked the Best Weight-Loss Diets. I was interested to see the criteria they used, where popular diets fell on the list and, of course, which diet came in first. As someone who has had tried their share of weight loss diets, I was interested in seeing what the "experts" thought. 

Coming in first- Weight Watchers! I cannot say that I am completely surprised. I have spoke to many people who have experienced success on WW. Some experienced success long ago, but still speak of it fondly. Many former WW participants still stick to some of their WW-trained habits and are happy to share their advice. One of my favorite aspects of the Weight Watchers diet is that participants are eager to convert others to the diet. In fact, I wouldn't be here today if my close friend and my mother had not encouraged me to try the program. When you see those around you experiencing great results, it is hard not to give it a try. I would like to thank them for helping me change my mind about WW, change my eating habits, and change my life.  

Enough with the emotion-- back to what I'm sure you are here for-- the results. Jenny Craig and the Raw Food diet also made the top 3. I think it's interesting that both Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers have a large emotional support aspect about their program- maybe that is the key to successful weight loss. After all, I'm here blogging about my journey in hopes that I can find others that can relate and one day inspire someone else to turn a new leaf. I think they're on to something there.

I wish I had more time, but I have to get back to studying for the NJ bar exam. If you are interested in reading about the criteria used in the rankings or how other diets fared, check out the full list here.

Happy eating, everyone!

Too Busy to Chat

I'm sorry it's been so long since I have updated the blog. Since I last blogged, I went on a week-long trip to Disney World, graduated law school, and temporarily relocated to NJ to begin studying for the bar exam while we wait to close on our first house! Rest assured, I have not given up on my weight loss journey. My weight loss may have slowed, but I'm still determined to keep losing weight. 

Today is Tuesday... Weigh-in Day! Despite all my stress and cost-saving eating habits, I still managed to lose weight. I'm proud to report that I have broken into the next 10 pound range AND--- wait for it--- I finally surpassed by "short term" weight loss goal. When I was at my heaviest, this is the weight I thought I wanted to be. I always told myself that I didn't want to be so thin that I lost my curves. Needless to say, I can still appreciate my goal, but feel I can afford to lose another 34 pounds, especially considering my BMI is still close to obese. I'm supposed to go indoor rock climbing now that I reached a goal. However, I think we need to put the money towards something else right now-- like items we need such as a new bathing suit, washer/dryer,  lawnmower, etc. I'm boring... I know. Lol!

Total Weight Lost:  83 pounds