First off, I am by no means uber fit and trim. I still have plenty of belly jiggle and wiggle and fly-away flabby arms, but I feel good. I feel healthy. Or at least a lot healthier than what I used to be. I am actually pretty darn happy where I am at...for the most part anyway. Yeah, that whole toning up thing is what I am aiming for now. Less flab and more firm. I would love to be toned and a little muscular looking. But not Jillian Michaels muscular. That's too much for me.

Second of all, I am by no means an expert when it comes to health and fitness. Although at times, people may think I am and I would love to be, but I am so not. I have come a long way in the last year and a half and I have learned plenty about portion control and eating the right foods and exercise, but I still make mistakes. Often.

But see, here's the thing. When I watch TV and see ads for weight loss programs or God forbid, quick-fix diets, I cringe. Bad. Sometimes, I even talk back to the television. For instance, when Sara Rue comes on and talks about how much weight she lost in such a little amount of time, I sneer and wrinkle up my nose. I ask her, like she can really hear me, "Yeah, so what's gonna happen when you get off the plan? When you have to eat real food?" Seriously, like she's gonna answer me.

And it happens when I hear people talk about other plans, like the kind where they drink stuff and take pills. I try to be upbeat and not question their enthusiasm or commitment. I try to be positive and congratulate them for doing something, although I may disagree wholeheartedly. I really hope I don't come off as some kind of know-it-all-snob, because I really don't want to. I am just so excited about everything I learned and how it worked for me.

And the thing is, I have done those things. I have been in their shoes. And yes, it does work. Temporarily. That's the whole kit and kaboodle. It is always temporary. Always. I wish I could scream from every mountain top that people need to learn how to eat in the real world, in real situations, with their family, their friends, their co-workers, at home, at a restaurant - whatever and wherever.

I am not saying I am perfect or that what I am doing is the "right" answer. I realize that everyone has to find what works for them, but really, come on, you can't live on pills and shakes or prepackaged foods forever. But you can live on real food...healthy food (of course you have to mix in a little naughty food from time to time!). Foods from the basic food groups, you know, the ones you learned about in elementary school.

Okay, so maybe I am turning into a weight loss health snob. But you know what, maybe deep down inside, I kind of like it. Maybe this is my calling. Maybe.

We stopped there after work and before we had supper. Yes, my stomach was empty and yes, it is always a bad - very bad - idea to go to the grocery store when you are hungry. We had to pick up some provolone cheese for our French dips we were having for supper. Did you know that Sargento cheese (my sister will love me for this one - she works for Sargento) makes a reduced fat provolone cheese that is only one WW point per slice. I was pumped. Also, did you know that making French dips on Arnold Sandwich Thins are really, really good! We used a very lean sirloin roast, which was also very tasty.

While we were at the grocery store, we also picked up items for our fondue night tonight with our friends, Brad and Linda. About once a month, we have them over for food, fun and games. They are way cool and we always have so much fun with them.

Anyway, as we were making our way around the store, all the bad-for-you-foods started jumping out at me and tempting me. Seriously, it was awful. I was starting to get really hungry by now; it was nearly 6 p.m. We happened to go down the chip aisle - my husband wanted to get some pretzels. The caramel puffcorn nearly jumped into our cart. The Doritos were begging me to take them home. And the Cheetos, seriously, it was like I had to quit staring at them (I think I may have drooled a bit) because it was like they had these puppy dog eyes and and they were so sad and needed a home. No chips came home with us. Thankfully.

I told my husband it was time to go. I didn't tell him I thought I was maybe going a little crazy. Then, my cart turned down the ice cream aisle. Not sure why. Again, this feeling came over me and it was almost like I was starting to feel a bit panicky. I didn't like it. I could seriously feel all my willpower starting to fade away. I felt like a drug addict in search of one more hit. It wasn't the best feeling in the world. And it was a feeling I haven't felt in a really long time. The yearning for fattening foods.

We made our way out of the ice cream aisle free and clear. Now, it was onto the bakery department, well, actually the bread section of the bakery department. We needed to find some kind of bread for the cheese fondue we would be having tonight. I got seriously excited when walking down the bread aisle and I found the Thomas Bagel Thins I knew would be coming out. They are like the Arnold Sandwich Thins, but are bagels. I tried them a couple of weeks ago and have been waiting very patiently for them to hit our stores and there they were. I was ecstatic! By the way, they are also only worth one WW point.

Walking through the bread section of the bakery, the baked goods, of course, caught my eye. The drool started again when my husband showed me some kind of chocolately, fudgey, cake thing. I did almost kick him for doing that, but I didn't. After he set it back down and walked away - easily, I might add - I picked it up and starred at it for awhile, examining it, drooling over it, really wanting to put it in my cart. At that point, it would have been very interesting to see what my blood pressure would have been. I bet it was high. The dessert stayed on the shelf. Thankfully.

I told my husband again, for probably the third or fourth time, that it was time for me to go. NOW. I had to get out of the store before our cart was filled with foods I know I would have regretted buying. It really wasn't his fault that we hadn't left the store yet, I kept finding things to look at as well. But I knew this time, it really was time to go. My willpower was almost down to nothing.

We made our way to the checkout and of course, what is at every single checkout lane? Candy bars and other tempting junk foods. Seriously, does that stuff have to be there? I don't think so. One item did jump - almost leaped - into our cart. But it wasn't that bad. Actually, it was really good. It was a small bag of smoked almonds. And, yes, I shared the bag with my husband.....although I really wanted to hog it for myself. By the way, nuts are a good source of protein and when eaten in small portions, are good for you.

Other than that, we, or should I say I, made it out without any bad-for-me-foods. I was happy and proud. And as I walked out of the store, almonds in hand, my willpower skyrocketed right back where it needed to be. Thankfully.

It wasn't until August 9 of last year when my readers learned who the real "Fat Girl" was. It's me, Celeste Edenloff, a 37-year-old woman who lives in Alexandria, Minnesota, who is a reporter for the Echo Press newspaper (my name in the paper is Celeste Beam - it's a long, complicated story!), a mother to Brandon and a wife to Al. So really, was I that brave when I first started?

I don't think I was/am as brave as Karin L. Nauber, who also happens to be a reporter. Karin works for the Independent New Herald, a newspaper based out of Clarissa, Minnesota that covers news in Todd County.

A co-worker of mine gave me the newspaper and told me to check it out because there was an article in it she thought I would be interested in. She was right, there was. In the March 3 edition of the paper on page 5 was an article written by Karin about herself. It was titled "Be a loser with Karin."

Karin recently began the "2010 Be A Loser With Karin" weight loss challenge. She did the same challenge in 2009. In the article, Karin listed her weight at the end of the 2009 challenge and then her starting weight at the beginning of this challenge. I liked the way she admitted that she gained weight, "It seems I have gained a bit. Nah, let's be realistic. I gained a lot." I like her approach, her humor and her honesty.

I also liked how she set her goal. She said her plan is to lose 25 pounds in the next 12 weeks. Although it is a little lofty or as she put it, hefty, it is definitely better than her original goal, which was to lose 40 pounds. Yikes! That would have been probably a little more than she could have handled. Karin said her friends told her she needs to be more realistic and I couldn't agree more.

It happens for so many people when they decide they need to lose weight. They set this unrealistic goal and when they can't reach it, they are frustrated and disappointed and most often, they give up. I have seen and heard it so many times. I've even done it. Several times. Anyway, in her article, Karin challenges her readers to set a realistic goal with some good, healthy ways to achieve that goal. Again, I couldn't agree more. One of the ways she is going to try and achieve her goal is by watching her portion sizes. Karin said she is going to try to attempt eating portion sizes that are more suitable for one person instead of three. Seriously, she couldn't be more right. As a society, we eat WAY too big of portions. It truly is ridiculous. Really.

Karin is going to be writing about her progress in her newspaper, as well as in a blog. I am going to be honest here, I wasn't going to write about her because I didn't want to lose my readership. I wasn't going to give you her blog website address because sometimes, I am little selfish and I can admit that. But there is something about this woman, who by the way, I have never met in my life, that I find fascinating.

So, check her out. Follow her like you follow me. But, now here's the selfish part of me, don't quit reading me. Don't give up on me. I love all my readers. I love that you take the time to read my blog and comment when you have something to say. I like - okay, thrive on - that feedback. But I think you should take the time to read her as well and let her know that she has followers, that she has supporters. So, here it is, check out Karin: bealoserwithkarin2010.blogspot.com/

Oh, and let me know what you think. And also don't forget, you can become a fan of Confessions of a Fat Girl on Facebook. Check it out, I think you might like it. Thanks again for reading...all of you are greatly appreciated!

We - as in women and men, too - need to get real about this. Most of us didn't put the weight on overnight. It slowly packed on and then one day, it seemed as though all of sudden we were 20 pounds heavier. In my case, it was 40+ pounds heavier. In my new healthier living journey - when I was in my weight loss mode - I only averaged a weight loss of .8 - yes, point 8 - pounds per week. Was it a little depressing? At times, but I knew in the long run it was better. I was okay with it. Yes, there were weeks when I had one or two pound losses and weeks when I didn't have any losses and of course, weeks when I had gains. But when averaged out over the 10 months it took me, the average was .8 pounds per week.

Women beat themselves up if they don't see weekly losses of 2, 3, 4 or even 5 pounds. But the thing is, they shouldn't see those big losses. It truly isn't good for your health. If someone loses 5 pounds in six weeks, that is AWESOME! Research has indicated that the slower it comes off, the more likely it is to STAY OFF and isn't that what we all want in the long run? There are countless articles on the Internet that stress the fact that people should lose weight slowly. Yes, there are also tons of ads for products and what not that scream about losing weight quickly. "Lose 30 pounds in 30 days!" Whatever. That is so not realistic - or HEALTHY! Ads like that are just a scam if you ask me.

I encourage all of you who are in the process of losing weight to take it off slowly. Aim for at least one pound per week, maybe two, but don't get discouraged, don't give up if it is less than that. Keep going. Keep trying. Keep doing what you are doing. After a month or even two months, take your weight loss and average it out and see what it is. Even .5 - yes, point 5 - pounds per week is still a loss. It is definitely better than a gain, right? Just be proud and happy of any loss you have, but don't give up if you have a gain one week. Be patient.

I seriously can't stress enough about that. I also can't stress enough about the fact that you don't have to completely give up the foods you love. You can still eat ice cream and lose weight. And I am totally serious about that. Seriously people, it's about portion control, self control, exercise and mind control. If you believe you can do it, YOU CAN. Plain and simple. But you have to want it bad enough to make the change - not for a month or two, but for the rest of your life. That doesn't mean eating salads forever either. You have to relearn how to eat, you have to incorporate fruits, veggies, lean proteins, grains, healthy oils and dairy and whatever else I may have missed. But you don't have to cut out chocolate or chips or ice cream or candy or cake and cookies. You just have to learn control.

I am not saying it is always easy, because as all you have read, I have my days. But as time goes by, I have more better days than I have crappy days. Did that make sense?

Alright, I am done ranting for now. But please, please don't get discouraged when you have only lost five pounds in seven weeks or whatever your numbers happen to be. Just be proud and happy it was a loss. And be proud and happy you didn't gain!

However, it seems as though I have added more than just Saturdays. Since that time, there seems to be many Sundays where I don't log my food - although if I do a lick of exercise, it sure gets logged! - and now, a few Fridays have been added.

Am I getting to comfortable? Or is it working?

I have amped up my exercising. I am okay with the numbers at the scale - my weight seems to stay anywhere between 147 and 150. Actually, I don't think it has gone over 149.5 in quite some time. Which by the way is way cool because my goal weight for Weight Watchers was 155. Now here's the cool part. When I finally set my goal, the 155 number, I was tempted at point to get a note from my doctor saying that my "perfect" weight was 160 pounds. I didn't think there was anyway possible I could reach 155 pounds. Seriously. It just seemed too daunting of a task, too much of a challenge, too much work.

And now, here I am, five pounds or more UNDER my listed goal weight. Yep, totally just gave myself a pat on the back and I smiled really big!

Anyway, so the lack of tracking kind of scares me, but just a little. It's not like I go all out and eat like crazy. I do keep a mental note of what I ate, but yet, is that enough. Am I getting too comfortable? When I don't track and eat - okay, maybe it's a little more than normal - stuff that I typically don't eat, I always think to myself, "It's okay, I exercised."

Does exercising give us a reason - excuse - to eat whatever we want and not keep track of it? I am not sure. I am going to keep doing what I have been doing and see how it goes. I still weigh in every Wednesday and if I see the numbers start to creep back up, I know what I have to do. TRACK!

I'll keep you all posted. And remember, check out Confessions of a Fat Girl on Facebook. I sometimes offer tips on there or share little interesting tidbids of info that you might not want to miss!

Thanks for reading!

I bundle up - a little too much I found out later on - and headed out. It was gorgeous outside. The streets in my neighborhood were a little slippery yet so I had to be very careful until I reached the main road. Once there, I took off on my run. It felt so good...for the first half a mile or so. I was slowly running out of breath. I think my pace was little too fast when I started. I slowed down a bit so I could keep a steady pace.

I did end up walking - a total of three times - but not very far each time. It was just enough to catch my breath. I ended up going a total of 2.4 miles in 30 minutes. I was little disappointed. But just a little.

I was happy to finally be running outside, but I really thought I could run all of it and not have to walk. I guess that was the disappointing part. But, overall, I felt good. To be running outside instead of in my basement on the treadmill was fantastic! As the weather warms up, I hope to find many more of my days hitting the pavement instead of the treadmill!

Here's to a better time and distance next time!

And honestly, that's okay.

Anyway, so I was reading this article (www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/surviving-girl-scout-cookie-season), which was written by Elaine Magee, MPH, RD (whatever that means!) and found it to be very interesting. The article was titled, "Surviving Girl Scout cookie season: Can you enjoy Girl Scout cookies without blowing your diet?" First off, as many of you know, I despise the word diet, but I read most of the article because at the end, the author ranked the cookies. She ranked them from most figure-friendly to least, of popular Girl Scout cookie options.

Here is her rankings, which, to be honest, didn't really surprise me:

1. *Reduced Fat Daisy Go Rounds (1 100-calorie pack; 24 grams).
*Lowest in fat; lowest in saturated fat; lowest in calories
Fat grams: 2
Saturated fat grams: 1
Calories:100
Sugar grams: 8
Total carbohydrate grams:19
Fiber grams: less than 1
I tried these last year - and really, really liked them! Would definitely order them again. 2 WW pts.

2. *Shortbread (4 cookies; 26 grams)
*Lowest in sugar; second-lowest in fat
Fat grams: 4.5
Saturated fat grams: 2
Calories: 120
Sugar grams: 4
Total carbohydrate grams: 19
Fiber grams: less than 1
I have never had these. 3 WW pts.

3. Do-si-dos (2 cookies; 24 grams)
Fat grams: 5
Saturated fat grams: 1.5
Calories: 110
Sugar grams: 7
Total carbohydrate grams: 16
Fiber grams: less than 1
These are okay, but wouldn't necessarily order them again. 3 WW pts.

4. Thank U Berry Munch (2 cookies; 25 grams)
Fat grams: 5
Saturated fat grams: 2
Calories: 120
Sugar grams: 7
Total carbohydrate grams: 18
Fiber grams: less than 1
I have never tried these, nor have I had of these. 3 WW pts.

5. *Peanut Butter Sandwich (3 cookies, 35 grams)
* Tied with Lemon Chalet for highest in carbohydrate grams
Fat grams: 6
Saturated fat grams: 2.5
Calories: 160
Sugar grams: 8
Total carbohydrate grams: 26
Fiber grams: less than 1
Um, yeah, love these. Go figure. I am a peanut butter lover! 4 WW pts.

6. Thanks-A-Lot (2 cookies, 31 grams)
Fat grams: 6
Saturated fat grams: 3.5
Calories:150
Sugar grams: 9
Total carbohydrate grams: 22
Fiber grams: less than 1
I think I have tried these but don't remember so they must not have been that memorable. 4 WW pts.

7. Trefoils (5 cookies, 33 grams)
Fat grams = 8
Saturated fat grams = 2.5
Calories = 160
Sugar grams = 7
Total carbohydrate grams = 22
Fiber grams = less than 1
I have never heard of these. 4 WW pts.

8. *Lemon Chalet Cremes (2 cookies; 32 grams)
* Highest in calories; Tied for highest in sugar with Caramel deLites; Tied with Peanut Butter Sandwiches for highest in carbohydrates
Fat grams: 7
Saturated fat grams: 2.5
Calories: 170
Sugar grams: 13
Total carbohydrate grams: 26
Fiber grams: less than 1 gram
Um, yeah, once again, love these. They are so delectable! A true delight! Of course I love 'em, they are high in calories and fat! 4 WW pts.

9. Lemonades (2 cookies, 31 grams)
Fat grams: 7
Saturated fat grams: 4
Calories: 150
Sugar grams: 9
Total carbohydrate grams: 22
Fiber grams: 0
Yep, love these, too! I would probably actually order these again and just try to eat two per day. 4 WW pts.

10. Thin Mints from Little Brownie Bakers (4 cookies, 32 grams)
Fat grams: 8
Saturated fat grams: 5
Calories: 160
Sugar grams: 10
Total carbohydrate grams: 22
Fiber grams: less than 1 gram
Hello, can you say delicious? These are my FAVORITE! And no, I would not and have not ordered these in a couple of years because I have no control with these. If I have one, I eat the whole sleeve....and yes, in one sitting! 4 WW pts.

11. *Caramel deLites (2 cookies, 28 grams)
*Highest in sugar; Tied with Thin Mints by ABC and Samoas for the highest in saturated fat
Fat grams: 7
Saturated fat grams: 6
Calories: 140
Sugar grams: 13
Total carbohydrate grams: 19
Fiber grams: 1
Just okay. Definitely not my favorite and probably wouldn't ever order them again. 3 WW pts.

12. Peanut Butter Patties (2 cookies, 28 grams)
Fat grams = 8
Saturated fat grams = 5
Calories = 150
Sugar grams = 10
Total carbohydrate grams = 17
Fiber grams = less than 1
Hmm, peanut butter? Yep, you guessed it....I love 'em. Haven't had any in a couple of years. 4 WW pts.

13. *Tagalongs (2 cookies, 25 grams)
* Highest in fat: Lowest in carbohydrate grams
Fat grams = 9
Saturated fat grams = 5
Calories = 140
Sugar grams = 8
Total carbohydrate grams = 13
Fiber grams = less than 1 gram
Yep, love these, too. Wow, I guess I love a lot of the Girl Scout cookies. Maybe it was a good idea I missed out on ordering them! 4 WW pts.

14. Dulce de Leche (4 cookies, 30 grams)
Fat grams = 8 grams
Saturated fat grams = 3.5
Calories = 160
Sugar grams = 9
Total carbohydrate grams = 19
Fiber grams = less than 1
Never heard of these. 4 WW pts.

15. * Samoas (2 cookies, 29 grams)
* Tied with Thin Mints (ABC) and Caramel deLites for highest in saturated fat
Fat grams: 8
Saturated fat grams: 6
Calories: 150
Sugar grams: 11
Total carbohydrate grams: 19
Fiber grams: less than 1
Just okay. I loved them when they first came out, but I think I may have eaten too many! Can definitely live without them. 4 WW pts.

16. *Thin Mints from ABC Bakers (4 cookies, 32 grams)
*Tied with Caramel deLites and Samoas for highest in saturated fat
Fat grams = 8
Saturated fat grams = 6
Calories = 160
Sugar grams = 10
Total carbohydrate grams = 21
Fiber grams = less than 1
Read my previous entry for Thin Mints. My ultimate favorite Girl Scout cookie...EVER! 4 WW pts.

So, now you know the scoop on Girl Scout cookies. Do you think it will change you mind about eating them? Or does it not really matter? Let me know your thoughts.

It seriously brought me back to the days of being a teenager and starting that first job. It felt strange, kind of stressful, yet exhilarating. The first part was simple and easy - stock the tables with product. That wasn't so bad, but strangely, it was fast paced. Fun, really. I will tell you one thing, there sure is a lot of product - more than I thought when I was just attending the meetings.

Next, it came time to learn how to weigh people in. I watched as the person training me weighed, calculated, smiled and offered comments when needed in such an effortless manner. Just like when I attend the meetings, I am in awe of the three women who currently work there. But I thought, "Yep, I can do this." Until it was my time to step in and start doing it. O-M-G!!!! Not that it was hard, but it was kind of stressful. I mean, come on, I am weighing people in and calculating their losses - and in some cases, small gains. If my math isn't right, I can accidentally give someone a gain of two pounds instead of a loss of two pounds. I also felt like I had to hurry so I didn't make anyone wait. Although really, I didn't have to because everyone was so understanding and nice knowing that I was "the new girl."

Once we got through everyone, it was time for just a little paperwork. That wasn't so bad.

So, what was the most amazing part? I knew when the meeting started, I heard the leader begin her spiel, but then, all of a sudden, I heard her voice again and she was telling everyone to have a good day. It was all over and I didn't hear a single word of the meeting. Oh, I did hear her tell everyone that I was there training today and everyone clapped, which, to be honest, was way cool. But that was it. I have no idea what the meeting was about. I don't know what tips she gave everyone. I don't know the important information she shared. That part kind of disappointed me. Kind of. I love attending the meetings.

But, I also loved doing what I did today and I can see myself getting more comfortable each week and really fitting in. I enjoyed it despite the fact that I missed the meeting. I definitely can't wait for next week to do it all over again.

Things have been going very well for me, which is maybe why I haven't blogged in awhile....I don't have much to blog about! The exercising is going better than expected and the eating is going about the same. I have my good days and my not so good days.

I do have good new to share with everyone...I started my new job at Weight Watchers today. Unfortunately, I don't have the time right now to post, but I PROMISE I WILL POST TONIGHT and fill you all in. It was....

I will leave it at that for right now. Check back tonight after 8 p.m. and read all about it!

Thanks for hanging with me and reading my blog, as well as becoming a fan of mine on Facebook. I really, truly appreciate each and every one of you. Until later, take care!

Sometimes, I would eat the good-for-you stuff like Cheerios, Wheaties, Shredded Wheat (yes, it was frosted!), Grape Nuts, Raisin Bran and such. And sometimes, I would eat the not-so-good stuff like Lucky Charms, Cap'N Crunch (the peanut butter variety), Cocoa Pebbles, Fruit Loops and more.

When I ate cereal, I would grab a bowl out of the cupboard - the one that came with our set of dishes, not some mongo bowl we bought separately because ours were too small and we wanted mongo-sized bowls. Nope, these were "thee bowls" that came with our set. Every time I poured the cereal, I never really paid attention to how much could actually fit in those mongo-sized bowls. I have one word: WOW!

Until yesterday. I was reading something on the Hungry Girl website about the serving sizes of different food items and I think cereal was mentioned, which made me think a little. (Yes, I do that from time to time.) Have you ever actually looked at what the serving size is for the cereal you've been eating? I was shocked. The ranges of serving sizes for the five boxes of cereal we have in our cupboard (my son and husband are still cereal junkies!) went from a half a cup to one cup, but the serving size most used was three-fourths of a cup. Yep, just a measly 3/4 cup. Really, who eats just three-fourths of a cup of cereal?

So, just for fun, I took out one of our mongo-sized bowls and poured a typical "Celeste-sized" amount of my son's Lucky Charms into it. Then, I took the cereal and poured it into a giant-sized measuring cup. Giant-sized as in a glass, four-cup measuring device. Want to know how much was in that typical "Celeste-sized" bowl? You might be surprised.

First, I will tell you that I was shocked. I mean really, I thought our bowls were averaged-sized bowls. Like I said, they came with our set. But I guess looking back on it, we did go out and buy smaller - yes, I said, smaller - bowls because the ones we had were good for soup and such, but when we used to eat ice cream, we could go through a whole 1.5 quart container after serving up three bowls for my husband, my son and myself. So, yeah, I guess they are THAT big, which is good and bad I guess, depending on what you are eating. Ice cream, bad. Broccoli, good.

Anyway, the serving size on the box of Lucky Charms was three-fourths of a cup. 3/4 of a cup. The amount in the bowl? Three cups. Yes, 3 cups.......four times the serving size. FOUR! I seriously couldn't believe it. A serving size - the 3/4 cup one - has 110 calories, 1 gram of fat and 1 gram of fiber. OK, the fat and fiber aren't that bad, but take the calories and multiply that by four and it adds up. Especially, when sometimes, I wouldn't eat just one bowl. Hmmm, no wonder I was at the store buying cereal what seemed like all the time. I really was buying it all the time. And no wonder I wasn't ever losing weight.

After finding out how much was in the bowl, I immediately went to my Weight Watchers website and punched in a typical serving size - 3/4 cup - of Lucky Charms. It was only two points. Not bad, I thought. Then, I typed in three cups, which is the amount in the bowl, and it was 8.5 points. YIKES.

I honestly believe that cereal is one of those foods that people just eat and don't even think about. I don't think there are too many people out there who actually eat just one serving of their favorite brand. I mean, really, why would anyone eat just 3/4 cup of Lucky Charms. If I am going to eat cereal, I want enough to make it worth it. Come on, really? Three-fourths? I don't think so. That's like eating three bites, isn't it?

Now, I should have mentioned I had no intentions of eating the cereal, I was just using it as an experiment. So, I poured it back into the box, closed it up tightly and put it back in the cupboard. My son will have no clue I tampered with his cereal! :-)

After checking out the Lucky Charms, I decided to check into a few others. Here's what I found. A serving size of Grape Nuts consists of 200 calories, 1 gram of fat and 7 grams of fiber. I used to eat Grape Nuts on a regular basis, not only because I thought it was uber healthy, but because I really loved the taste, especially when I would cut up a banana on it. A 1/2 cup serving has 3 WW points. I guarantee you that I never ate just a 1/2 cup portion. Two cups of Grapes Nuts, however, has 15.5 points and three cups, which I am sure I ate on more than one occasion, has a whopping 23.5 points. Seriously, and I used to eat it all the time. Thank goodness I don't anymore.

Here's some more: Wheaties - 3/4 cup = 1 point, 3 cups = 7.5 points; Cheerios - 1 cup = 2 points, 3 cups = 5.5 ponts; Cap'N Crunch, 3/4 cup = 2 points, 3 cups = 9 points; Frosted Shredded Wheat - 1 cup = 3 points, 3 cups = 10.5 points; Cocoa Pebbles - 3/4 = 2 points, 3 cups = 8.5 points and Raisin Bran, 1 cup = 3 points, 3 cups = 11 points.

So next time you reach for a box of cereal, just out the facts first and make sure your measuring cups are nearby or, just make sure you're not using a mongo-sized bowl!

P.S. Check out the Confessions of a Fat Girl Facebook page and see what people have to say about the question I posted on cereal.