Perhaps my motivation comes with gift from my boyfriend - a trip to Cabo San Lucas in May. That's three and a half months to keep my stomach flat and those legs firm. I definitely think I can look better in those bathing suits that are pushed to the back of my drawer. But more than the bribery of the sun, I do like the results I've seen physically so far. My pants do not fit as snug and fitted shirts lay nicer on me. Of course there are fashion tweaks I can consider to make myself appear taller (two more inches to 5'7 please) and look more sleek, but I'm in it for the long run, for the real thing.

I've learned that my own pace is okay. I don't need to be obsessed with the gym. My eating habits are just that, habits. The snacking has been cut back and replaced with peanuts and fruit instead of chips and candy bars. Those little things do add up to results.

The most important aspect of this whole experience is the realization of being comfortable with myself. There's always going to be something we want different about our bodies, but we just can't have it all now can we? And if you're that unhappy with yourself, then do something about it. I moaned about my college weight for months, and all people could say was, "Well, do something about it." And I did. So with my beer gut gone and bathing suit season just around the corner, my new goal is to just simply keep up with what I've been doing - with a little more focus on toning up more. What's yours?

I'm starting to think that jeans shopping is harder than shopping for a wedding dress. I've yet to have the opportunity to do the latter, but I hope that if I do it's not as painful and irritating as the former has always been for me.

When Citizens for Humanity and all the other more expensive yet stretchy and shapely jeans brands came into high fashion, I finally scored a pair that hugged my curves, accentuated my butt, and didn't pinch my thighs. However, this past summer (and many pairs of Citizens later), I went in search of jeans made by a different designer and could barely get a leg in. It seemed like each of the millions of pairs of jeans that I yanked on were either barely zippable and left indigo ink under my fingernails from my efforts, or they were a size larger than normal and too loose. Yes, my thighs had indeed grown since my last purchase, but they hadn't grown enough to warrant such a struggle!

A few months later, I tried again in vain to find jeans. Exhausted, I resolved to not shop again until this month, when I expected to be further on my way to getting fit. So, this past weekend I went back to the same stores (Henry Lehr, Scoop, and Barney's Coop). After all those attempts at trying new brands, I finally tried on a pair of Citizens. I got them on with a minimal amount of hopping and pulling, and zipped them right up, only to find that the style I was trying was too high cut. Thankfully the store is getting in a shipment of lower cut Citizens this week.

Do I wish the above paragraph went more like: not only did I find a new brand of jeans that was the perfect cut, color and length, but they are also two sizes smaller and make my thighs look like Jessica Biel's? Although that certainly doesn't sound bad, it also doesn't sound like me. I'm a curvy woman with a passion for food. I accept and like my curves, and I recognize that with my culinary yen sometimes comes a little extra weight, and a responsibility to always make gym-going a part of my weekly routine.

Thanks for reading this month, and I hope you'll continue to read about my exploits on my blog, SlicesofMe.Blogspot.com

Here we are at the end of January... There are still two more months of winter and I'm taking it day-by-day. Each day is different and presents different challenges.

Try to have a sense of humor especially when you're beet-red and sweating. I'm still laughing over the way I described parts of my body: "Upper Assage" (the area between the buns and the hips--a fleshy plane that's become more toned), and "Perdue Oven Stuffer Roasters" (my thighs). I recall the pain of training when I would ask Paula, "why can't we just take a melon-baller or an ice cream scoop and dig out all the fat?" Or, "how about we get a mallet and pound my flesh to make it flat?" "Can't we just lop this off?" I would ask, pulling and clutching at a stomach roll.

I'm sticking with my diet and fitness routine; I sure hope you do too. Do what works for you. My next move is to find a yoga or pilates class that I can attend on a regular basis. I'd like to integrate something new into my routine.

Best of luck to everyone who has started a new diet and fitness regime. Stick to it even when it feels hard. Reward yourself, but not with empty calories!

We want, what we want, quick. Especially when it comes to losing weight or getting into shape. I know I have good intentions of shaping up, but do minimal work most of the time. But it should feel effortless - that is after you've gotten yourself into a routine. The February issue of Glamour magazine has "50 tips from top trainers," that can help anyone get in the right mindset with their simple suggestions. Again, as I mentioned in previous entries, it's all things we've heard before. But maybe if we read it enough, we'll finally get it embedded in our heads and we'll do all these healthy things like we're set on autopilot.

In the past month, I have done the classic exercises and passing on the empty calories. My "diet,' (if we want to label this) actually began in December. I cut back on meat, chose healthier snacks, ate more little meals than gorging on bigger ones along with my cardio trips to the gym (2 to 3 times a week) with exercises everyday. Physically I don't feel bloated, I can walk up steps without getting winded and there are fewer lines on my stomach when I slouch (which I like to call fatty lines. Come on, everyone gets a line or two on their stomach!)

I also don't like to weigh myself unless I'm at the doctor. It's a misleading number in your life. One year, I gained about 5 to 8 pounds, but it was all muscle from playing sports. Another time not too long ago, I gained about the same! My doctor told me to weigh myself a week later, and it was all water weight. And what I call the freshman 15, my mother calls me becoming a woman. I guess I did not know what hips were until I came home complaining to my mom that nothing fits. My body just changed. Now those results: I won't get them quick because my original image of an ideal body just won't do. I don't want to look like the slickly boy figure I had when I was 18-years-old.

But I would like a six-pack - abs, not beer...right now.

I'm having a cranky, crampy, womanly, bloaty, low-energy day today. Even though I brought my gym clothes with me to work, I think I'm going to forgo the gym tonight in favor of running a few errands, eating the salmon and spinach I bought at Whole Foods on Sunday, and watching the last two episodes of "Heroes" on the couch with Jon. The good news is I can make up for tonight's workout with a slightly abbreviated one tomorrow night after I volunteer. The other good news is that not going to the gym was a very hard decision to make, whereas it used to be lickety-split.

Finding a balance between the gym, my social life, extracurricular activities, and life's irritating but necessary responsibilities continues to be a struggle, but I'm getting better at it.

I've entered into that exercise phase where my body looks forward to the gym and feels the difference when I don't go. Which, for one reason or another, has often been when I stopped going for awhile and broke the rhythm. I'm not going to allow that to happen this time though.

Let's face it: We have choices to make each day.

We can choose between a Dunkin' Donuts Double Chocolate Cake donut (310 calories/150 calories from fat according to DD), and a Kashi Go Lean Chocolate Caramel Crunch bar (180 calories/25 calories from fat); Asian chicken over noodles (220 calories/27% from fat according to Cooking Light magazine), and Burger King's Whopper Jr. (400 calories/24 grams of fat), one of the "better" choices on BK's menu considering that a Double Whopper with cheese is 1,010 calories/67 grams of fat). We can choose between a 12-ounce can of regular Coke (155 calories), or a 8-ounce glass of water (0 calories). I was surprised to discover that a 20-ounce bottle of defense-flavored Vitamin Water has 150 calories.

Weighing the alternatives each day, I know there are always better choices I can make depending on my state of mind. I ask myself: "Do I want to make a choice that represents empty calories and won't really fill or sate me? Will what I'm about to eat give me energy to get me through the day or even the next three hours? Is this the best choice I can make for now?"

Suddenly, all those bagels in the bin at Hot & Crusty, despite their lovely fresh-from-the-oven aroma, don't look as good. A better, more filling carb might be the whole-wheat fusilli I made recently, or a sweet potato. How about a chicken breast poached with a bit of balsamic vinegar as a tasty source of protein, I ask myself.

I continue to struggle with choices and I give in to cravings every now and then. Yesterday, I was in the grocery store and floated past the freezer with ice creams. I paused and stared longingly at the colorful pints of Ben & Jerry's, Haagen-Dazs, Ciao Bella, Turkey Hill, Edy's and more. I love my ice cream but I know if I bring it into the house, I'll overdo it. So when I need a fix, I buy the smallest serving of Tasti D lite, the frozen dessert, a sorbet, or frozen yogurt of some kind.

But sometimes, it feels like I really have to have a giant peanut butter cookie. And sometimes, I eat the whole thing. But truth be told, it's not so often any more.

"The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan is one of those books that makes you think - reconsider what you feed your body. This is a 2006 New York Times Best Seller that was not brought to my attention by such prestige, but by the constant quoting from my boyfriend. My curiosity peaked, so I borrowed the book. There are statistics and research on the farms our foods come from that made me not eat meat for about two months. Let's just say organic does not necessarily mean it's been raised well.

It's a fairly long book. For all those with short attention spans, you are in luck! This past Sunday in the Times Magazine, he has an essay, "Unhappy Meals" that touches upon the basics of his book. But really, his essay talks about health and nutrition as common sense. He ends his essay, with a "few (flagrantly unscientific) rules of thumb," and goes on in his sarcastic manner to reiterate what you have read in every magazine, heard on every TV show from all the experts.

His essay comes at the end of the first month of 2007 when the motivation saunters off to old habits. I notice the gym is not as upbeat, the snacks are coming back out at work and even I have slipped a few treats in. Hunger with a whisper of indulgence tells me to eat a whole bag of cookies but common sense tells me to have two, maybe three...have a glass of water, and make sure I do my exercises. It's just common sense. Or maybe what we're lacking is just motivation.

While reading this question-answering, informative article in the Times Magazine yesterday, I was reminded of how lazy I often am about hunting, gathering, and preparing my own food, and how I often reach for something packaged instead of washing off (with soap and warm water) an apple.

I go through phases where I don't eat enough fresh things and rely too much on processed foods. But when I finally make time, like I did yesterday, to take a trip to my garden of paradise, Whole Foods, I end up lugging home bags full of fresh things and feel healthier for a while.

I love how a blueberry can be naturally beautiful, simple, and delicious. Or how a tomato's fruity, juiciness is captured when it's quartered and sprinkled with a little salt. I've always liked radishes, so I bought some, per Tobi's suggestion. They too are good with a sprinkle of salt (and butter per the French way), but are even better plain. I also bought some roasted baby brussel sprouts. All those mean things everyone said about sprouts when you were a kid, well they're not true--they're delicious! And, I bought a bag of unsalted almonds to take to work and eat with oatmeal in the morning or as a late afternoon, pre-gym snack.

I'm not sure if it was the fresh food in my fridge and belly, the comfy yet kicky heels I wore to work today, the fact that my brown pants feel looser every time I wear them, or that my thighs were pleasantly sore from doing presses at the gym last night, but I felt good, especially for a Monday.

I trained with Paula on Saturday. We did walking lunges while raising a bar, ab work on the Bosu (a plastic, mounded half-ball that offers a palpable burn), pushups, stepups to the bench with free weights backing into a lunge, and plenty of work on the cables for my arms. It was all satisfying but the ab work was difficult. Using a Bosu makes crunches more challenging.

Not so long ago it was hard for me to stay focused during our hour-long sessions. I would buy time between sets when I was so exhausted I didn't think I could move another muscle. I grimaced and complained, cracked sarcastic jokes, asked Paula about her auditions, took swigs out of my water bottle, and turned to the other trainers on the floor to see if their clients were as tired as I was. The trainers--Greg, Ken, Chris, and Marla--offered much-needed comic relief and support while I stalled. They'd smile, shout out encouraging words, and cheered me on in every possible way.

When I complained about my so-called "upper assage," Ken would say, "Tobi, standing around talking about it isn't going to get the job done..." During moments of discouragement when I felt I couldn't push myself any further, Marla would quietly say, "Come on Tobi, you can do it, get back to it!" Once, when I was working out by myself in the training area, Chris offered advice on how to correct my form when he observed me doing something that wasn't quite right. Greg, the kind but tough taskmaster of the bunch, would toss affirmative comments my way and noticed my progress and improvement. He inspired me recently during the holidays when I saw him at the gym on Christmas eve and Christmas day working with clients and pursuing his own workouts.

Over time, I became a kind of mascot and received support from many of the trainers. Fellow gym-goers also offer smiles, words of couragement, and tips on how to use the machines. It's good to have a support system of people at the gym and outside of it. It's made a difference to me.

...back, arms and shoulders.

In the past month, I have concentrated on my lower body. I've worked the stomach muscles and got my legs in better shape. I did not think much about my upper body until I saw a woman at the gym with toned arms. Toned arms are definitely sexy. I think it shows strength and athleticism - two things I've lost since my basketball and softball days.

I have two, five pound weights sitting around with no clue how to use them correctly. I do not want to strain myself or work the wrong muscles so they develop incorrectly. The best thing about these kind of exercises is that you can sit and watch TV while you're doing them. Selene Yeager's exercise was easy on the first try and something I can do along with my daily crunches and squats.

I also ran across this article on prevention.com about a woman who did back exercises that actually helped her firm her stomach. There are four steps to this workout, which uses an exercise ball. I found the third step difficult because it requires more balance but with practice, I'm sure I'll catch on.

I've always heard that being stressed makes your stomach bloated. This week has confirmed that idea for me. I've been eating well but drinking a lot of soda and lattes to get me through the nights at work. The prior week I probably had one soda and two cups of coffee. This week, I was having soda twice a day along with a latte and did I notice a difference! I was constantly thirsty and my stomach was bloated. I've been doing my exercises and eating well, but the caffeine intake really had an effect on me.

Lesson learned: cutting back on caffeine is something I need to do for my diet. As far as the stress, the gym or whatever you do to workout is such a stress reliever. The exercises I do everyday are low-impact, but the cardio at the gym released all the stressful things I encountered during the week. I just put all that annoyance into a workout, eventually spaced out on the machine, and just let everything go. I found being active in general is not only healthy for your body but your mind, too.

I'm still soaring from my pilates class last night. My body and mind disconnected from everything but the pulleys and bars I was pushing and pulling, to the point that when my very patient teacher deeAnn said go up and then right, I went down and then left. Repeatedly. At the end I was so "blissed out" that I could barely form words to schedule our next session or slip on my shoes to glide home. Yesiree Bob, pilates is for me!

I haven't asked a lot of questions about what pilates will do to my body in the long-term, or what exercises she recommends that I do at the gym now that she understands all my aches and pains, but I will.

I'm sore on my right side (my bad side), which I think came from being stretched out a little too far at the end of the session, so I'll mention that next time. Many of the exercises actually involve rotating the legs inward (therefore making everything tighter), which is perfect for me since my hypermobility often causes me to be too loose and rotate outward. My right leg is definitely scared and weak compared to my left, but deeAnn is great at seeing that and giving me extra support and encouragement about it.

I have a habit of holding my breath, so it's always a surprise when I realize I need to inhale and exhale while working out. If I were a better breather, I might have an easier time during my sessions remembering that in pilates, your strength comes from the tightening of your abs, which deeAnn says upon exhaling to tighten like I'm zipping up a pair of jeans. I've taken that simile to heart outside the pilates studio though, and I think of it when I'm walking and sitting.

Hopefully zipping up my abs like a pair of jeans will allow me entree into a new pair of them when I set forth this weekend yet again on a jeans expedition!

I've heard that keeping a food diary is a great idea when you're starting a diet and trying to examine your eating choices in order to live a healthier lifestyle.

Of course, it always seems like such a good idea until you actually have to record all those details. When I started a food diary more than a year ago, I wrote down everything: "10 unsalted almonds, 1 Granny Smith Apple, 1 chicken breast, 1 can of Diet Coke, 1 cup of coffee with skim milk, four squares Lindt dark chocolate, large green salad with oil and vinegar, grape tomatoes, cucumbers, and red onions, 1 large peanut butter cookie from the farmer's market...ooops!"

At first, I relished recording each and every detail. I made parenthetical notes and clarifications; the entries were messy with my scrawl and lots of asterisks. The reporter in me likes to observe, note, and document details no matter how small. I even had a special leather-bound book that I toted around in my bag to jot down the details.

Naturally, over time I found it a burden to write down EVERY SINGLE ITEM I put into my mouth. But the food diary served an important purpose: recording everything I ate made me hyper-vigilant and aware of exactly what I put into my body. I was able to identify the bad choices, the afternoon sugar fixes, the over-eating, and where I could cut back by exercising portion control. I was able to figure out where I could replace high calorie fats with healthier, more filling substitutes.

Now, whenever I feel myself falling off the rails, I return to the food diary concept. If I don't actually jot the items down, I make mental notes.

For the last few years I've had a list of healthy foods that I copied from Newsweek stuck to my fridge with a magnet that says "Exercise! The Poor Man's Surgery." When I glance at it, I'm reminded that I haven't had salmon in a while, or that I should slice up the tomatoes on my counter and have a healthy snack. The other foods are:

Beans, Blueberries, Broccoli, Oats, Oranges, Pumpkin, Soy, Spinach, Walnuts, Yogurt and Tea (green or black).

Another list that makes sense to me is this one from Day 25 of the America Takes It Off diet plan that includes the following list of foods that will fill you up with the fewest calories:

Potatoes, Fish, Oatmeal, Oranges, Apples, Whole wheat pasta, Grapes, Air-popped popcorn, Bran cereal and Soup.

I tried Chris Freytag's idea of doing 10 minutes on various machines. I wasn't sure if I would feel like I had worked out by spending a few minutes on each. But it made my time at the gym feel shorter and it worked out different parts of my body, mostly sections of my legs (I use my at-home exercises for arms and tummy).

The treadmill was a good start to a workout. I walked on it for 10 minutes for a warm-up, gradually increasing the speed and incline, until I had to full out run (which we all know I hate doing), then I moved onto the bike. The bike burned my calves because I have not been on that machine for months! So 10 minutes was definitely enough. Then off to my favorite, the elliptical cross trainer, which I spent 15 minutes on.

This is definitely a good idea, especially for people who have a short attention span - that's me!