Anyway, I think it is a great website so I was really excited when they asked me to guest post! So finally, here is the link to my guest post at Diets In Review. Keep in mind I had to follow some guidelines including the number of words! You know I had to cut it way back! And my topic....How to stay Motivated!

Kara, was so fed up with trying to conquer the metaphoric mountain of obesity that she decided to go climb a real mountain. And not just any mountain, she hiked Kilimanjaro! Mount Kilimanjaro, in Tanzania, Africa, is the highest mountain you can hike to the top of. (In other words, no ice axes, ropes or supplemental oxygen is needed -- assuming all goes well.)

Fed up with failed attempts of dieting, Kara started hiking and then started climbing mountains. She has climbed to various peaks in the United States. However, Kara not only climbed to the peaks, she hiked down into the valleys too! She has even hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back up (An adventure that is on my bucket list!). Kara says that mountain climbing and getting healthy have a lot in common: "They require tenacity, determination, and faith…The path to wellness is full of peaks and valleys". So true Kara!

Kara has a new book out that talks about her up and down journeys with her weight and her journeys up and down mountains! It's called Fat Woman on the Mountain: How I Lost Half Myself and Found Happiness. Check out the story of her 120 pound weight loss and quest to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. She even has some confessions in her book:

“As I trudged through Jockey Hollow on an early-March day, I worried that I had dragged Chris into another doomed weight loss attempt, the kind he’d suffer through for weeks, even though I had secretly stopped by the middle of the first day.”

I have been there and done that! Well not hiked through Jockey Hollow, but I know all too well about starting a weight loss program and then secretly going off of it and not telling anyone! Gosh it is so hard! Thanks Kara for the confession and letting us know that we are not alone in doing that!

And if writing a book wasn't a great enough accomplishment, she is now working on a celebrity trek back up Kilimanjaro. It is coming up in February and includes participants who have famously struggled with their weight loss. Check out the mountain climbers she has rounded up: Khaliah Ali, Muhammad Ali's daughter, Biggest Losers Heba Salama and Ed Brantley, plus-sized model Candice Belfer, Top Chef contestant Andrea Beaman and others. If I know Kara, you may just see this journey aired on a major network! So be on the look out for a new reality show!

You go Kara! I am proud of you and I hope to see you at Fitbloggin' 11! I will be there!

Kara Richardson Whitely’s book, Fat Woman on the Mountain: How I Lost Half Myself and Found Happiness, is available on her website, www.fatwomanonthemountain.com. Kara (@fatwmnonthemtn) lives in Summit, N.J., with her husband and daughter.

The first week of our track meet we had lots of trackers who lost, well won, but they lost! They tracked everything and I was amazed at all the losses! Yes you heard me right. At our track meets you actually want to LOSE!!! And Loseapalooza they did!  Three pounds, two pounds, one pound, three pounds, two and one half pounds, two pounds, four pounds…it when on and on! My problem is that  I didn't join the track team during our first week tryouts! I tried out but didn't make it….You see I tried out in my head! I tried to keep it all in my head, but I would forget about all the stuff I took a bite of or ate and tried to ignore. It just didn't work…so what did I do at my last Weight Watcher meeting? I didn't weigh in of course!

But after everyone's triumphant weight losses, I decided to try out for the track team again! All was well until I got to the first hurdle on day 2,  I didn't quite make it over and my journal fell into the dark depths of my briefcase. On day 4 I jumped the next hurdle and decided I was going to get to our track meet on Saturday as loser. So I got my journal back out and wrote everything down I had eaten on day 3 and day 4! Now I was flying over the hurdles! And success it was! I made it to our Saturday morning track meet with a 1.8 pound loss! I thought that was pretty great considering I didn't quite clear a couple of the hurdles!

I challenge all my readers to join the track team now! You WILL come out a loser!

This awesome sizzling grilling giveaway gift set includes:

• Two coupons for a FREE I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! product
• I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! Summer Newsletter with great grilling recipes
• I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! Grill Basket perfect for grilling veggies, fish or chicken
• Set of Crate & Barrel Corn on the Cob Picks and Dishes
• Crate & Barrel Melamine Serving Bowl
• Crate & Barrel Grill Tongs and Turner
• BBQ Mitt

Here's a picture of what I got and the winner of this giveaway will recieve the same thing from ICBINB:

I have to say that the spray ICBINB is the bomb for grilled corn on the cob and veggies! All you have to do to enter is leave a comment and tell me how you love to spray it! If you haven't tried it yet, then what's the first thing you're going to spray? I will give you another favorite of mine...Clams on the Barbie! Give me more ideas!!! I need ideas!!

The winner will be chosen from random.org on Sunday evening. I will contact you via the email you leave me when you post (remember your emails aren't public...only I see them). You will have to provide me your shipping address which I will forward to "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter". They will then ship out your package to you ASAP! And its a BIG Package!! So get grilling!  If you want to look at some great recipes check out ICBINB website.

There have been a lot of celebrations in my meetings over the last few weeks...It has been truly amazing and inspiring to me! You guys rock! Everyone is disappearing right before my eyes!! Inspired, I went to BJ's and the grocery store Sunday and loaded back up with all the good healthy stuff. I already had some healthy food in my house, but it wasn't stocked like it should be. I also threw away some things that...well just don't belong in a house that I am in!

My next major challenge (other than the daily stuff!) is that I am going camping for 4 days over Labor Day weekend. I am going to bring some healthy food and walk a lot just like I did at OBX. It will still be tough, because I love me some camping food...can you say dutch oven desserts?  I just need to lighten them up and that will help.

It really is sooooo hard sometimes, especially when the scale doesn't go in the right direction. But I know exactly why it doesn't...and that frustrates me. I often ask myself "Why can't I get my act together?" I think it all has to do with the decisions I make in the moment. It is in the moment, my life changes for better or worse. I have to make better decisions over my food temptations...

Thanks everyone for not giving up on me and my blog...I am still here and I actually have a great giveaway coming up! Let's just say....ICBINB contacted me again and if you like to grill, you are going to love this!! See ya real soon....I promise!

1 - I still have a lot of weight to lose!

2 - I hate one piece picnic tables worse than a one piece bathing suit!

Okay, does anyone have trouble getting seated into a picnic table or is it just me? If you watched me "mount" a picnic table, you would think it was an Olympic sport or something! I am just not that flexible that I can hop right in and sit down. And don't even ask me to sit in between two people that are already seated. If I can't fit on the end of the seat, I will choose to stand up and eat!

Every since they decided to make the picnic table only one piece, it has become a weighty issue for my pudginess. I do pretty good getting one leg over the bench, but that other leg…not so much. Sometimes I just choose to just straddle it. I know, not the most lady like thing to do, but neither is getting that other leg over the bench!

So if getting in the picnic table isn't enough, I then have to deal with the itty bitty distance between the table and the bench. I would really like to meet the person that comes up with this "perfect" distance. Even if I get seated at the picnic table, I have to work a whole different set of muscles just to stay up right since there is nothing to lean my back against! How am I suppose to eat during all the this?? What ever happened to the three piece picnic table that we could adjust? Bring back the separated benches and table!

Oh, and let us not forget about about the embarrassing seesaw effect for these one piece wonders that are not bolted to the ground. Just some advice…if you are my size, be careful sitting at the picnic table alone! You might find yourself flipping backwards! For everyone one of me, it takes two Life Time Members of Weight Watchers on the other side! I'm just saying….

This little situation has prompted me to, once again, get my butt in gear! I hope everyone is having a good summer! Stay cool and approach picnic tables with caution!

So as far as food goes, it didn't go real well, but it didn't go real bad either. I know I could have been better, but I also know myself and it could have been a whole lot worse! I didn't make the best decisions but they weren't horrible either and I did do some walking. Seattle is definitely not friendly for a flatlander! There were lots of hills downtown which made a short touristy walk into a Jillian Michaels workout! I even did a 4 mile hike in the Cascade Mountains that was very challenging and hard to do because of the terrain and being sick. But I was there to have fun and not spend it in the hotel room! So over the past two or three weeks I think I may have gained about 5 pounds (according to my scale before and after), but I will deal with that. I didn't binge or eat out of control...I even split a meal or two! But I did eat what I wanted like steak and a baked potato, cheesburgers (ugh, hard to pass over) and other cookout foods for the 4th of July, etc... I am sure I had a lot of sodium since I didn't prepare anything I ate, the restaurants did. Also, I wasn't feeling well and I craved the comfort food and snacks. Unfortunately being sick did not affect my appetite! I tried to stay away from fried foods, creamy sauces and dressings etc...I also avoided all alcohol since I was on several medications. I did try to stay hydrated so I drank lots of water which was easy to do because my meds. gave my the dry mouth. So 5 pounds sounds like a bit much to gain for a couple of weeks but I know it could have been more if I had eaten like the "old me". I am now back on track so I am not going to let the 5 pounds disappointment me! I am still on antibiotics and still trying to fully recover.

Just going on vacation, coming home and getting back on program and not letting it permanently side track me is a huge accomplishment! Many times I have "permanently" fallen off the wagon after a vacation or after several missed meetings. So this is a huge obstacle for me that I have overcome! I am excited about that...

Anyway, I just wanted to post to let everyone know I hadn't vanished. I have just been busy with work and vacation and dealing with this sinus infection (anyone ever flown with a sinus infection? Not fun!). I can't wait to go to my meeting on Saturday! Now its time to go take a nap as I prepare to go back to work tomorrow!

The Weekend really puts a kink in my routine. I kind of have this love/hate relationship with the weekends at this moment. I can't wait for the weekend so I can get a break from work and have some fun, but I hate that it tends to be the time I go off program and then spend the first three days of the week losing what I gained over those two days! UGH! I do much better staying on program when I am at work with my packed lunches and snacks and in my routine. When the weekend comes, I get exposed to way too much food and opportunities to go off program (dinner out, family events, parties, sporting events, movies, etc...). I try to stay focused but it is so hard.

On a good note, I have recently gotten re-attached to my Pedometer. My battery had died and I unfortunately let it lay around for months before getting a new one! Which evidently meant that I couldn't walk! It funny that it is so easy to find an excuse when you really want one! I have to say that my pedometer is very motivating and I know I walk so much more when I have it on as I try to reach mini goals I set throughout the day. For example, I don't get too many breaks at work, but when I do take one I always try to walk at least 500 steps no matter what. Not a lot of steps but I typically don't have a lot of time and those 500 steps add up! Right now, I am trying to work my way back up to 10,000 steps a day. You can follow me over at Walker Tracker which is a great simple and free service that you can use to track your steps! You can also check my walker tracker widget on the right side bar of my blog.

Okay, besides my weekends, I have a huge challenge coming up and it scares me. Sunday I leave for a work trip to Puget Sound in the great state of Washington for one week. I am already on edge on how I can get through it without gaining weight. And if that's not enough of a challenge, 4 days after I get back I leave for vacation for a week! (Ironically, it is to Seattle, Washington). Any thoughts, suggestions are welcomed!

I sat down this weekend and started thinking about things. I realized that I keep thinking these HUGE thoughts...I need to lose another 100 pounds! It will take me another 12 months if I start focusing again right now...I need to drop 10 sizes...How will I ever manage with only 19 points!!!!! (Yikes...that one really scares me!). These goals and thoughts I believe seem so hard to achieve that I am driving (eating) myself into the ruts...okay, ditches! I know I am suppose to set small goals, achievable goals, yet I really haven't. I keep looking at the big picture! And let me tell you....It's a Bigggggg Picture! I should just say Mural! This big picture scares me right back to my comfort food...It all seems somewhat overwhelming at times.

So I have committed to setting some small goals. I need some small wins to get back on track. So here are my goals (starting Monday of course...LOL... just joking, I am starting now!)

1. I will track everything I eat at least 5 of the 7 days this week (I haven't been tracking and I know better. I have proven to myself before that I lose weight when I track)
2. My next weight loss goal will be for 5 pounds (Not 100! Hey, I just want to raise my hand again in my Weight Watcher meeting and finally get another star! )
3. I will walk at least 5 of the 7 days this week
4. I will drink my 64 oz of water every day
5. I will weigh in on Saturday (Yes, I really needed to make that a goal!)

These are basic and yes they resemble typical Weight Watcher guidelines...Imagine that! I just need to follow them! I already feel better and not so overwhelmed!

I know I am not the only one in this boat (ha, ha, now I am in a boat in my ditch), as this weight loss thing is so hard. But we can and will do this. If you find yourself where I am at, please don't give up...join me, in fact I challenge you to join me in setting some small goals and let's go for it together!

I wanted to sit right there and cry with him. I felt his pain, you see I get it! I know exactly what he is going through. You could hear and see the shame in his voice and through his tears. Wow, I have so been there. I wanted to tell him, focus on what you have accomplished...You have lost 150 pounds and just ran a marathon in 4 hours! But I knew he couldn't do that...It is so hard to focus on the good, when you feel like you just keep taking 2 steps forward and 3 steps back. He has lost 150 pounds and yet the same struggles remain.

For me, I feel like I got this daytime thing at work licked (until I have to go to a luncheon or something!). I eat oatmeal for breakfast, have a healthy 2 point mid morning snack, a 4-6 point Weight Watcher SmartOne for lunch. I feel great about the day and sometimes I even get in some walking at work. But then I come home and it is like a feeding frenzy! I eat a couple chips, then a handful of nuts, then maybe a banana (with peanut butter of course!) and how bad can a "small bowl" of Cheerios be? It just continues spiraling out of control with the bites and tastes...Then I feel absolutely horrible about what I just did! Sometimes this all happens before I eat dinner! Why is it so easy to blow it in the last hours of the day. I am not hungry, I am just munching! And it is not that I am eating unconsciously! I am fully aware that I am sticking those chips or nuts in my mouth...I know I am eating and know that I shouldn't be! I think I really do need to just go to bed when I get home! It's not that this happens all the time, but the show really made me more in tune to it after watching Daris struggle through it himself and watching his plea to America to keep him in the finals.

It's kind of funny that the word "munchies" sounds so harmless...like I am not really eating, not really swallowing, I'm just munching..."Snacking" even sounds harmless! But it is not! It can ruin your whole day in a matter of minutes! Minutes I tell you! Minutes! I mean, there is even a point when too much of a healthy choice, becomes not so healthy!

I don't mean for this post to sound like I am having a rough week. I actually haven't done too bad this week. It is just that watching this episode of Biggest Loser really brought a couple of things to light and reminded me of issues that I still struggle with. It has been hard to get it back in gear, but my airplane trip with no seat belt extender is still fresh in my mind for a great reminder of how far I have come. This is the longest I have ever stuck with a program and not given up! I absolutely refuse!

So next time I have a hunch to munch and crunch....I am going to stand up and face it and give it a punch!

Anyone else have problems with evening/night munchies? Do you do good all day and blow it when you get home?