Weekly weigh-in: Flabby thighs, bulging belly and a turkey neck

Last week's weight: 175.2
This week's weight: 173.6
Difference: -1.6
Total weight lost since January 2010: 98.2

I've been on vacation all week and that's given me a lot of time to focus on my eating and exercise habits. Overall, I did better than I have in the past few weeks. But it was a struggle. I used my daily Weight Watchers points and almost all of my weekly points. The good news is that I did exercise, which meant I gained back half of the weekly points. That's probably what helped me lose this week.

More importantly, since this week was a staycation, I spent time cleaning out my closet. That meant trying on a lot of clothes. I was pleasantly surprised at how some things fit, but mostly I got tired of looking at myself in the mirror. All I could see were the imperfections -- sagging skin and bulges everywhere.

I wish this made me want to work harder at achieving my goal. Instead, it makes me want to eat everything in sight. I didn't do that, but I did allow myself a few splurges. Although I may not have done the best I could this week, I feel good because I did exercise five out of seven days and I tracked everything I ate.

Tracking really helps me recognize my pitfall zones. For example, between 2 and 6 p.m., all I want to do is snack. If I can eat a small snack about 3 p.m. and then eat dinner at 6 p.m., I can make it through an entire day without going over my daily points allotment. What usually happens is that I want a snack at 2 p.m. and then another one at 4 p.m. After dinner is also a challenge. If I eat dinner at 6 p.m., have a snack between 8 and 9 p.m. and go to sleep around 10 p.m., I'm OK. If I have a snack at 8 p.m. and stay awake past 10 p.m., I want to eat again.

Are you seeing the pattern? Apparently, starting around noon, I want to eat every two hours. That would be OK if I ate a piece of fruit or a few nuts or a piece of string cheese. Usually, though, that's not enough. I don't have a solution, but I do find it interesting that I can go all night and then until lunchtime with just eating once. Part of me thinks that maybe I should be eating a bigger breakfast and a lighter dinner. It's just really hard to change my mindset about dinner needing to be the biggest meal of the day.

Naturally, I spent a little time shopping this week. Sometimes, that's a real boost to my ego, especially when i look at something on the rack and think it will never fit. Then it does. I usually end up buying that item. This week's shopping didn't go so well. For one thing, I didn't even find that many things I wanted to try on. The one skirt I loved (and have looked at a million times in J.Crew but refused to even try on because it cost too much) was just a hair too small. I was so disappointed.

Although I'm on a very tight budget right now, I am headed out shopping again today. I'll probably end up at TJMaxx and Marshall's to ensure I don't spend too much. But I know that I would feel better about myself if I could find a new dress that I think looks good on me. I need that confidence boost right now so that I can stop focusing on the imperfections.