I need your help!

OK friends....I need some help. Thanks to a sweet tooth and some bad genes, I find myself a little overweight these days. I had a few health issues over the summer, and they're all cleared up now, but I did vow to try and live a healthier lifestyle and lose some weight, and promised the doctor I'd start exercising with consistency, not just every once in awhile.

Another goal? Well, I bought this dress three years ago to be in a friend's wedding. The wedding got canceled. Now, it is back on for May. I bet you can guess where I am going with this: I was considerably thinner three years ago when I bought the dress. I had just come off a very successful (but pretty unhealthy) dieting plan. Since I really don't have an extra $100 in the budget to buy a new one, I have been trying to slim down to fit the dress for months now. I've made a lot of positive changes to my eating habits that I'm proud of-I'm definitely consuming more fruits, veggies, and fiber, and eating out much less. I cook at home and take my lunch to work most days, so I really am controlling what is going in to my body. I've lost about 10 lbs since December.

But the dress still doesn't fit. Not even close. Won't zip up, and to be honest, I am not sure how much more weight I need to lose for it to zip up, and if I can do it in the time I have left (about 10 weeks) at the pace at which I am losing weight. I've pretty steadily lost about 1/2 lb each week (give or take losing more some weeks, gaining some back around the holidays, and staying the same every now and then). At that rate I'll only lose about 5lbs between now and the wedding, and I am pretty sure that won't get me into the dress.

I don't want to crash diet or starve myself, and I really don't think I can manage working out for three hours a day 7 days a week, so I need some of your best weight loss tips!

Here's what I'm currently doing:
No coffee or soft drinks (this was what I gave up for Lent, thinking it would help me drink more water, although I really think it has just helped me drink more tea)
Exercise 3x/week-combination of Zumba, walking 2 miles, or a boot camp video, depending on what my schedule allows
No "sweets" except those 100 calorie packs of chocolate/cookies because I really can't live without it; and sugar free pudding packs which are like 60 calories (I have passed up cookies and cake like a champ! which then pisses me off when I get on the scale and I've barely lost)
Upping my intake of fruit and veggies, and fiber/whole grains

Examples of my meals might be something like this:

Breakfast-100 calorie bagel or English muffin, light and fit yogurt, and a piece of fruit; or cereal with milk (sometimes soy) and fruit-on the weekends I may have eggs and turkey bacon
Lunch-leftovers from the house or a weight watchers smart ones meal, usually subsidized with hummus and carrots or apple slices; I do eat out once or twice each week
Dinner-because I'm single I pretty much cook one night and have the same thing for three or four nights in a row-so that may be a problem in that I don't get much variety. Last week, I made whole wheat fettuccine w/ tomato sauce and sausage. This week, I have baked chicken and brown rice w/ side of broccoli.
Snacks-100 calorie packs/pudding if I need something sweet (which, honestly, is every day), apple slices, kashi bars, rice cakes (also 60 calories per serving), carrots or pita chips and hummus, strawberries, pears, bananas. Yogurt w/ high fiber cereal mixed in.

So, I'm not sure what is wrong with this picture-I feel like I am eating pretty healthy, and exercising three weeks straight now-do I need to give the exercise more time to pay off? Anyone see anything in my eating plan that I am not? Help me fit my bridesmaids dress in 10 weeks!

Back on the Blog Wagon

I've been off of the blog-wagon yet again. Apologies!

I got a little wrapped up in the Olympics for a few weeks there. (Johnny Weir was ROBBED!) Not to mention good tv is back in full swing, with the Bachelor finale (UGH) and American Idol, which is majorly sucking this year. After last night, they are down to the Top 12, and three of the people eliminated last night were three of the best in the competition, so I think I am hanging up my hat on this season. I may watch if there is nothing else on, but I am going to wait it out for Simon Cowell's new show next year.

I don't really have anything exciting to discuss with you all today-I will toot my own horn for a second and say that I have worked out three days or more a week for three weeks running, so I am feeling a bit like a Rock Star. If you haven't heard, I have a bridesmaids dress to get into by May 23 that was bought about three years ago (wedding called off, now back on) but I was a bit (ok a lot) skinnier then, so I am on a major health and fitness kick at the moment. I've lost 10 lbs since December, but the dress still doesn't zip up, so we're in full on crisis mode at the moment. I'm thinking it will take another 10 to zip and another 5-10 to look good, so it is going to be a rough couple of months. I love to eat and hate to exercise. And I can't live without chocolate, so don't ask. I did give up coffee and sodas for Lent in the hopes that it would get me to drink more water, but so far I think I'm just drinking a lot more green tea. I guess that's still an improvement!

I don't like crazy crash dieting, so if anyone has any HEALTHY tips for shedding pounds pass them on!