Sorry, no cake recipe here, but I thought it was about time to time for an update about my weight loss journey. Yes, I am still on the wagon. (See my last update here.) I am very excited about some significant victories in changing my habits for good and I want to celebrate.

A few weeks ago, a gal at the WW meeting I attended said it’s not enough to think the WW plan is a good idea. You have to commit to working on it. A light came on for many in the group, including myself. I was in the Good Idea Club. I was not committed to the process. Oh, I was going through the motions. But every day, I would cheat a little bit in some area or another. It makes me laugh now. The program didn’t notice if I cheated. After all, it was an inanimate object incapable of judging or caring. It was me who was expecting ‘good vibes’ were enough to get the job done. I was only cheating myself.

Since then, I have committed to tracking everything, EVERYTHING, that I eat. If it goes in my mouth, it goes in the app. I have quit thinking, “I’ll start again tomorrow,” when I use too many points and feel like the whole day is in ruins. Here’s the surprise. Tracking worked perfectly. This non-scale victory of being honest with myself and what I ate was also a victory on the scale.

In the past, special events always had a way of throwing me off track. Whether it was a vacation, a party, or a meal I hadn’t planned, I would respond with, “I’ll get back on track soon.” Haha! The joke was on me. Soon sometimes turned into days or weeks or sometimes even months.

Ever been there?

In my world, every single week has an event or two that qualify as ‘special.’ Since I committed to tracking everything, I had a twelve-day theme park vacation, a reunion party, and a few dinners with friends. I tracked everything and did well with just a little planning. My thought, if WW didn’t work on special days, it wouldn’t work in the long run. Guess what? It did. My tracking resulted in an eight-pound loss over the month—the first significant loss in over two years. Woot!

So, here’s to new habits! Being honest with myself has been such a benefit. Who was I fooling anyway? Commitment to tracking what I eat makes me more accountable and keeps me motivated even when I’m the only one watching.

Not a WW. Almost every weight loss program includes journaling what you eat. Being honest with yourself about what you eat will move you toward success. Try it and see. I think you will like the results. It might call for a celebration. With cake! Just be sure to track it.