Wedding rings, bike gloves, cooking, rewards...

My wedding ring is loose. Ok more than loose. It used to be a bit too tight and now if I shake my hand too hard it will fly off! I do have a "place holder" wedding ring (plain gold band) and it is a bit smaller so I guess I'll have to switch. I'm not having this one sized till I'm at or very near goal. It's very interesting how losing only a few pounds can make a big difference. Even my bike gloves are loose now. Not loose as in replace them but loose enough.

I'm finding the belly fat is less like Jello Jigglers and more like regular Jello. Softer. Squishier. Oddly I'm losing weight in different places than on any previous diet. That sounds odd but if you've dieted as much has I have over the years you start expecting things Like the cups of your bras getting loose or the shape of your face changing. etc. You look for "signs" that the weight is coming off. Honestly I had *spots* that I expected to see change before others. There is some of that but mostly I see a little bit everywhere. I feel a little bit everywhere. Lets hope this is a sign that this time will be different. So far I'm not feeling like this is a hopeless journey or that I'm being forced to do this due to health or what ever. I really can do this. Having been seriously overweight for the last 29 of my 49 years many would have doubts. I guess I haven't hit any big snags yet. Or maybe I just am in the right place mentally this time.

I know it helps to see DD focusing on eating better and having DH also dieting along with me. Both are doing a wonderful job of supporting without pushing. Being farther away from people that say yeah sure then offer me a cookie helps too.

I love to cook. I've started cooking for the homeless shelter mostly desserts and that seems to have helped as I can cook but don't have keep it around or eat it! DD and I practiced making sushi the other day and ate some for our dinner then sent the rest to the neighbors for their dinner. It was fun but we didn't feel like we needed to over eat even though we made way more than we could eat without exploding. I have noticed that I'm feeling fuller sooner than before and that once full I don't sit and pick at the rest. If I overeat I feel bad. So it's easier to not over eat. Tonight I had a baked potato (3 points) and salad (2 points) for dinner and was quite full. Later I did eat an orange. I'm still on plan. I plan on staying with my current points level even though e-tools said I was loosing too fast. I'll give it a couple more weeks as I think things will naturally slow down a bit soon.

DH asked me tonight (via instant messenger) what my reward would be for hitting my first 10 % goal. Honestly I hadn't thought about it but he rightly said I might hit it sooner than I think. he may be right as it's 8 lbs away and at 1-2 lbs a week that could be as soon as 4-8 weeks from now. I can't figure out exact ally what I want. 10% is good but it's not really my final goal so I don't think It should be a big reward. I don't want it to be food related. I don't wear Jewelry much. I will most likely need some clothes. Maybe we can do something like a family day. What kind of family day I guess would depend on weather and such. I don't know nothing sounds quite right. I'll have to think about it for a while.

Maybe as a reward I can start collecting some Bike maps of different places around the world. Something we could use to research possible routes. I saw a cool ad today on TV for New Zealand. But many other places still sound interesting. Switzerland, Holland, France, and many locations in Italy would be nice. The trouble with going outside the US is that it would take a week for travel and jet lag issues and a week for a tour. I still like the idea of National parks in the US or Napa Valley in CA, I saw an advertised bike tour in the Adirondacks which is pretty nice too. That one would be cool in the fall when the leaves turn color, though the area is beautiful all year long. Even considering that there are some very beautiful places all over the world. How to choose from so many?