I've been pretty good about "keeping the faith" this week. I'm down 2 lbs in 5 days. If I stick to my program faithfully, I hope to be able to lose about 1.5 lbs a week on average. I don't want to be a slave to the scale, but just for a little extra push - some mini goals to work towards:

Mar 20 - first day of spring (7 weeks = 10.5 lbs)
May 22 - our 20th anniversary. (16 weeks = 24 lbs)
June 28 - my sister-in-law's wedding. (22 weeks = 33 lbs)
July 21 - my birthday (25 weeks = 37.5 lbs)
Aug 19 - vacation in Hawaii. (29 weeks = 43.5 lbs)
Oct 31 - Halloween (40 weeks = 60 lbs)
Nov 26 - has a private special meaning for me (43 weeks = 64.5 lbs)
Dec 31 - don't want to make the same resolution again! (48 weeks = 72 lbs)

OK, that's enough to keep me focused through this year. All the dates I've chosen have specific meanings for me, and bring particular images into my mind that I can use to visualize my goals.

I know 1.5 lbs a week isn't guaranteed, but it's doable. Even if I do manage to lose that much, I still won't be "finished" losing by the end of 2013, but that's OK. Cause this isn't something that will EVER be "finished". I am forming habits now that I plan to keep for the rest of my life. The numeric/visual goals above are just for extra motivation. As I get closer to reaching them, I'll set new ones for 2014. (I eventually want to lose a total of around 120 lbs - not setting a definite goal weight, but we'll see how I feel when I get there.)

Keeping the faith...