Now for Alison’s questions…

Thanks for the awesome comment! I am glad to know I can haunt you even when you are not reading I can completely relate to PMS moments – ugh, I do not think I could enjoy sweets in moderation during TOM….I think the most important thing is to pick yourself back up and keep on going like you are doing.

As far as coffee goes, it really depends on my mood. I typically order a tall (smallest) for 2 pts (it’s CORE if it’s a latte and you can add caramel on top for 15 cal = 0 pts). If I want more, I get a grande (medium) for 3 points with caramel. If I have a chocolate fix, I add 1 or 2 pumps of mocha only for .5 of 1 pt. Here is an interesting fact though…if you order a grande iced latte it has the same points as a tall (2)….I typically do that in the summer.

It’s Ellie’s pictures that ALWAYS make me want to buy her book! MMM, Napa Cabbage Salad…..YUM….maybe I NEED to go look again

Hope that helps,

Danica

regarding the “guilt” about not keeping off the weight you initially lost – I know from experience that the hardest part of weight loss is not actually loosing the weight in the first place, its actually harder to keep it off – the maintenance phase is by far the hardest for me. It takes a lot of trial and error to figure out what works for you – life/weight loss is full of so many ups and downs, so I guess this was one of them for you. you definitely deserved that star!

all that aside, I think you are absolutely gorgeous inside and out – you are glowing! I know that weight loss is more about how it makes you feel more than anything else, so thats why i am so supportive of all your hard work =) I’m here to talk if you want.

I reached goal a few years back and it has been a struggle to maintain ever since. I battle a lot of issues including binge eating. Just this week I had a bad PMS week which led to a major calorie bombardment. Now that PMS is over, it’s back to my healthy eating ways. I’m constantly working on finding ways to improve

What I really admire about your WW journey is that you do not deprive yourself and you can eat sweets a little bit at a time. I do not do a good job at that at all!!!!

I have a question as a new coffee drinker. The starbucks latte – what size do you get? I’d love to try one… soon!

Lastly you asked me about the Ellie Krieger books. I love the photos and reading the recipes but have only tried a few recipes to date. I really liked her nappa cabbage chinese chicken salad. Hmmm I should make it again really soon actually!

My senior year in high school I lost 50 pounds, and before two years was up I had gained ALL of it back. For the last five years I have been trying to lose the weight again, with lots of false starts. Last year was the first year I was able to have another breakthrough with my weight (I lost 35 pounds) and it had a lot to do with forgiving myself for gaining the weight back.

Once I was able to forgive myself, I was able to truly commit to the idea of of healthy living as something that would stick with me the rest of my life–not just until I had lost those 50 lbs again. Thanks so much for writing this post.

No worries ~ The Husband LOVES Vasquez on Wednesdays because it’s right near my Weight Watcher meeting. I like it because I get the night off from cooking and well their tacos are AMAZING. See, told ya, tacos are my goto favorite and totally worth every point

I agree – success is in the journey, not the destination, right?

My heart cannot handle caffeine ~ it literally flips out, skips beats and does crazy things. So, I tried to avoid it as often as I can since it makes me feel awful when I have it.

Have a great day and good luck with the Mexican eats, I know you will do awesome!

Danica

And you are an inspiration, probably to more of us than you realize! I love following your healthy lifestyle adventures! Your recipes inspire me to cook more, and I love, love, love knowing that I’m not the only one out there who is trying her hardest to be healthy, even when it’s an effort–this is probably the main reason I read healthy lifestyle/eating blogs. And 3 cheers to you for setting your running goals and pursuing them in a reasonable, healthy way!! I hope you have success with ALL your goals this year, not just your weight loss target.