This weekend I went to my friend Carol’s baby shower. I was excited for many reasons – first and foremost, for my friend Carol! She and her husband Demian are having a “surprise” baby and I can’t wait to see if it’s a girl or a boy (my vote is for a boy)!

Second, I was excited because I suddenly have a variety of outfits from which to choose to wear, now that I’ve lost weight. In years past, 25+ lb ago, I remember feeling dread at the thought of having to pick out an outfit for any kind of special event. I never had anything that I really enjoyed wearing (since I hated shopping for clothes) and always felt uncomfortable. I especially hated the thought of being photographed, and never looked forward to photos being published on Facebook. I knew that I would not like what I saw.

But  things are different, now. Getting dressed is becoming an adventure – I’m fitting into clothes that I haven’t worn in years! I am happy to have my picture taken.

Here I am before the shower – about to get out of the car:

Me with Carol and her niece Stephanie:

(photo originally published on Stephanie’s instagram)

In one of my Facebook fitness groups, we are having a 7 Day Healthy Habits Challenge. This is great, since I have had a busy month with a couple of food splurges! 😉 I’m looking forward to staying on track this week with lots of exercise and healthy food choices. I’m giving myself 3 months to drop another 10lb, which I think is totally doable if I stay consistent with exercise and sticking within my calorie limits. This time of year is always VERY hard for me with the yummy holiday food… so it definitely will be a challenge to keep it up. I’ve been stuck on a bit of a plateau for a while, so I’m hoping this week helps to knock things back on track for a healthy fall/winter.

As part of the challenge, we’re recording food logs, exercising daily if possible, and taking note of things that we aren’t doing that we should be doing.

Three things that I am not doing that I should do to better impact my health are to drink more water (I’ve gotten better, but still not drinking enough), go to bed much earlier, and avoid eating when I’m bored (this is one of the worst!).

As a good start to the 7 day challenge, I’m making a yummy, healthy crock pot meal. It’s a Mexican style chicken stew made in the crock pot that can be served over rice. It’s very simple — throw 4 chicken breasts in the crock pot along with a can each of diced tomatoes with green chile peppers, corn (drained), and black beans (drained). Add any spices you may like, such as garlic powder, cayenne, and cumin. Cook for 4 hours on low. Before serving, take out the chicken, shred with two forks, and return to the pot to soak in the juices. Serve over rice! Here’s a photo of my crock pot when I filled it up:

Having the support of my friends is definitely helpful during times that it is hard to stay on track with my diet. What do you do to keep yourself on track with making the right choices?