I originally was going to write more often, but I’ve decided to write about once a week.  This way it’s not too boring for you and it will also give me more time to write other things on my blog.  I’m writing this while I’m eating chocolate chips.  Why, you might ask are you eating chocolate chips if you gained ½ pound?  The answer is because I’m craving chocolate and I can weigh the chips on my scale and know how many calories I’m ingesting while soothing my horrible craving.  Today also was Yom Kippur, the day to atone.  Larry and I stayed home and fasted all day (another reason why I feel that I deserve chocolate).  While the chicken for dinner (see recipe below) was cooking dinner we did our closing prayers for the holiday and we broke our fast by dipping apples into honey.  Yum!

Lori’s Sweet Honey Baked Chicken:
I took 2 eggs and ¼ cup of honey and whisked them together in a baking dish.  In another dish I had 4 cups of Natures Path, Organic Flax Plus – Pumpkin Raisin Crunch cereal that I had bought at the natural food grocery store.  I put the cereal into the food processor and gave it a few clicks.  Some of it was ground and some of it was still whole.  I put it into the dish and added salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and garlic powder.  Mixed it all up.  Took the cleaned chicken thighs and soaked it in the egg/honey batter turning it several times then placing it in the dish with the cereal.  Tossed the chicken on both sides to make sure that the cereal got all over the chicken.  Then placed the chicken in a different baking dish that was sprayed with Pam.  I placed the chicken in the oven at 400 on convection bake for 45 minutes.  Do not turn the chicken.  It will get nice and crunchy on the top and stay moist on the bottom.  I served this dish with baked sweet potatoes and sautéed spinach with garlic.

Anyways, while I was leaving a message for yet another person who wasn’t home, I was thinking that I would love to have my readers help me along for a very hard goal I have set for myself.  My goal is to lose 25 pounds by my 50th birthday on April 14.  I am 5’2”, small boned, and there is no reason for me to be at the weight I’m at right now!  I have been on Weight Watchers and a number of other diets over the years but the main problems are:  I love food, I love to eat food, I love to cook and bake, I love to read about food, and as you all know I love to drink wine with food.  Herein lies the problem.  

So I was thinking that if I could go through my challenge of losing the weight while still keeping up with all of the things that I love, that would be perfect.  Knowing that you are reading and cheering me on, or perhaps even doing it with me, will be a great support; then I won’t be all alone.

A lot of my challenges lie in the fact that I have many temptations to not eat properly.  

For example, between bridge, bunco and Assistance League meetings I’m at other locations where I don’t have the control of the food served at least 8 times a month.  The hostess is the one in charge of dessert and snacks.  I always look to see what the snacks are and hope that there isn’t anything that I will have trouble resisting, like M & M’s.  I always ask for a small portion of dessert, and they try to accommodate me, but inevitably I get a “small” piece that is too big.  And when I should take just one or two bites and be happy, I usually finish everything on my plate. Problem #1!  

Where I work, because it’s so boring, people tend to bring in food to help pass the time away.  Problem #2!  

Larry and I love to cook together.  We do try and cook healthy, watch our carbs, but we are still cooking good food.  We also love to have a small bowl of ice cream most nights.  I count that toward my calcium, milk, fat and fruit (if I put banana in it) requirements.  Problem #3!  

I have some medical issues and need to eat 6 smaller meals a day rather than 3 large meals.  Problem #4!  

I know that I need to exercise.  I try and get out and walk or ride my bike for a half hour at least 5 days a week.  However I’ve lately had the desire and need to sleep 9 hours a night.  The extra hour of sleep is eating into my work out time.  Problem #5!  

Problem solver:  Me!  I need to change some of my choices, deal with some temptations and overcome some rationalizations.  With your help I’ll lose my 25 pounds in 7 months, which is about 1 pound each week.  I realize that this is a tough goal, but I am more determined than ever.  At Weight Watchers I was losing an average of ½ pound a week.  If all goes well, by my trip in December to Cancun I’ll be down 12 pounds.  This will help me to feel better about walking around in a bathing suit.  

I know that losing this weight will be a big help in my health and mental being which is very important to me.  The main things I need to work on is making sure that my eating and snacking options are healthy choices, and doing the exercising.