Week at a Glance

I'm taking a break from the "sampler" series to give ya'll my weekly update.

*drumroll, please*

Lost 2 more pounds! I'm seriously as surprised as you are. I like to give my body two weeks to adjust, but seeing as Thanksgiving is this week, I won't be surprised if I don't stay *exactly* where I'm at {165!}. I used quite a few flex points in the beginning of the week {um, I think it was emotional eating} so I buckled down from about Wednesday onward. I tried limiting myself to a 3 PT breakfast & 6 PT lunch with a morning snack, just to see how that worked out. The first few days of the week I had a 4 PT breakfast & an 8 PT lunch with no snack in between. For some reason, going without that mid-morning snack, even though I had a bigger lunch, still left me feeling hungrier throughout the day.

I'm still diggin' on my Thomas' Multi-grain English Muffin spread with a Laughing Cow Light. I've had this for breakfast about 3 times this week. You'd really know how much I must like it if you knew I much I love variety. After all, it is the Spice of Life, people!

I tried an Aldi Fit 'N Active Pizza Puff this week, which I will review in another post. I love trying new things to keep my palate happy. I also tried a recipe from Cooking Light magazine for Buttermilk Biscuits. That's another thing on my list to remake & review. I'll just say that they were delish!

I'm reading another foodie book called Trails of Crumbs: Hunger, Love, and the Search for Home. It's the memoir of an adopted Korean girl & how food is a comfort in both her geographical and emotional journey. Part of it is set in France {self-proclaimed francophile here!} and is sprinkled with recipes throughout. I think it's so poetic how much a part food plays in our memories. The author remembers with fondness the dishes her grandfather used to make for her after school. I too remember different dishes I've made throughout my life. I keep remembering how I used to make Chicken Pot Pie with frozen vegetables and Bisquick when I was first married. I laugh at it now, but that dish, which requires little culinary technique, respresents the same amount of skill I had in the area of being an excellent wife.

My small group leader complimented me twice last night for looking "put together". I eventually casually said that it might have something to do with the 20 pounds I've lost. It could also be due to a book I've been studying called Sam Saboura's Real Style: Style Secrets for Real Women with Real Bodies. Love it! You analyze your body type & then the book shows you how to build your wardrobe based on your body. For me, dressing better makes me feel better. Feeling like I look better keeps me motivated to continue my good relationship with food and treating my body well. I realize that throughout my life, I've really only dressed "nicely" when I felt like I looked good. When I was weighing upwards of 180, my wardrobe consisted mainly of sweatpants, leftover maternity clothes {when the timing dictated} and loose fitting cotton shirts. I guess it was because I just didn't even feel bien dans ma peau. Or good in my skin, so to speak. It still feels like a conundrum to me. Shouldn't I have loved myself anyways? Enough to at least present a nice appearance? If I did love myself enough though, wouldn't I have loved myself enough to change my relationship with food & shed that unnecessary baggage?

Have you dressed the same way whether you've weighed 125 or 165? Or is your style based on how well you feel dans sa peau {in your skin}?