Getting older has its perks, but one downside is the extra LBs.

Since meeting Steve almost eight years ago, I’ve consistently put on 5-10 pounds each year. The slow gain didn’t bother me so much, I guess, until I hit my all-time high while pregnant with our second.

Our son was born the end of March and I reached my “enough is enough.” Since May when I got my doctor’s “all clear” I’ve been tracking calories and being conscious of my food intake.

I’m STOKED to report that I’m down a total of 27.6 pounds and below my pre-pregnancy weight. (Granted, I feel the weight I still have has been redistributed a little, lol.)

Here’s what’s working for me:

• Consistency in calorie tracking. I’ve been logging my meals via the LoseIt app and it’s not only kept me honest but also made me more aware of my snacking. Plus, the visibility into macros and gamification makes it sort of fun. God forbid I ruin my 78-day streak!

Stocking my pantry/fridge with convenient foods. I’ll never claim to be a cook nor do we do many family meals during the week due to my husband’s crappy schedule. It’s been imperative to have convenient “healthy” foods to reach for, especially for lunches. We always have blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, grapes, apples, peanut butter, mixed nuts, turkey, cheese sticks, Greek yogurt, and tuna packets on hand.

Weighing myself every Friday morning. It’s hard not to get obsessed with the scale and annoyed by the ups and downs. That’s why I’ve tried to limit my “weighing myself” to the same morning every week.

Allowing everything in moderation. We went to get ice cream last night, I enjoyed a couple beers the week before and I plan to eat a big slice of cake on my daughter’s birthday. I’ve found that depriving myself of certain treats would set me off on a path of self destruction, so I nipped that in the butt. I’ll allow myself treats here and there and it’s actually helped me stay on track. I’ll just eat a lighter meal or try to squeeze in another 10-15 minutes on the spin bike. I don’t beat myself up anymore. This is a lifestyle change.

I still have another 30 or so pounds to go to meet my goal weight, but I’m getting there!

Thanks for following along.