Some of you may well remember my posts on my weight loss journey. I may not have lost the 22 pounds I wanted to, but I am pretty happy about the weight I’ve lost. Ok, I know you are all dying to know how close I came to meeting my goal. Well, just read a little longer for that.

I could have done much better but for various reasons I sometimes fell off the weight loss wagon. There were days when work made me so tired I just couldn’t face anything else, even 10 minutes of exercising. Sometimes I just felt too down to bother – but life is like that.

To lose the weight I avoid sugar, don’t get me wrong I did eat the occasional piece of chocolate or some ice cream. For Christmas I ate more than my fair share of cake. This simply means that I will have to put more effort into my exercise routine and meal planning for another few months. Other things I did or changed to help me lose the weight included:

• Drinking lots of water
• Eating no carbs after 7, granted there are days when I did give in to temptation. As I said before I’m only human.
• Most of my carbs are had during breakfast, and my snack is usually a cup of tea with some nuts. Lunch for the last few months has been Kellogs Special K cereal with a mid-afternoon snack of tea or nuts or a piece of fruit. For dinner I have a piece of chicken and lots of vegetables.
• Exercise still remains my weak spot, but I’ve gotten better. In addition to exercising I try to walk as much as I can, even at work.

I need to say special thanks to my husband, Owen for his help. He ensured I ate right and exercised. He was a big support as was my son, Jalen. At four he’s quite the expert on exercising and is forever showing what to do.

I eventually lost 19 pounds, took me longer than I hoped, but my doctor was quite pleased. Not only do I now feel better physically, I feel more attractive and can wear clothes I haven’t worn in years. I’ve started wearing makeup again and I cut my hair short, something I was afraid to do for many years because my face was too fat. The struggles are not over yet as I still need to lose an additional 10 pounds and become more toned. I know I will never look like Halle Berry, but I can sure try to look the best I can.

One thing is certain though, I don’t plan to stop working on me. I am developing a healthy lifestyle habit that I aim to make a way of life.