1. What's your top weight, current weight and target?
My top weight was 150. I'm currently at about 124. My target is 115 or a flat stomach, whichever comes first.
2. How tall are you?
5 feet, 3 inches.
3. What's your family situation?
Not married but in a long-term relationship (going on 11 years). We've lived together for about six years. No plans to get married and no kids.
4. Where do you live?
Fremont, CA
5. One GOOD book.
Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver. Also the entire Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin series by Rex Stout. Also Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Also California Rush by Shirwood Kiraly. Sorry, I can't name just one; I love to read.
6. One GOOD song.
Guitar Town by Steve Earle
7. One GOOD TV show.
Lost
8. One awesome food you don't want to live without.
Peanut butter! I don't know why. Before I started this diet, I never ate peanut butter. Now I crave it. I eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch almost every day (I measure out 1 tbsp and use low calorie, multigrain bread-the whole sandwich is 290 calories).
9. One weightloss lie you've heard.
Every ad for every diet product that I've ever seen, particularly the ones that feature "after" pictures in bathing suits. There's no way those women look like that without a lot of airbrushing and/or surgery.
10. The best tip you've received with regard to long lasting slimness.
To count calories. I was really resistant to the idea at first (I was hoping that exercise alone would be enough; I didn't want to change my eating habits). But restricting my calories has really worked. It also hasn't been as hard as I thought. There are some foods I've had to give up (cheese, desserts, sugary breakfast cereals
) but overall I don't feel deprived
. I found a number of low calories foods that I really like and I enjoy looking for new recipes that fit into my calorie plan. I feel like this is something I can continue doing (for the rest of my life--I hope! The idea of maintenance is very scary!
).
- Barbara