Total weight lost is now 598 pounds! Average is 1.3 pounds.

• Holiday party at work yesterday. I focused on eating proteins and veggies (yay charcuterie table) and limiting carbs. Water mainly but had a half glass of prosecco. Enjoyed a couple bites of dessert (literally of the plates of my coworkers- with permission and clean forks! ?) Walked the mile to and from the venue instead of bus/ Uber like some of my coworkers. (Got 9k in steps for the day!) And got in some activity with some ping pong! (That's me in the grey/blue sweater) My chronic knee pain was manageable yesterday, but I'm feeling it today!
  

• Happy Friday!
  
  Here are some tips to help you stay on track this weekend:
  
  -Plan ahead - It’s so important to be prepared for whatever comes your way!
  -Drink your water - Hydration can ease hunger and help you feel satiated
  -Keep moving - It feels great and burns calories!
  -Moderation - Don't over do the food and drinks
  -Relax - Stress can lead to overeating. Take some time for yourself!
  -Sleep - We need our sleep and it aids our weight loss efforts!
  
  Have fun and make choices that will make you happy when you step on the scale on Monday! You've got this!
  

• Yesterday, I was running about and didn't plan for lunch. I was starving and needed to grab something. I asked my son to order souvlaki (Greek meat skewers) to get protein (i was driving). He ordered the souvlaki pita instead.
  
  I ate the meat, tomatoes and onions out of the pita and ripped off less than 1/4 of the pita to watch my carbs. Pretty proud that I didn't succumb to eating the whole pita! My son ate the 2 fries that were inside?
  

• It’s freezing here in Wisconsin but i actually love taking winter walks because no one is around and it’s so peaceful. Gotta get my steps in.
  

• I started this bet knowing it's not only holiday season, but also my birthday month. A few years ago, one of my kids told me I was "extra" while redeeming a few free birthday treats. I took that as a challenge and signed up for everything I could. We try to outdo the year before (last year I collected 110 freebies! )
  
  Yesterday, my boy and I started collecting. I had some vanilla ice coffee (Cinnabon) while the boy enjoyed a single scoop of Ben & Jerry's. I ate garlic shrimp w steamed broccoli (red lobster) and brought the free dessert home to my girl. We walked the mall and I did 8k in steps, which is huge given my lack of movement due to arthritis in my knee.
  
  My plan is to gift away other sweet freebies and use the process of obtaining them, motivation to move more.