To Dream the Impossible Dream...again

I feel like I am too young to consider the struggle with my weight a "never ending battle." Yet in reality, there have been so many times I've tried, succeeded, then failed at the diet game that I'm beginning to lose count.

But even with all of that failure in my past, here I go again. I've been eating right for about a month now and I've lost 7 pounds. Not exactly an exciting number, but at least it's something. 

I haven't been back to the gym since I sprained my ankle (well, that makes it sound like I was going the whole time up until I fell...a bit misleading isn't it? *haha*). I can walk normally and have been trying to take the dogs on an outing every day. But there have been several times that I've stepped off a curb or some uneven pavement and had shooting pains through that ankle and foot. Scary. And it's still extremely stiff and painful when I first stand up in the morning or after sitting for a long period of time. And I still can't squat or kneel very easily. Can't, can't, can't. I've got lot's of excuses, don't I? I know I'm leaning on them pretty heavily and if I really WANTED to exercise I wouldn't be letting my ankle stand in my way. But alas, I don't wanna, so I'm still milkin' the ankle. :^P

My Mom turned me on to the Hungry Girl website a while back and I've been getting a lot of tips there recently. If you're not familiar with it, you should really check it out. Lot's of PRACTICAL information for eating healthier and forming better habits. She has recommendations for the best low-cal snacks on the market and exposes the horrifying calorie counts in a lot of the things we eat without even thinking!! Frightening stuff. (400 calories in a SMALL popcorn at the movies - not including extra butter! Yikes!) Then I also picked up the recipe book this morning at Wal-Mart and I'm super excited about it. As you all know, I am NO chef. Cooking is not my skill and actually scares me a little. But I like the way this book is written. Very Sarah-friendly. :) It's written conversationally, which makes me feel more comfortable. Like, for example, this one cupcake recipe tells you:

"Evenly spoon batter (which will be thin, 

but don't worry-your cupcakes will puff up!) into the pan."

I love that! Cause I can tell you that I would be thinking that EXACT thought! "Why is my batter so thin? Did I do something wrong? Should I add something else? Oh my gosh! What do I do?" and then I would call my Mom. *haha* I just don't have the confidence (and therefore lack the experience) to wing it. So yeah, I'll let you know how my experiments in the kitchen go in the near future. :)