With the holidays and a busy time at work I have not been up on my blog as I should so here's to catching up the past two weeks.

I made it back home after traveling to see the grandbaby and with the bad food and poor food choices, I saw some weight gain but I have recovered nicely. I hit the 170's this week and I could not be happier...I think I said the same thing when I hit 199 but for real for real I am so happy. I think I am inching upon a weight I seen in 2002 when I thought I wanted to join the National Guard. I think I was 172lbs then. I still have more belly and back fat than I can appreciate so I am hoping 18 of those pounds come from those areas and 3 come from my legs and the rest from my arms...lol...I been talking to each body part telling them what I need to see from this over the next couple of months...lol...I hope to be at goal sometimes at the end of Februrary first part of March. I have already bought me a swimsuit for the occassion. It is actually a bikini but in truth I probably would be more like to wear a monokini..A friend of mine has a vacation rental in Winter Haven, just outside of Orlando and it has an open week in February so it would be nice to go down and hang out at the beach. I also have a trip planned to Myrtle Beach SC in July when I should most definitey be at goal and ready to take all kinds of pics.

So back to what my past fews weeks have been like....Resisting the temptation to graze all the holiday treats has been more than a challenge. Thank goodness I have an entire year for these days to come back around again because it has been absolute torture. My carb intake has been crazy...yet my sleeve has worked overtime and still posted a loss. I had a few days where I went up but it leveled out and the scale has been going down consistently for the past week. I had a year end goal of 174lbs and it definitely will be a challenge hitting my goal but I even still I could not be happier that I am even this close to goal...Fingers crossed....

Another positive thing is I think my hair loss is slowing up. However, it is so thin now that I do not wear my own natural hair without wearing a wig piece. My head is already big and so the thin hair dont do it no favors. See pic below. My head looks so big...But I dont go out in public like that...Folk might think I was sick or something...losing weight and hair...lol...

One of the big pieces of news is I met a new guy friend. He is so different then any guy I would have ever dated as he had dreads and facial hair and I usually go for the bald and maybe nice goatee guy...He is light skin and I go for the dark chocolate and he is my age and I have always dated older. But he for whatever reason caught my attention and had held it everyday since we met last Friday. We have hung out everyday and I have not felt so "teenager" giddy in such a long time. I was in a 12 year relationship up until about 6 months ago and I thought I could never see past my ex...I would see other attractive guys but I never had the desire to pursue them or allowed myself to be pursued because I was so caught up in my ex and "saving" our bad relationship. Until now....So I am not sure if I am happier I met a guy that I am having fun with or that I actually am open to to seeing other guys. It feel so good just to know I am moving or have moved past my ex. He was not a good mate to me and so I wanted him out of my system for so long and just didnt know how to shake him...Somewhere along the line I did figure out how to shake him and did not even realize it...I think it has a lot to do with gaining my self-confidence and finding my inner worth that has come with the weight loss...Did I say I love my sleeve? Well I do...I has given me so much more then weight loss. The sleeve is not a fix all but it sure does bring some things to the surface for you to deal with and I am so happy things around me are working themselves out so nicely. I am in such a happy place. I have no expectation of my new guy interests beyond him treating me with respect so if it works out we are just friends I am cool with that too because the starting of that friendship for me seal the deal that the bad relationship was no more.

Happy Holidays to everyone...

HW 232 & SW 227 (VSG 08/17/12 & 5'8)

Week 16 182.0

Week 17 179.0

CW 177.6

[Total Weight Loss 54.4lbs]

GW 155 [22.4lbs until Goal]