Another week on the Core program, woohoo! I've already eaten all my points for the week, so it's nothing but healthy Core from now on. I feel thin!

I can't believe how successful this week was! I lost 5.4 pounds, and I know it's because I switched to the Core plan. I ate much more healthfully than I did before. I didn't follow it exactly - I did go over on my weekly 35 points. But overall, I followed the rules of the plan. I chose places to eat that had more options that would work for me. I went to Outback twice, and had a sirloin steak, baked potato and steamed broccoli, all with no butter. It was fantastic - and no points! I also went out to Joe's Crab Shack, and had peel and eat shrimp, parsley potatoes and corn on the cob. At work, I'd have a salad and bring a grilled chicken breast from home, in case there weren't any good options that day. It was definitely challenging, just because it was different than how I'd gotten used to eating. But it wasn't impossible, and losing 5.4 pounds made it all worth it!! I'm doing it again this week!

This morning, I was looking at myself in the mirror and did a double take. I saw these shadows on my neck. I inspected closer, wondering, What is that? It was my collarbone! It had been so long since I'd seen it!

A woman at the meeting tonight remarked on how she could tell I'd been losing. It was so nice to hear. Our regular leader came back tonight, and she won the leader of the year award for the county. It was great to have her back. She's so encouraging. It turns out the leader who was subbing for us wasn't the one who had won the leader award before. That person couldn't make it, so she was a last minute sub.

Tonight, I have a renewed sense of determination. It might take me a while, but I'm going to lose weight. No matter how long it takes. Even if I lose half a pound a week, I will keep losing. I want to hit my 10% goal by Christmas. That's about 13 pounds away, so I think it's doable. I'm off to go grill some chicken breasts!

I've learned so much this week. I started on the Core plan on Tuesday. For those of you who aren't familiar with Weight Watchers, the Core plan is a modified low-carb eating plan. All the fruits, vegetables, lean meats, non-fat dairy you need to feel full (not all you can eat, just full). Some grains are also on the list: oatmeal, Cream of Wheat, etc. At one meal a day, you can have a potato, whole wheat pasta or brown rice. Then you have your 35 points a week which you can use on anything you want, including bread. I decided to give it a try, because I'd heard some positive things about it at my meeting. I have dropped an amazing amount of weight this week. I've only been eating this way for four days, but I feel like I have more energy, and I've lost at least 4 pounds, based on what I can figure out on the scale. It really seems to be working for me. I can't wait for my weigh in on Monday!

This plan is definitely tougher, though. I don't enjoy eating as much, but I feel so much better during the day that it's worth it. I'm thinking that maybe I'll alternate, and do one flex week and one core week. I also went and worked out at the gym last night. One thing that is more difficult is going out. It's tough to find menu options that are just plain. And if you have one meal out, it can blow half of your points for the week. Otherwise, I haven't found it as hard as I thought it would be. I made my own yogurt on Tuesday with some frozen raspberries and plain non-fat yogurt. It was so sour! I didn't realize how much sugar goes into processed yogurt. Once I put a couple of packets of Splenda in, it was pretty good.