I broke my two-week plateau this morning! What a great feeling! I’ll probably go back to a 2-pound per week weight loss now. I can’t believe how much my body has changed. This is really fun!

I’ve been thinking about how I want to celebrate when I reach my goal. For years I’ve had this fantasy about going to Italy with empty suitcases. Jonathan and I talked about it— and we’re going to do it! I’m going to give myself a full new wardrobe and a new look. I can’t think of a better way to reward myself.

I had more visitors this week. My oldest and dearest friend visited Maine with her family, and it’s been wonderful. I hope your week is going well, and that you’re planning your victory celebration, too.

It’s been a quiet week at home. My cousin’s family visited which was lovely — and it was so easy to go out to dinner with them! I had a dinner salad, plain grilled halibut (which is phenomenal up here in Maine) and asparagus. My biggest challenge this week was trying to remember how many Medifast Meals I had already eaten! It seems I have to write everything down these days.

Tuesdays are my weigh-in day. I didn’t lose any additional weight this week, which is always frustrating. I have been craving more exercise; a workout always seems to lift my spirits, so I think I’ll start tomorrow out with a nice long walk. I also want to get back to painting, since I’m feeling the need for a little distraction. I don’t want to get overly occupied with the dreaded scale! I hope you’re all having a great week.

Wow, I am just melting away! I’ve lost 9 pounds in the last 3 ½ weeks. That’s just under 3 pounds a week!

The 5 & 1 Plan is really kicking in for me. Here’s what I’ve changed:

• no bars
• shakes and soups only
• being diligent about drinking water

Most importantly, I’m now weighing myself only once a week (which is really hard for me). To date, I’ve lost a total of 17 pounds with Medifast - and I feel great!

I just came back from the Take Shape For Life convention in Colorado. What a great experience! I attended informative lectures and cooking classes alongside 400 Health Coaches. It was fabulous! The more I get to know about Medifast, the prouder I am to be associated with the company. So many people using the Medifast Program have turned their lives around and are getting healthy. The support and camaraderie is inspirational and healing.

I’d like to encourage all of you to make use of the network of support offered through Take Shape For Life, a division of Medifast, and to check out their website. You don’t have to go it alone—losing weight can be a great experience when shared with others.

What a week it’s been! I spent the early part of last week in L.A. shooting a commercial for Medifast and doing some other media. Look for me on the cover of an upcoming issue of Soap Opera Digest and Quick & Simple Magazine, I did interview’s with them about my weight-loss and there should be some good photos of my progress up to this point. I feel so good about my progress, and yes, I did get over that 10 pound hump I was talking about last week… I’ve now lost 14 pounds - YEAH ME!!!!The trip gave me a first-hand lesson in how easy it is to stay on the Medifast program even when you’re on the road. I was really nervous about leaving my comfort zone at home, and having a setback, but all of that was put at ease. They had plenty of Medifast Meals on set, so in between takes I would just grab a shake or a bar, then when I got back to my hotel I would have my Lean & Green Meal. I also asked my mom to pack a Lean & Green Meal for the airplane out to L.A., which was great… Thanks Mom!

We also went out to dinner one night with Kristy Swanson and some of the people from Medifast. I’m not going to lie, it was tough looking around the table and seeing what everyone ordered, but I also realized that I CAN go out to dinner on Medifast and enjoy myself. We had a great time, and Kristy and I got to share some of our early Medifast experiences. By the way, Kristy looks fantastic and is off to a great start as well!

I noticed there have been a lot of comments on my first journal entry, which is really exciting. Thanks so much for the support! I was thinking since I just got back from California, this could be a good time for you Medifast travelers out there to share your experiences on the road and how you stick to the program. This could really help some people new to Medifast who might be nervous about traveling and having a setback. So feel free to add a comment and help everyone out!

Today is all about forgiving myself, being humble and starting over. I’ve been on Medifast for 5 weeks now, and last Wednesday I had lost 91/2 pounds…YEAH! But I really wanted that last 1/2 pound so that I could say to the world “I’ve lost 10 pounds in 5 weeks on Medifast” (that number just sounded better). I hopped on the scale the next day and found I’d gained 2 pounds! How could this happen!?!? It was soooo unfair! I stewed all through the day. The scale had won. Other things didn’t go my way on this bleak and woeful day - the wind blew too hard, thereby ruining my fishing/swimming excursion at Camp Frakes - I had 4 kids staring at me with goosebumps and bored expressions as if to say, “Now what LOSER? Come on mother of the year, we’re freezing, we’re hungry and we’re BORED!”

Needless to say, I felt defeated. Later that night I found myself staring into a jar of peanut butter…for a looong time. I’m not sure when it happened but I reached for a spoon - and it was all downhill after that. The next morning I was racked with guilt. I had not had a bout of emotional eating in several months.

Identifying the watch signs that lead up to it all feels important now. And forgiving myself even more so. The old me would beat myself up so much that I would give up my weight loss goals completely. Thank God I’ve grown beyond that one. I accept that I’m human, flawed, and complicated. I know there will be days when I stumble. But the difference today is that I can forgive myself and start anew. I can even find the humor in it. I can share my struggles with you and together we can all forge ahead.

OK, so I’ve just had a strawberry 70 shake. It’s a postcard day today, I think I’ll take a walk by the shore. The vastness of the ocean reminds me how small I really am on this planet. Mother Nature brings my ego into its proper proportion in such a beautiful and gentle way. Today I’ll be grateful for 9 1/2 pounds. I hope you can be gentle and loving with yourselves today.