TEN

I am officially 10 pounds down as of this week! Actually, it was 10.6 if you want to get specific. ;) Woo hoo! I feel like I'm really getting the hang of this Achieve thing. Shopping is getting easier, cooking is getting easier, and I'm having way less cravings. I feel more confident in myself, because, even though I'm not where I want to be, I'm making progress! On my menu tonight was a taco salad that I made with 99% fat free ground turkey, taco seasoning, peppers, onions, fat free shredded cheese, fat free sour cream, green leaf lettuce, and salsa. It. Was. Delicious. I love having a meeting every week, because everyone shares their recipes and ideas for meals! Someone mentioned taco salad earlier this week, and today in the cafeteria at work it was taco Tuesday, so I saved my appetite for my healthier version! Yum.

Earlier this week was Mother's Day! I had to work in the evening that day, but I got to spend the morning at church with my mom and a few of the other most important women in my life. My mom has been one of my most important cheerleaders on this journey! Really, she's the whole reason I even started Achieve. She has lost TWENTY-FOUR pounds so far. If she loses too much more, she might get blown away! ;) Ok, maybe not. But really, I am so proud of her! Happy belated Mother's Day to all of the wonderful mothers out there!

In our class yesterday, we talked about cookout foods, since Memorial Day is quickly approaching. Turns out, it shouldn't be too hard to eat at least mostly healthy! There are lots of options. Low-fat hot dogs, fat-free turkey franks, lean ground beef, low-calorie buns, salad with light dressing, fruit, veggies, reduced-sugar/sugar-free/low-fat/fat-free condiments...I could go on! I don't know that I necessarily have a favorite cookout food, but I do love grilled hot dogs and hamburgers and fresh fruits. The biggest challenge for me will be controlling my portions!

This week, I have a personal request. I've been debating upon whether or not to share this, but, ultimately, I decided I could use all the prayers I can get! I got my hair done yesterday, and my wonderful hair stylist found a fairly sizable bald patch in the back of my head. It's on the underside of my hair, so you wouldn't notice it unless you moved my hair aside just the right way. It seems to be growing back, but it makes me nervous. It might just be extremely dry scalp that caused it, or it could be something called "alopecia areata" (don't google it...mine isn't as bad as the google images! :P), which is just where you lose hair in patches now and then...it will probably suck, but in the scheme of things, it's no big deal. It's treatable. Alopecia (hair loss) can also be a symptom of other things, like thyroid disorders. I shouldn't be worried, and I know this is so small compared to what so many other strong women have dealt with, but I'm freaking out just a tiny bit! I can't get into my family physician until next weekend, so any prayers between now and then would be very much appreciated. God is great, ALL the time! :)