So what’s your diet downfall? Or, if you are going to splurge, in your opinion, what food or drink makes the splurge worth it?

Here’s my short list:
Cheese
Avocados/guacamole
Wine
Nutella
Chocolate
Warm, fresh bread

Did I mention cheese?

I eat healthy and I even try and diet.  I will admit I fall off the wagon with my calories on the weekend but I really don’t go crazy and feel like that should be okay, right?  (I’m a huge fan of MyFitnessPal.com, which I’ve blogged about a bunch here before.  That is the site I use to calorie count.)

I’m now over three weeks into my diet, I’ve worked my A$# off, only to have lost a pound and a half.  Really, scale?  And the worst part is that when I started (the 1.5 lbs up), I was bloated and heavy coming off of a vacation.  So I don’t even know if my hard work has lost me that weight as I probably would have lost it anyway.

Reality is starting to set in and while I’m doing everything right, I know why it doesn’t come as easily as it used to:  I’m not so young anymore.  It’s a little bit depressing to think about a time when I could decide to go on a diet for a week and lose five pounds by eating a tiny bit less and going for an occasional run.

That’s it, right?

And what will I have to do when I’m 47 to lose weight?  Or 57?  Not eat?

I’m just frustrated.  I know that I have to stick with it.  I’ve gone slow and steady before and had success with it but I’m having a hard time working so hard and seeing very little results at this point.

I lost almost 15 pounds in the summer of 2010 using a free diet and fitness site, MyFitnessPal.com.  I’ve talked about them over and over here and I still swear by it.

Which is why I’m back on it as of this week.  (Well that, and the fact that I’ve gained back 8 of those 15 lbs.)

Losing weight isn’t easy. I know it isn’t.  I have to workout and workout hard, and I have to eat less.  There’s no quick remedy and it’s about persistence and patience.  I have to remind myself of this daily or I just can’t do it.

I got out of the workout groove this past summer.  Then one too many tasty margaritas on the deck hit and I don’t even know, but the fall came and it hurt to button my pants.

No more excuses.

One of the nice things about getting back into the diet and exercise routine is remembering how much I actually do enjoy working out.  I’m only three days in but I already feel worlds better.

Trying something new: And, I tried a new class today!  I went to my first ever Spin class.  I’m not kidding when I tell you guys, I don’t think I’ve been on a stationary bike since sometime in the mid-90s.  I always hated how it hurts my butt (that hasn’t changed) but didn’t realize what a real grind it can really be!  I sweat up a storm!  And this was after I had run 3 miles on the track so I’m feeling pretty pleased with myself tonight.

Who’s with me on working out and getting healthy this fall?

Personally I’ve been talking about getting back on my fitness and diet from last summer and so far so good.  The biggest challenge I find this time of year is the motivation – or lack thereof – when the cold weather hits.  When there’s snow and cold outside, I want to just curl up inside of my house on the couch with a big cup of coffee and plate of carbs.

And I have a wonderful local gym I work out at – but I like that I don’t have any excuses not to work out at home.  Between the Wii and workout videos, there’s really no reason I can’t burn some calories at home too.

I recently received a box of new workout DVDs that I thought looked pretty good – if you don’t have a Wii or are looking for a new video, here are some ones to check out:

Jane Fonda Prime Time – Fit & Strong – $8.99 (down from $14.98) on Amazon with free shipping.  I love that Jane Fonda is still putting out workout videos.  I used to workout to her Step Aerobics all the time in college and she definitely still has it.  I hope to be this fit at her age.  Fit & Strong includes two 25-minute basic workouts that include a little of everything – strength training, burning fat, etc.  This DVD is brand new – it released November 30th. She also released Jane Fonda Prime Time – Walk Out, which is a walking workout for folks who like to walk to stay in shape.

Jillian Michaels  has released two new workout DVDs – Six Week Six Pack ($8.99 on Amazon) and Shred-It With Weights ($7.99)  She’s hard-core as always but she gets results when you stick with her!  I have to admit, I wasn’t on the Jillian plan until I met her in 2009.  

She was so genuine and nice, it only inspired me more to workout with her as you know she’s pushing for results as she truly wants everyone to succeed in their fitness goals.

And while we’re talking Jillian, it only makes sense to transition into the new Biggest Loser workout DVDs – Biggest Loser: Power Walk ($8.99) and Biggest Loser: Cardio Max Weight Loss ($8.99).  If you’re a fan of the show, these are two DVDs worth checking out to kick it into high gear with your New Years Resolutions.

From May to September, I lost 15 pounds.  I was probably strict about the diet and my exercise regime fairly devoutly for 14 weeks or so.  It wasn’t a quick weight loss.  I counted calories, I hit the gym several times a week and I didn’t sweat the random weekend days that I may have gone over or didn’t do as well as I did the day before.  I lost about a pound of week.  I stuck with it because I found the website and program to be extremely easy and fun to use.

You can see my review from August of 2010 when I was down 10 pounds.

Now here I am at the end of December and while I have to be honest and admit that I haven’t been eating the healthiest, and I’m certainly not working out like I did, I’m happy to report that I’ve maintained my weight from the end of my time on MyFitnessPal.  Well, mostly.  In the end, by September I had lost 15 pounds.  I’ve gained 3 since then which I can attribute to Peppermint Bark and Christmas cookies.  But it even feels like more than two pounds as I’m bloated and have had about as much exercise as a sack of potatoes over the last few days.

So along with millions of other people, I’ll be starting back up on a diet and health regime in the New Year.  I plan on joining back on board with my account at MyFitnessPal.com.  It’s just too easy not to – the straight calorie counting, the ability to input my food and exercise into my profile via the web or my iPhone – it’s simple and it works.  I implore anyone who is going for a diet and fitness resolution this year to check out this site.  It’s user-friendly, simple and best of all – free!

If you know me, friend me!  The best part of the site is that it’s Facebook-esque if you want it to be.  My parents, sister and aunt all dieted with me last summer and having the group together to post encouragement on each others walls was an inspiration.

Check out MyFitnessPal.com and let me know what you think!  I wasn’t paid or asked to write this review, I just love the website and think it’s a fabulous fitness and diet tool and what’s better than free?

Whether you start now or after the holidays, treating yourself to a meal with Healthy Choice.  I actually relied on meals like those from Healthy Choice (their Steaming Entrees are awesome!) this past summer when I went on a diet and lost 12 pounds.

It’s so nice to have a meal that you can grab on-the-go. It really helped me to count calories and curb myself in terms of portion control.  And they’re delicious too!

Be sure to visit the Healthy Choice Special Offers page too to print out a coupon for $1 off their frozen meals and $.50 off ice cream.  It’s never to early to start!  While I haven’t been dieting during the season, I’m trying hard to at least maintain my weight throughout the holidays and I’ve definitely been relying on easy and delicious meals like the ones Healthy Choice makes.

Disclaimer:  Healthy Choice is a sponsor of the Gift Guide Girls, a website which I’m a partner in.

So it was my sister and family who tuned me into MyFitnessPal.com, which is shocking in and of itself as I’m the social media one in the fam who had never heard of this website.  Nevertheless, my sister and parents convinced me to join the “family diet” but joining what we’ve dubbed the Facebook of dieting – MyFitnessPal.com, a totally free calorie counting, diet & exercise journal. 

Last May, I got sick of feeling like I wanted to lose a little weight but doing nothing about it.  I joined this site with my family.  I’ve been very healthy and reasonable about it but I’m proud to report that I’m officially 10 pounds less than when I started in May!  It’s been slow and steady and it’s involved a lot of calorie counting and getting into a work out regime.

You create a profile, input your weight, height and how fast you’d like to lose.  MyFitnessPal.com will give you a daily calorie goal.  You’ll gain extra calories to eat the days you work out.  And there’s a whole community aspect (boards) where you can find other users for support if you’d like. 

I’ve really enjoyed the interface – it’s simple to use.  I do it online but when I’m in a pitch, I use the iPhone app to login (also free).  Check it out – whether you have 5 lbs or more to lose, it’s a great tool.

Sharla said, “What would I gain?? 1 more healthy mom=1 more healthier family of 5!”.

Renee said, “What I have to gain by losing weight is the respect of my kids. I am always preaching to them about eating right and getting enough exercise, yet I am very overweight. I am tired of being a hypocrite. I want my kids to be proud of me and I want to take care of me as much as I take care of them.”

Weight Watchers Second Annual Lose for Good Campaign started August 30 and goes to October 17. For every pound members lose, Weight Watchers will donate up to $1 million dollars to Share Our Strength and Action Against Hunger.  This campaign empowers Weight Watchers members to become healthier while also doing good for others.

If you want to donate to a food bank and aren’t a Weight Watchers member,  please  google “Food Banks” to find one near you.

“Lose for Good” Ambassador Jenny McCarthy and Weight Watchers CEO David Kirchhoff kicked off the 2009 “Lose for Good” Campaign at the Arroyo Head Start in Altadena, California. This community garden, designed and installed by Teich Garden Systems will bring healthy and fresh food to a community in need. Jenny McCarthy and David Kirchhoff broke ground this garden and along with Bill Shore from Share Our Strength, Sarah Copeland from Food Network’s Good Food Gardens, and several Weight Watchers Leaders, actually planted with young students. Maria Menounos from Access Hollywood covered the event.

I was invited to this kickoff, along with 5 other incredible bloggers, Melissa of Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans, Arianne of To Think is To Create, Esther of FaintStarLite, Rebecca of Does This Blog Make US Look Fat, and Ronni of RonisWeigh. Click here to see my Whrrl slideshow of the event.

Jenny McCarthy was inspiring in sharing her own story of growing up with little money and how she learned how to eat healthy. She shared that she and boyfriend Jim Carrey recently planted their own organic garden.  This Community Garden at the Arroyo Head Start Center will provide healthy organic vegetables and fruits to the students and will also serve as a teaching tool with math, science and health lessons for thm.

As an educator, mom, Weight Watchers member (and former Food Network staffer from 1994-1999), I was touched to see how much these children loved planting and working in this garden– as well as very impressed to what the Lose For Good Campaign accomplished last year. Weight Watchers donated $1 million dollars to Share our Strength (which fights childhood hunger nationally) and Action to Hunger (which provides solutions to hunger globally), 2000 local food drives were established and 1.5 million pounds of food was donated by local food banks by Weight Watchers members – not to mention that Weight Watchers members lost a total of 4 million pounds! I can’t wait to see what Lose For Good does this year and I’m happy to report Weight Watchers will be sponsoring 2 more community gardens, along with Share Our Strength and Food Network’s Good Food Gardens.

I was asked by Weight Watchers to help promote Lose For Good. They sent me on this trip to be at this kickoff event, but are not paying me for this or any future postings.

To help kick off the the Second Annual Lose for Good Campaign, Mommies With Style will be giving away two 3-month memberships –good for in-person meetings or online membership. Current members who want to extend their membership by 3 months are eligible. 

If you want to donate to a food bank and aren’t a Weight Watchers member, google “Food Banks, plus your zip code” to find one near you. If you want to start a community garden for your community garden, click here for some info.

To enter our Weight Watchers Giveaway:

The giveaway question is What do you  have to “gain” by losing weight? This is courtesy of my Weight Watchers Leader Rosalie.. Please enter here, under our original post.

For extra entries:

1) Follow @mommieswstyle and @mwsnancy on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway to the hashtags: #loseforgood and #mommieswithstyle.

For example, tweet something like this:
RT @mommieswstyle Enter the #loseforgood Weight Watchers Giveaway http://bit.ly/154nrp #mommieswithstyle

Then leave a comment under the original post letting us know you did.
and/or
2) Become a fan of Mommies With Style on Facebook (Click here to find our fan page) and leave us a comment letting us know you did.

You can enter once a day on this site, Twitter and Facebook. We’ll choose the winner randomly on September 7th, 2009. You must be living in the US. to enter.

The first lap was easy. The second lap was difficult. I wanted to stop but pushed myself. The last lap was surprisingly much easier. So, I’m hoping my walk Sunday is just as pleasant. My fabulous mother-in-law, and possibly my neighbor will be walking with me.

The 5K I will be participating in is the Autism Speaks’ 2009 Walk Now For Autism 5K which will be held on June 14th in NYC. Start your own team, or click here to join/support the Mommies With Style team. If you want to follow me on Twitter, to know how I did, use @MWSNancy.
For more details & other perks about the Weight Watchers Momentum Challenge, go to www.weightwatchers.com/walkit.

So, now I’m turning to you, readers. Any ideas for how to walk 3.1 miles easily?