This is our fourth Weigh-in Wednesday, so here’s the update on our progress this last week. At the end of the post we’d love for you to link up to your own update post about your weight-loss progress. We look forwards to cheering you on!

Food

JOY: Like last week, my food recording has been hit or miss. Even so, I’ve pretty much stuck to breakfast, lunch, dinner, and maybe a mid-afternoon snack if I’m hungry. Overall I’m pleased with my portions and food choices this week. I don’t believe I’ve had anything resembling dessert all week!

I did have one weird day (and all you Atkins followers will probably groan when you read this). Last Saturday I took Joely shopping with me. I’d had oatmeal for breakfast, but we got hungry while we were out, so I bought a couple of asiago cheese demis, and Joely and I sat in the Target cafe and ate the bread and drank some water. Between the two of us, we polished off both loaves of bread. When I got home I wasn’t hungry again until late that evening, so I grabbed a small bowl of oatmeal before bed. So yes, it’s horrible, but all I had that day to eat was oatmeal and a loaf of bread. Carbs!!! (My favorite!)

KATE: This was definitely not my best week! On Friday night, my husband picked up Chinese for the two of us to eat while we watched some tv shows from the week on Hulu. I did only eat half, but half of a sweet and sour chicken dinner was not the best option. Then, on Saturday night, he and I went on a rare date night for his birthday. We received an Outback Steakhouse gift card for Christmas. It was my first time ever eating there, and I am ashamed to admit this but I gorged myself! We split a bloomin’ onion appetizer, I had Alice Springs Chicken for dinner, and we split a trio-sampler for dessert. UGH!! But the food was good and the company was better and this was a night to enjoy ourselves, which we did immensely.

Water

JOY: I’d say my water intake is at about 5 glasses a day. Still not using a water bottle, but I’m drinking whole glasses of water at a time. And what’s really good is that I’ve successfully cut down on milk for the fourth week in a row — a big victory for a milkaholic like me. I probably get 0-8 oz. of milk a day instead of my previous 64+ oz. a day like I had been doing.

KATE: I am pretty proud of my water intake still. I probably average 10 glasses a day. And as an added bonus, I figure those extra trips to the bathroom in the middle of the night can count as exercise, right?

Exercise

JOY: Last week was great. This week, not so much. Didn’t get on the WiiFit even once. That WILL change this upcoming week.

KATE: The majority of my exercise has been some dancing and jump-roping with the kids. As of tomorrow though, we are officially members of the Y! I probably won’t get into a good routine until after Blissdom, but at least I can start laying out my plan.

Challenges

JOY: I didn’t have any great challenges this week. I have found it a lot easier to say no, so even if a food would have presented a challenge before, it’s not so big a deal now. I’m very happy with that!

KATE: Obviously, my challenges were those two dinners. Oops!

Successes

JOY: I would have to say that eating only when I’m hungry was my greatest success this week. It’s been a challenge to keep from eating when I’m only head-hungry (in other words for emotional reasons). But this week I was able to keep up my will power long enough to say no until I was actually hungry.

KATE: Other than those 2 dinners, I think I did pretty good. I’ve adjusted some of my snacking routines with no ill-effects and I’m definitely starting to feel full quicker. That’s helpful.

Plans for the next week

JOY: Exercise. Exercise. Exercise!

KATE: My big plans for this next week are to have NO big plans. I want to stick with my routine and not be tempted. I want to spend more time doing more physical activities with the kids too. We’re all starting to get a little stir-crazy and the extra exertion is very needed. I think I may check out a few workout tapes from the kids section at our library so that we can do them together.

Weigh-in

JOY: WooHoo! 160 pounds on the dot. I’ve lost 10 pounds so far, so I’m halfway to my goal!

KATE: No big surprise here - I did not lose any weight at all this past week. However, I didn’t re-gain any of what I’ve lost so far, so I’m not too disappointed.

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Are you trying to lose weight, change some dietary habits, or just eat healthier? We’d love to have you weigh-in with the details of your week. Join us every Wednesday and link up via Mr. Linky so that we can all come cheer you on! Please link directly to your weigh-in post and inclucde a link back to this post.