Giving Thanks...

. . . for FOUR pounds lost this week! That's actually a combination of a fluke gain last week and the loss this week. Last week the scale showed a gain of 1.8, which I just knew was not right. I had a bigger meal on Thursday night because we went to a party, and I'm sure it was just water retention from the salt in all the barbecued pork I ate! Either way, I don't really care, because I was down FOUR pounds this week and I'm just ecstatic!

I'm also giving thanks today for all those people who support me in this journey. First and foremost is Ben--my husband and best friend. He's so helpful and supportive of me. I know I can always tell him what I'm struggling with and he'll help me out. If I say I don't feel like working out, he'll encourage me to just walk on the treadmill... "It'll make you feel better, " he'll say. He stays on top of my weekly weigh-ins even from halfway around the world when he's deployed. He always knows when my meeting is and makes sure to call me and ask how it went. If I'm having a hard time he reminds me how far I've come and how capable I am of moving forward. I love him so much and I'm so grateful for him.

I'm thankful for my supportive friends . . . My friend Dayna had us over for Thanksgiving dinner and she made sure that there were vegetable trays and lots of good food choices. She accommodated me in every way--held the baby so I could eat and enjoy adult conversation--made sure that her older kids entertained my younger ones--just basically made what was a very hard day for me so much easier.

For my leader, Nancy. She has this incredible talent of making everyone in the room feel like they're the most important person there. She's wonderful and entertaining and she keeps me coming back week after week. She is real and genuine and knowing that someone who cares is waiting by the scale every week is a huge motivator.

For my mom and mother-in-law who call for weekly updates and congratulate my success.

For my friends who comment regularly on the blog . . . Thank you so much. It means so much to know that there are others who understand, who have felt the way I do (good and bad!) and who care enough to read my rantings and ravings about the weight-loss battle. I appreciate you and you give me strength! I love you all.

So much to be thankful for!