Unofficial weigh in, but it will have to do

I'm still in our NH house this morning, but wanted to keep the weigh in, so I'm using the Wii Fit to log my weigh in today.

This week's weigh in: -1.1 lbs.
Total weight loss: -15.2 lbs.

Also achieved: My third "Five Pounds" star on Weight Watchers, though not yet all the way to 10% loss, though I'm about about a half pound away from that goal.

If I can sustain the 15 lbs down through Christmas (I won't consider it official until after I survive the holidays) I'll be officially half way there!

I've got 4 more weeks until my next "every 10 weeks" check in for photos and measurements. (Jan 4th) But one thing I know I can comment on, in a way different from "my pants don't fit" is about the muscular quality of my thighs. Yeah, I know -- an odd thing to talk about, but I'm kind of psyched about it, so here you go.

Last week, in the power pilates class in NH (on the mats, not the reformer class on the machine that I take back in MA), we were doing an exercise we normally do; we were doing scissor legs where, while lying on our back, we would alternate holding each leg in the air, and pulling closer to our body, to get a good stretch with each alteration. We do this sort of move each week. Well, this time, with each holding of my thighs, I could not believe how muscular they were! Usually, it's much more flab than muscle, but I've noticed just how much muscle mass I've gained in both legs.

Part of this is the pilates class in NH, and a LOT of it is the pilates reformers class that I love, which really focuses on the legs in most classes, in addition to the other parts of the core and the arms. And part of it is just plain being more active, I know. But I'm excited about it because it's an indication of better overall health and strength, once again, reminding myself that this whole journey is not just about the scale.

Dangers this week: well, for starters, we're getting into the holiday season... with less than 3 weeks until Christmas, I expect to start seeing a lot more of baked goods in the office, both home made and gifts from vendors. Last week, I managed to say no thank you to the brownies from a vendor and to the pumpkin spice cake from one of our companies that made it into the office. I am trying to do as close to a zero tolerance policy on this stuff as possible, but I know there are always potential for breaches. AND, if you can believe it, I hope to do some of my OWN holiday baking next weekend (just cookies) and I'm certain I'll have to taste a few of those. I know I can indulge with some moderation, selectively. It's just a matter of making sure I'm making the best choices possible each time I have the opportunity to succeed.

I hope all of you are dealing well with the holiday treats coming into your homes and places of work!

Thanks for reading!