Ilene - your fitness conference sounds great. You posted somewhere else about your yoga session where you went in hungry & with a headache and came out refreshed. I always have to remind myself of that! Even when I really don't feel like going, I don't think I have ever regretted a yoga class. I really want to go to a yoga/meditation retreat someday. Someday...
So - I switched up my diet about 10 days ago. I have had my first ever significant drop in weight in the past year and am FINALLY back to where I was in November. So basically I gained nearly 10 lbs in ~a week and it took me >3 months of hard work to lose it!! Lesson learned, lesson learned. Those cookies were NOT WORTH IT!
This also means that I am at my low point for more than a YEAR of trying. I am at 143.2 lbs. It has been a couple of years since I have seen the 130s (except for once more than a year ago, I saw 139 when I was sick and hadn't eaten for days!). That's the next goal. According to my year-long plan, I have till June to get there.
The dietary changes I have made (pretty much South Beach but still calorie-counting) have made my overall carbs go down. I am averaging 70-150 g carbs/day, all from veggies, beans and whole grains. Maybe there is something to this carb monitoring, at least for me. I always strived for 40:30:30 Carb:Fat:Protein, based on the Zone but I never got close to it with my "regular" eating/calorie counting. Now it's pretty close without specifically trying for that (for example, Friday was 38:30:32). I'm not technically manipulating carbs now, but it's something to think about.

Now - need to get back on my running program!!