HiYah! I met my 1st Mini Goal this morning! WooP WooP! It was to lose 10 pounds. I joined 3FCs 10 days ago and have lost 11 pounds since then. Kinda patting myself on the back for it. My second mini goal is to lose 5 pounds by the time I can get a ticker . . . which is another 9.5 days. lol. I think I can do it.

I'm not on a "diet" per say. I am dedicated to eating healthy, realizing that giving in from time to time is normal and I deserve it! I will limit myself though. I have decided that if I go 3 days without a pop I can treat myself to a SMALL cherry coke from Steak N Shake, which is my weakness!!! If I go 3 days without eating anything unhealthy I can have a candy bar or some thing of that nature. Along with those I have also promised myself to spend at least one extra hour running and playing with my kids IMMEDIATELY after I eat or drink the oh so yumminess that has made me fat!

As for exercising, I refuse to join a gym! I'd rather be active and spend time with my family at the same time. We have been hiking a few times and I make a point to go places that involve lots of walking. ex: the Zoo, Childrens Museum etc.

So far so good!

My 1st week I focused on my food and liquids. I drank one less pop per day and have had oatmeal or fruit for breakfast a salad for lunch grilled chicken raw veggies ect for dinner. If I get hungry in between meals I've eaten and apple, or some celery with peanut butter and raisins. AND drank a bottle of H2o! Lots and lots of H2o!

Now that I'm in week 2 I've started being much more active. On top of chasing 4 children around all day, I do as many sit ups as I can do before I even get out of bed and again before going to sleep. As soon as my 1yo lays down for a nap I'm up and down the basement stairs, doing squats while doing laundry, washing the van, I no longer use my mop I do it the ole fashioned way! Anything I can come up with to burn more calories!

I'm literally feeling great! I can't wait to lose more pounds and gain more ME!

Congrats on your loss so far and your commitment to a healthy lifestyle! It's awesome you feel so great.

The idea of rewarding ourselves with food treats for eating on-plan is a really interesting topic and one that is often discussed here. Some people prefer to use non-food rewards, to avoid creating up a relationship with food where some food is out of reach/to be desired/off limits except as rewards. Others see it as a useful diet break. Just something I wanted to throw out there as you continue to figure your routine and what works for you.

Your idea for exercising is awesome- trying to incorporate as much movement as possible throughout the day. Way to go

Also, don't get discouraged if your weight loss slows! Many people lose dramatically at first (due to water weight) and then see a slowing and steadying of weight loss after the first few weeks. Don't let this get to you! You are doing great so keep it up!

Just a thought related to what indiblue brought up with food rewards...perhaps another way to approach treats would be "I'll only have 2 desserts per week" (or however many) instead of seeing sweets as a reward, they are a controlled element of your plan. Two per week would also be about the same as having one every three days if you stay on plan. But, it's your plan and you have to decide what works for you! So if your system now is working and you are happy and healthy, that's what counts.

Your kids will thank you for all that playtime - sounds like you're setting a great example

Edit: Since you asked in your title and I forgot to write it... my plan is a combo of portion control, increased veg, reducing bread/pasta, and waning off the sweets. That and some cardio (skipping, jogging) and hopefully strength training in the fall when I work up the nerves to try out the free weights.

Rewarding yourself with food is a terrible idea. Food is fuel for our body, nothing more. Reward yourself with a nonfood reward. All you are doing consuming sugar treats is keeping the craving for sweets alive.

I think I have to disagree with QuilterinVA here: "Food is fuel for our body, nothing more."

Food is pleasurable! It is social! It's important culturally and historically. It's satisfying and it is fun and it is exciting.

Food-as-reward is contentious, but if it works for you then GOOD for you! I try to give myself non-food rewards... but then also work those treat-type foods into my regular plan. As long as everything fits into my plan, I can have it when I want it. It might be easier for you to space them out on a regular every-x-days kind of schedule.

Good luck!! If you trip up, just keep going right back on track ASAP, and don't be afraid to 'tweak' your plan if you find it not working.

I agree with EmilyMartis wholeheartedly! I find nothing wrong with rewarding yourself with food. Food rewards don't have to be hostess twinkies, bon bons, etc. I LOVE to reward myself with a nice homecooked "LOBSTER & CRAB", side of baked potato w/butter, grilled asparagus dinner with a nice slice of cheesecake! It's a REWARD cuz I can't afford to eat like this everyday...but it's FOOD.

I agree that you should do what works for you. I'd caution against the "I just walked a mile, so I can eat this full plate of PASTA" attitude. But food rewards for reaching milestones, I'm all for.

I'm with the "I LOVE FOOD" club. I also am in agreement that you should allow yourself treats regularly (everyday, if possible). You can simply work it into your daily calories. I find this good for me mentally, and physically.

That's awesome that you're finding so many ways to burn calories! Congrats on the well-earned loss!

I'd rather have a cherry coke as a "reward" a few times a week . . . than crave one so badly my whole plan goes down the toilet and I end up at 196lbs again starting over and feeling worse than when I started! It's working for me so I'll keep doing it.

Thanks for your input ladies!

BTW! I dropped another 1.5 pounds!

Congrats on the weight loss! I think it's fine if you reward yourself once in a while with a treat, so you don't deprive yourself. I've been allowing myself to have a bit of sugarfree chocolate once in a while to curb the chocolate cravings, especially since I've been sticking to my plan and losing weight. I just keep track of everything I eat and make sure I stay in a certain calorie range and exercise every day. But next weekend I plan on rewarding myself with a piece of chocolate cake for my graduation and I'm not going to feel guilty about it because I know it will just be one piece and I deserve to have a treat. Yesterday I rewarded myself with a non-food item by buying myself a new pair of shorts in a smaller size!

I totally hear what you are saying MsThickMiddle - If I am craving something I crave it for weeks. And if I don't give into that craving I just end up eating something equally unhealthy but not as satisfying ex: i've been craving entemanns pop'em doughnut holes for weeks and didnt let myself have them. so yesterday at 12pm when I was feeling stressed and I couldn't sleep I caved and had french toast. After, I wasn;t satisfied and I ate a lot of calories. So I try to always give in to my cravings but in moderation (ex: i probably should have just had 3 pop'ems, gone to the gym and been done with it)