Community blogger Teri Boggess writes: People joke about dealing with trying times by grabbing a pint of ice cream and some chips and curling up in front of the TV.

Now I understand. If I hadn't committed to the weight loss blog nearly a year ago, this would have been an ice cream-and-chips kind of year.

Teri Boggess writes: I joined The News & Observer's Turning the Scales staff weight-loss blog in January with the goal of doing something for myself. And when I last checked in with an April post headlined "12 pounds lost - and a goal in sight," the progress had surprised me because the weight loss came with minimal effort and during a stressful time. This week, as I transition to the Dieting Dispatches community blog after my job at The N&O was eliminated, I'm happy to report a weight of 148.5. 

151.5
151.5
151.5
151.5

After seeing the same weight on four days, and having a very brief flirtation with 148.7, I finally accepted that I indeed had lost 12 pounds since joining this blog.

Easy, healthy, tasty, cheap and, most of all, worth trying again - what more can you ask of a recipe?

A new dish earned a place in my three-ring binder of favorite recipes on Tuesday as I look for ways to support my recently renewed effort to lose weight.

I’m always thinking about trying to maybe possibly sort of diet - I can’t even call it “diet” - but life gets in the way. Working nights as a copy editor on the busy N&O sports desk can make watching a diet a challenge.
Now, at 48 and with a milestone birthday less than two years away, and with a very active 4-year-old nephew just across town, getting into better shape has developed a bit more urgency.