Merry Christmas a day late! Mine was wonderful - family and fun and lots of love.  I've been reading back through some of my postings and realize that I have not been keeping my promise to share my numbers with you.  So that will be my New Year's resolution - a week early. I promise to include my weight with each entry so you can follow not just my thoughts and reflections during this journey, but my actual losses and gains. Because there will be gains. I started this blog at 267. I'm now at 242.5.  I'm more than happy with the loss but know from experience - too many tries to count - that the early weeks carry the biggest losses and that I have frutrating plateaus and gains in my future. But I'm doing it. Slowly - sort of at three steps forward two steps back progress. And my plan for the new year? for 2010? Small meals eaten with no more than three hours between in an effort to keep my metabolism revved, (the only food forbidden is sugar in its refined state as that is my own demon) exercise in some form at least five days a week, and this blog which is doing an amazing job of keeping me honest and focused on my weight loss goals. I've lost 24.5 of the 102 pounds I need to lose with my end goal being 165 - a healthy weight for my 5'9" frame. ONe fourth of the way there.  I'm excited about 2010 - the year during which I will meet my goal, regain my health and prepare to spend the rest of my life on this plan. That has been my biggest mistake in the past - losing the weight, getting to the goal and being so proud of myself that I celebrate with what else? Food! Thereby regaining all that I've lost. This time it can't be about losing the weight - it has to be about regaining my health and the ability to do all those things which I've slowly given up on - tennis, skiing, feeling pretty - it's a long list of things I've lost as I've gained all this weight. 102 pounds. Another person. In those 24.5 pounds I've earned four rewards (I earn a reward with every five pounds lost) with my fifth one a mere half pound away. I've been choosing books as rewards. Big thick hard cover books that take me on a journey of their own.  Next on my list? The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I've heard it's beautifully told. So my New Year's Resolution is to a. include my number every day whether I want to or not and b. keep doing what I'm doing. Eat less, move more all the way back to the real me.