Yay! I’m down 1.5 lbs. this week. But don’t expect numbers like this each week. I’m nearing the end of my weight loss journey and those last few pounds won’t come off easily.

After more than 3 weeks that stubborn scale finally moved. I’m down 1.5 lbs. Why now? Who knows. The body is such a mystery at times. Truth is I’m starting one of the most challenging parts of my weight loss journey. I’m within 25 lbs. of my goal weight. For my final push to goal, my body won’t give up the fat very easily.

As for the big drop this week (yep, 1.5 lbs in a week is big at this point), I noticed 2 changes I inadvertently made this past week:

1. I reduced the amount of cream in my coffee from 1/2 tablespoon to 1 teaspoon.
2. I only worked out 3 days this past week, down from my usual 6 days.

As I’ve said before, exercise has nothing to do with weight loss — it’s about inches — but clearly the amount of dairy I consume may hold the key. So now its time for a new science experiment. This week I’m limiting the amount of creams, yogurt and cheese I eat.
When it comes to dairy, I normally limit myself to:

• Cheese – 4 ounces/day
• Heavy Cream/Sour Cream – 3 tablespoons/day
• Greek Yogurt – 2 cups/week

This week I’m limiting dairy to:

• Cheese – 2 ounces/day
• Heavy Cream/Sour Cream – 2 tablespoons/day
• Greek Yogurt – 2 cups/week

For now only the yogurt stays the same. We’ll see if this continues my fat loss.

As for exercise, I’m going to use this week to focus on building consistency with my runs and walks. This is a huge mental challenge as the weekly forecast is all rain and humidity.

It’s time to tell myself, “Suck it up, Buttercup! Strap on those running shoes.”