Today was definitely a good scale day -- I lost four pounds! That makes a total of 23.5 lbs lost. After the relative stagnation of the past month, it was nice to see some progress on the scale.

Though, to be honest, I can't attribute this to being rigidly focused. I was not consistent in tracking my food, sleep was a bit hit and miss, and I didn't exercise every day.

However, I did a lot that was helpful. Last Sunday and Wednesday were special events that were loaded with tempting foods. But I focused primarily on fruits and veggies, took only samplings of the rest, and didn't go back to fill up my plate a second time. Interestingly enough, I didn't feel like I was depriving myself. Perhaps there is something to "losing the taste" of junky food when you don't eat it. Don't get me wrong -- it still tasted good; I just didn't want to make it the center of my meal.

And while I didn't exercise every day, I made the most of the days I did exercise. Especially when I am doing something as mundane as walking, I have found that talking on the phone makes the time go by a lot faster and I keep walking much longer than I would otherwise. Overall, I surpassed my weekly goals for minutes of exercise and calories burned.

It's beneficial to see that things don't have to be perfect to still get results. It encourages me to keep at it because every positive choice is a step in the right direction. I also don't get so down on myself when I do mess up.