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" This is Kathy Sena&amp;#039;s last post for &amp;quot;Scaling Down and Fessing Up.&amp;quot; She has been following Ellie Krieger&amp;#039;s 12-week plan, Small Changes, Big Results.   What a fun ride this has been! When I was first asked by my editor to write this three-month blog, I weighed 142 pounds. (My &amp;quot;before&amp;quot; photo is on the left.) At my final weigh-in today, I weighed 127.2 pounds (that&amp;#039;s my &amp;quot;after&amp;quot; photo on the right) \u2014 for a 14.8-pound loss! I didn&amp;#039;t quite reach my goal weight of 125, but I&amp;#039;m close enough that I know I can do it. Here are the stats for each week since I began following Ellie Krieger&amp;#039;s wonderful book:  Starting weight: 142 End of week 1: 139 End of week 2: 137 End of week 3: 136 End of week 4: 135 End of week 5: 134.8 (started using a digital scale) End of week 6: 133.2 End of week 7: 132 End of week 7: on vacation; no weigh-in End of week 8: 132 End of week 9: 131 End of week 10: 130.4 End of week 11: 130.6 End of 12-week blog: 127.2 (I drank a lot more water this week, trying to make it into the 120s. And it worked. I definitely broke through my plateau.) And yes, even thought I&amp;#039;m including before-and-after pics for this final post, my hubby, Randy, said I must  include one last shot of my feet on the scale as proof that I made it to 127.2. Here it is, along with a list of the the things that I found most helpful: \u00B0 Not drinking my calories. Except for an occasional glass of wine, I drank mostly water with my meals. I gave up those big glasses of high-calorie orange juice and grape juice that I used to drink almost daily. (Of course, drinking skim milk with meals is a great way to go. I just preferred to get my calcium from low-fat yogurt, skim milk on cereal, low-fat cheese, etc.) \u00B0 Making time for exercise \u2014 and not giving up the plan when I couldn&amp;#039;t exercise. I know that when I wasn&amp;#039;t having back problems, and was able to exercise more, the weight came off more easily. But even when I couldn&amp;#039;t work out, I knew I could still do good things for myself, and further my weight-loss goals, by eating healthfully, drinking lots of water and doing things like Ellie&amp;#039;s 5-minute breathing exercise for stress control. Those things helped me to keep the needle moving in the right direction \u2014 even if some weeks it didn&amp;#039;t move much! \u00B0 Doing this with friends. Every woman needs a walking buddy like my friend Ellen. When we start hoofing it, the time speeds by. It doesn&amp;#039;t even feel like work, because we&amp;#039;re having such a good time chatting. We also call each other to share diet suggestions and to talk about our progress. Whether you tackle weight loss as part of a group of with the support of one special friend, I highly recommend the buddy approach. \u00B0 Ellie&amp;#039;s wonderful book. For the past 12 weeks, Small Changes, Big Results has been by my side. Ellie has offered such encouragement and so many practical suggestions. If you are new to the blog and haven&amp;#039;t read the book, I highly recommend it.  \u00B0 You! Having all of you out there, cheering me on and offering support and suggestions, has been such a treat. Honestly, at age 49, I never expected to see 120-anything on the scale ever again. It feels wonderful to have lost nearly 15 pounds! Ellie was happy to share some final words of wisdom as I go beyond this 12-week plan. &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s important to find the right amount of structure,&amp;quot; she says. &amp;quot;To find a balance between indulging and keeping track.&amp;quot; It&amp;#039;s helpful to look at this time not as the end of something but as a time to decide how I&amp;#039;ll hold onto this new way of eating and exercising. &amp;quot;Expect to slip up,&amp;quot; Ellie says. &amp;quot;We&amp;#039;re all human. Just plan to get back on track.&amp;quot; It&amp;#039;s important to anticipate the challenges I&amp;#039;ll be facing in the next 6 months or so, she adds. Whether it&amp;#039;s a summer vacation, back-to-school time or the holidays that are a particular challenge, &amp;quot;it&amp;#039;s important to have a &amp;#039;Plan B,&amp;#039;&amp;quot; she says. &amp;quot;Stuff happens. You want to make the best of the situation.&amp;quot;  On summer vacation, for example, &amp;quot;Have that pina colada, but enjoy hiking, going for long walks and experiencing where you are.&amp;quot; On her recent vacation, for example. Ellie indulged in a pina colada \u2014 and even an order of French fries. But she also enjoyed lots of fresh seafood and took classes at a local yoga studio. &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s all about balance,&amp;quot; she says.  Thanks for your wise advice and your wonderful book, Ellie. And to all the readers who spent the past 12 weeks following &amp;quot;Scaling Down and Fessing Up,&amp;quot; thanks for being there as we took this journey together. I wish you many healthy small changes, and many wonderful big results! \u2014 Kathy Sena P.S. I also want to thank Woman&amp;#039;s Day for getting me started as a blogger. As a journalist for women&amp;#039;s and parenting magazines, I&amp;#039;ve always wanted to do this. I&amp;#039;m happy to announce the launch of my new blog for parents, &amp;quot;Parent Talk.&amp;quot; Please stop by at www.parenttalk.typepad.com. I hope to see you there! "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.womansday.com/life/a41064/goodbye-to-almost-15-pounds-6468/>