Well.....6 more days to go on my first Fitness Magazine Diet Bet and I don't think I am going to make my weight goal.  But that's okay (sort of) because this has been so much fun blogging (not enough lately) and reading every one else's blog posts!  I love it!  I am very happy that I have found this community of people trying to lose weight and I am definitely going to join the next one and keep doing it!  So I weighed in at 137.4 and was supposed to end at 131.9.  I was very excited to start (aren't we all) and I thought I would be able to acheive this goal!  My plan was to give up sugar and processed carbs and....hey I got this.  I was going to be perfect.  Well wake up call- it was/is a lot harder than I thought!  I have cheated a number of times, a couple of times really bad!  But I have some lessons to learn and that is where reading all your blog posts help me!  I have to learn not to be toooo hard on myself and somewhere along the line accept that I'm never going to be perfect.  I picked not the best time to join this first Diet Bet because I love to run but suffered a stress fracture in June that I am still recovering from and has not allowed me to run all summer.  I am 45 and have been running for about 10 years and for the first time in my life I am starting to suffer some injuries.  This has been my second running injury and this is the first time I have not been able to run at all during the summer.  Considereing this, I'm not doing too bad.  I consider running as a great way to shed pounds and get rid of my belly pooch.  I have only weighed myself twice since the official weigh in and the first time I lost and the second time I gained- more than my official weigh in!  Another problem I know is that in my attempts to not eat sugar I am eating more of everything else- raw almonds, cheese, meat, yogurt, some fruit....and let's not forget about beer and wine.  I know the fruit, beer, wine has sugar in it but I feel that as long as it's not cake, donuts, candy, etc, it is progress in the right direction.  Also I don't track my calories.  I just know by intuition that I am just eating too much.  When I can get back to running I will be happy because I feel it will be easier for me to shed some pounds.  But I am pretty active. I take spin, ride my bike outside with my boyfriend, lift weights, go to the gym, floor exerciese etc....Another topic is my boyfriend but that might have to be for a different blog because I could write a lot.  He is supportive, sortof, but in a critical way?  He is one of the reasons I am doing the diet bet.  He wants me to have a 'smokin hot body' which I want too and have had before but it is very hard for me to maintain and possibly unrealistic?  I'm not sure.  He always tells me I have no discipline.  Last weekend we finished a 26 mile bike ride at a good pace and when we were resting he tucked my back fat (not a lot) into my sport bra.  Did he really need to do that?  I mean I don't have a disgusting body by any means!  In fact when we go out I get a lot of positive feedback.. But like I said that is for another blog!  But anyway here's to a great community of Diet Betters and I'm so happy to be here!