A year ago this week my husband got me an iPod Nano for my birthday. It was silver and tiny and replaced the iPod Mini that I coveted that developed a case of Unchargeable Battery Syndrome. Yes, iLove iPods.

This silver number he got me also came with a delicate little suggestion huge weight loss motivation called Nike + iPod. It's basically a fancy little pedometer that makes your shoe talk to your iPod. I love it because it tells me how long I've been working out, how far I've gone, and then when I get home, it talks to my computer and gives me a graph of my run history. I *heart* technology.

During your workout you get little audio updates that say, "5 minutes complete," or "2 kilometers to go." And then after you finish your workout, someone comes on a says, "You've reached your goal of..." and if you beat your pace or time or distance, a celebrity voice comes on and lets you know you are a champion of life. I got Lance Armstrong once, but most of the time it's some girl I don't recognize. She probably is a tennis phenom, but I'm not up to speed with my sports stars.

Having the Nike + iPod has been my saving grace on a lot of occasions. It validates the time I spend working out and it lets me see my progress, which helps me stay motivated. Knowing that I've run/walked 84.37 miles so far makes me want to hit the 100-mile mark. And being able to hold down the center button and get instant access to my pre-established "song that motivates me through anything" -- Britney Spears' Toxic -- makes me feel infinitely supported.

___________________________________________________________________________

Check out all the videos from the challenge so far! In case you missed them, here are some links...

Also, don't forget to Join the Conversation for motivation, support and friendly advice anytime, anywhere.

It's not knowing the proper way to do squats that has helped me most in this 10 Pound Challenge. It's not memorizing the caloric content of Skinny Dippers ice cream bars. It's not even the fear of looking like a fool who falls short of goals she shouts from the top of Mt. Capessa.

It's the ability to say no.

No, thank you, I don't want you to make your special guacamole with cream cheese as the secret ingredient, dear Mother-in-Law.

No, thank you, but I'm not really feeling like cooling off on this warm summer day with a Peanut Buster Parfait, my beloved husband.

No, thank you, but I'll pass on the peanut butter cookie with the Reese's cup smooshed in the middle even though it is my favorite cookie in the entire world, my esteemed barista.

Saying no has been my secret weapon throughout the last two months. Don't get me wrong, making the word "no" come out of my mouth when my stomach, my memories, and even my tastebuds are screaming "YES!!!" is never easy. But it is necessary, and it has made a difference.

Consider this time, when I was out bowling one night with some friends, and they ordered not one but TWO rounds of French fries. You know French fries, those amazing potato sticks that are crunchy on the outside, hot on the inside and perfectly suited for salt and dipping. You know, my favorite food after potato chips.

There was also that time that my beloved office mate, Taraneh, popped over to offer me some dark chocolate. Dark chocolate is that creamy darkness that automatically elevates your mood and makes you feel Parisian. You've probably had it on such wonderfulness as strawberries or raisins or pretzels. Because it is a perfect match for everything. 

In an attempt to break the 149 pound barrier, I decided to buck up and start counting calories. I've kept food journals before, like every time I've gone to Weight Watchers, and it definitely works. Awareness of exactly what you are consuming and how valuable a calorie/point is makes you a lot stingier with what you're willing to put in your mouth.

For instance, if I can only have 1200 calories a day, suddenly a 180-calorie granola bar seems like a terrible waste... 15% of my daily intake given to something meant to sustain toddlers??? No, thanks.

If I'm eating 15% of the total amount of food I can have for the day, I want to notice it. Which brings me to the next best thing about food journaling.

How many times have I eaten lunch at my desk or eaten dinner in the car or been a zombie shoveling food into my mouth, not really paying attention to how much I'm eating or even really what it tastes like or smells like or looks like? Too many. But when I'm keeping track of my food intake, I actually savor the experience of eating a lot more.

I put more care into assembling my plate. I sit at the table and taste the food. I spend 15-20 minutes eating my meal or my snack, and that little bit of time makes me feel like I accomplished something else in a day. It sort of feels like I cheated time.

The best part about food journaling now is that I don't have to bring my food journal with me everywhere I go. Technology has made food journaling a sort of science experiment, and I can track my data from home, work, the library, my co-worker's iPhone, anywhere there is an internet connection. Dare I say it? Food journaling is... fun.

By the time I work out, cook dinner, clean up the gross dried catfood, bathe, pick up all the shoes laying around the house and figure out how I'm going to lose the rest of my 10 pounds, it's been TWO WEEKS of amazing weigh ins, so I'm just putting the latest (and greatest) update all in one post.

Forgive me. Or send over a clone.

First things first, Redlox has hit the 10 pound loss mark! She started at 145 and hit 134.8 during week 6. Then she got a cold, soothed it with an oreo shake and is now at 132 pounds, a total of 13 POUNDS LOST!!

___________________________________________________________________________

Check out all the videos from the challenge so far! In case you missed them, here are some links...

Also, don't forget to Join the Conversation for motivation, support and friendly advice anytime, anywhere.

My biggest struggle with my weight is absolutely, hands down, no doubt about it a problem with portion control. If there is food in front of me, it will be eaten. And if it tastes good, it will be devoured. In about 11 minutes.

When I got married, my portion problem got better and worse at the same time. I know that makes no sense, but here's what happened.

Husband is man and therefore requires more food. When we go out to eat, he always finishes first, so I hand over my plate because I am usually full by then and if he eats my remnants I won't overeat and have to be rolled out of the restaurant like the blueberry girl on Willy Wonka.

But because he eats so fast and so much, when we eat at home, it's like an eating contest. We (and I use "we" generously) spend an hour cooking a dinner that we eat in 10 minutes. I worry that if I want to get my fill I have to race him to the finish.

I guess I signed up for for better or worse, and this is part of that deal. Sigh.

Luckily, during my breakfast with Wendy, I learned some "handy" ways to gauge appropriate portions. Now, whether I'm at home or at a party or at a restaurant, I have a portion guide at my "fingertips." Watch the video to see what all the " "s are about. I amuse myself.

I was on my way to the library the other night with my husband when I realized  we wouldn't be home until after 9 and should probably grab some dinner. I asked my husband if he wanted Subway, to which he responded, "If you make me eat Subway for dinner one more time... [insert a threat harrowing enough to make me suggest Baja Fresh]."

I know Baja Fresh isn't really good for you even though they don't use lard and are preservative-free. But I figured I could leave out the cheese and sour cream and stick with veggies and beans and I'd have a modified enough version of a burrito to be alright. Plus, I'd get to stay married.

After a few hours shoving knowledge into my brain, we went home and I searched for some data on Baja Fresh's Veggie Burrito *with modifications. Yeah, well, even without the cheese and the sour cream, even with a concentration on veggies and a concerted effort to eat healthy, I still downed 800 calories in under 20 minutes. 800 CALORIES!!

Eating healthy when eating out doesn't have to be a diet failure, though. During my breakfast with Wendy, my friend who doubles as a dietician, I learned some good ways to curb the effects of a night on the town -- among them, sharing a dish, ordering kids' portions and removing temptation from the table... which means sending the bread back and putting the Tower 'o Desserts menu under my chair.

Here are some more:

Probably the best thing that I've found that helps when I'm going out to eat is planning what I'm going to order in advance, especially if I'm going to a chain place. Back when I studied at Weight Watchers College of Fat Fighters, I was introduced to a website that calculated points values for foods at all sorts of restaurants. I'm not doing points this go-round, but the site, Dotti's Weight Loss Zone, still helps me evaluate foods and know what the actual healthy selections are. I also love using The Daily Plate to get the whole truth about foods.

So the next time I go to Baja Fresh, I'll know to STAY AWAY from the deceptive veggie burrito and lean toward the fish taco, which has 490 fewer calories!

_____________________________________________________________________________

Check out all the videos from the challenge so far! In case you missed them, here are some links...

• Breakfast Table Wisdom: Must-Eat Foods & Facts on Fats
  
• Operation: Vacation
  
• Getting My BMI Measured
• Joining the Gym
• Finding Motivation
• An Open Invitation

Also, don't forget to Join the Conversation for motivation, support and friendly advice anytime, anywhere.

Weight loss is a teeter totter of success. Some weeks your up and some weeks your down -- on the scale, in your will power, in your discipline, and in your commitment to a healthy lifestyle. Over time though, the little bit of effort you put in goes a long way... the whole journey is greater than the sum of its parts.

Last week I binged on pizza, had my little moment, got grounded thanks to the advice of Redlox and Nashvegas, and got inspired by Antonthehill. I got back on track, and even though I had a minor setback, even though my week was one of the busiest ever and I didn't get to exercise one single day, it didn't cripple my weight loss or undo all the work I've done. (*huge sigh of relief*)

It's hard to stay peppy and driven on an up-and-down weight loss journey, but looking at how far we've come as a group makes it obvious that what we are doing collectively and individually is making a big difference. We've lost 70.6 pounds altogether!  That deserves a graph!

So, how does the 70.6 break down as far as individual challengers? Take a look.

Amber S is down 6.4 (gained .2 last week) and weighs 149.8.

HLKeroppi is down 2 and weighs 181.

Jayveraldi is down 14 and weighs 177.

Taraneh is still stuck at 125.

Nashvegas is down 6.6 and weighs 136.4.

Redlox is down 8.6 and weighs 136.4.

Theantonthehill is down 3.9 and weighs 158.1.

Meanestmom is down 5 and weighs 207.5.

Jovystar is down 4 and weighs 121.

ShawnaMac lost 3 to weigh 148.

Jennifer A is down 5 and weighs 143.

Nancy is still down 1/2 a pound and locked in at 177.5.

Trudi lost a total of 4.6 and is down to 185.4.

Kirsten lost a huge 7 pounds this week to weigh 135.