I feel like I’ve been unfaithful – to myself and the handful of people who read this. Last blog post I vowed to regroup and “for the love of Jesus” put down the fried meats, cheese, and the cocktails. I am here to confess that I have not done that. As you can imagine, it is much more fun to blog about successes –thus the lull between posts. And since the point of all of this is to be honest – I am putting it all on the table. Dread! I am up two pounds (but, still down a total of 14).

I have been stuck ever since I brought the boyfriend home. I am not claiming in any way that it is his fault. As I’ve said before, he’s incredibly supportive. Being long distance, we never had to deal with the day to day drags; it was like we were always on vacation. But, now that life has gotten in the way – both of us working and the tough commutes – I especially value my time with him. I am less interested in hitting the gym and it’s harder to eat right.

As for fitness, I am learning the value of incorporating quality time together with exercise – the kill two birds with one stone strategy. The boyfriend recently purchased a bike and we have been riding together a couple of times a week. In addition, we both joined a kickball league are playing the grade school game together with friends once a week. Admittedly, there isn’t much calorie burning occurring, especially with happy hour afterwards, but it’s a start. We both also love baseball/softball and this weekend we played a double header together and often times “hit-up” the batting cages or play catch in the back yard. He may not know it yet, but my next goal is to get him added to my gym membership so we have that option as well. The moral of this story is not a new revelation, rather a reminder – exercise can be fun, especially if you have the companionship of a significant other or friend.

I am having a much harder time adapting to the changes in my dietary routine. In my prior life, I could just come home and cook my boring meals, exercise, and repeat the entire process the next day. This methodology doesn’t work quite the same as it did when I was flying solo. Now, I cook two versions of dinner – one without carbs for me and one with carbs for him. For instance, last night he had Caesar salad, shrimp fettucini alfredo and garlic bread. For me, Casear salad without croutons, topped with shrimp. This weekend he had shredded carnitas tacos with corn tortillas shipped in from Texas. I substituted bibb lettuce for the tortillas and had lettuce wraps. I find myself getting jealous watching him eat without limitation and in misery I continue to turn to fatty meats and brie. Bottom line, I do not think this low carb thing is working for me anymore. I am extremely bored with vegetables and meat, not to mention I am a stand still with my weight loss. I am considering a strategy change. Perhaps it’s time to return to the WeightWatchers point system (previously I lost 30 pounds on it) or do the old fashion calorie counting thing. I am scared though. I have heard horror stories of people reintroducing carbs back into their diets and gaining all the weight back. For this I am soliciting advice – anyone out there have experience in this arena?

Alaska is just weeks away…..and I have 6 pounds to go. HELP!