It's a 4X2 letter word, no doubt about it!

Exercise. Yes, exercise.  8 letters = 4 x 2.  Two four letter words combined into one.  Exer and size. 

Which brings me to why I am doing the dreaded deplored exercising:  my increasing size.  *sigh*

Since moving to Waco, I feel like I Texas sized. Slowly, the pounds have added up to the point that this summer, I can't wear any of my cute summer clothes.  The ones I do wear are being stretched to their limit.  I had to buy a couple new things just to feel comfortable.  And, the necessary size did not make me happy.

Shall I be honest?  Last year I comfortably wore size 8.  This year, I need size 12.  WHAT? 

HOW?  Simple, my activity level dropped when I stopped walking the dogs. My eating habits haven't changed. Plus, I know it is wrong, but I am hoping my thyroid medication needs to be changed (should hear back from the doctor by tomorrow about this). And, I haven't taken my vitamins the way I should this past year which could be an additional factor.

The solution:  Community!  Accountability!!  At the beginning of the summer, I joined a "10x10 challenge" in an attempt to lose 10 pounds in 10 weeks.  Totally doable.  Or, so I thought.  I started logging all food intake averaging about 1100 calories per day.  I started taking my vitamins again on a much more regular basis.  I did NOT start exercising at this point.  Over the 10 weeks I lost, drumroll please, 1 pound. 

Not a smashing success by any means.  But, I did get back into previous good habits which had helped keep the weight off.  And, it showed me the regain wasn't totally food related.  I needed to begin exercising again. 

The challenge ended, but not my determination to lose the weight. I started walking every morning (except Sunday) and at night if I can get a family member to walk with me.  It's VERY dark at night in my neighborhood, so even though it is safe here, I want company.  The weight is slowly dropping and the size 12s are slightly loose.  Steps in the right direction.

Speaking of steps, Saturday I walked on this lovely trail.

It's part of the River Trail at Cameron Park.  Lovely trail.  Lovely morning walk. I probably won't be back.  I ended up walking over 3.5 miles that morning.  Ouch. Was not prepared for that.  

My plans for losing weight also include lots of lovely food, some of it purchased at the local Farmers Market.  Like this:

These peaches and veggies cost a grand total of $19.

The best news is they are all locally grown, were picked ripe and fresh the day prior and are lasting in my refrigerator, which is something they NEVER do when I buy at the local grocery store.

This is incredible salsa, sold by the Texas Cheese House. When I HAVE to have a snack, a couple tablespoons of this and a few tortilla chips are a great snack.  Just not too late at night.  :)

We all know if there is coffee nearby I am going to try it.  And, the local Farmers Market did not disappoint.  Dichotomy, set to open this fall, is there every weekend making coffees, lattes, espressos, etc.  They are knowledgable, friendly, have great customer service and brew a fabulous cup of coffee.  This is their booth.

  Here they are working on my coffee.

This is my coffee after I added raw sugar and cream.  Yummy.

And, somehow, they got my order mixed up and I ended up with a free latte.

Aren't the swirls lovely?

Actually, even though the coffee was exceptional, I have to say, I liked the latte even better.  It was rich, creamy and positively delightful. I will get another my next trip. 

I plan to check out their competition and see who has the better cup of coffee and/or latte.  There were also several booths selling crepes, burritos, hamburgers and much more. Might have to sample their wares also. With all that coffee, I need some food.  Right?  Right! :)  Afterwards, I may be heading to the park to walk off all the calories!  Another 3.5 miles, here I come.  *sigh*