My first mini goal was to lose 5% of my body weight. I'm proud to report that I achieved that goal in a little less than five weeks. In fact, I actually lost 6% of my body weight.

I have a LONG way to go, so I am focusing on one small goal at a time, but I am happy about this achievement.

Wow. What is your weight loss plan? Congrats! Gogogo

I am counting calories and measuring my portions. Nothing too drastic. I try to stick to 1,500 calories per day, but some days I have 1,550 and some days I have 1,300. I don't eat pasta, bread, or egg noodles (although I don't care for pasta or bread, so it's not much of a sacrifice), I don't eat red meat, and I try to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. I am trying to be reasonable about "junk." I had a piece of cake on my husband's birthday, and I enjoy a single-serve chocolate pudding every Thursday night, but I am not buying pretzels, chips, ice cream, etc. I also stay away from sweetened beverages; I only drink water or diet soda.

I did not add exercise to my plan yet because I wanted to get a handle on diet first. I had to learn new recipes, plan meals so that I could shop for healthy ingredients, and learn new cooking techniques. Now that the diet seems to be working, I plan to do "Sweatin' to the Oldies" DVDs at home. I have lupus, so I have to be cautious about exercise. Right now, it's best for me to do things at home instead of trying to walk miles or take classes. If my lupus flares up, I don't have to worry about being a mile from my house and struggling to get back.

Good for you. Reasonable and something you can follow forever. I chose a similar path - I make up for larger calorie days on other days so it evens out by the end of the week. I have never been a bread/pasta/sweets gal either. I do LOVE a good steak. I hope the exercise intro goes well and that the lupus stays away.