I’m at the President Obama Twitter Town Hall today so no Tumblr (bloggy) post for the week. It starts at 2pm EST so gather all your questions and get there ASAP. You can also direct questions using #AskObama and follow the feed @TownHall on Twitter.

Next week, I have some great news, a recipe and hopefully super stats to share with you. Stay tuned, loves!

Since I rapidly gained weight these past few weeks I feel like I’m treading water. I refuse to buy bigger clothing while 80% of the summer clothes in my closet don’t fit. Sure, I have enough to throw together a smart weekend outfit but what about work or special events? The frustration felt most as I stand before the closet each morning, my stack of last summers goal weight clothing mocking me. For the first time in my life I’m resigned. As far as I’m concerned; if it zips, it fits.

At a graduation barbeque, my mom discreetly pulled me aside to tell me that she was displeased with my recent wardrobe choices. Everything, she said “is ill fitting and distressing”. Yep, like me my mom doesn’t cheese coat anything. Of course, I listened all the while coming up with excuses as to why I looked so sloppy recently. The next day I realized that it was just another manifestation of my complacency cropping up.

As part of my revivification, I decided that it was time to re-evaluate my look.  I pulled all the clothes from my closet and drawers and tried them on, chucking them into the “maybe later” pile if they didn’t button, zip or fit properly. With my reduced-but-still-workable pickings, I sorted them into “work” and “play” piles then took mental note of what I needed. After work Monday, I stopped by my Favorite Store of All Time: TJ Maxx. I picked up some basics including khaki and grey clamdiggers, white denim pants and five feminine but professional tops for about $150.

Walking to work with a mix of old and new clothes, I felt comfortable in my skin. No tugging or wrapping my sweater around me to hide an unbecoming ensemble. Today, I dressed in half the time since no time was spent tossing something aside after realizing it doesn’t fit (after ironing it, no less). I already feel better. I’m working towards my goal of having my summer goal weight clothing pile shrink and having to take in the clothing I bought this week to fit my new slimmer body.

My mom is right, of course, that I have to not let my emotions dictate my life. Small changes on my weight loss journey can impact my outlook greatly. If $148.87 is what I need to look and feel my best, then it’s money well spent.

I had a major set back last week when I found out that I’d put on a lotta water weight due to medical reasons. Nothing to be alarmed about but packing on extra poundage to my already overweight frame is just soul-crushing. I lost my way and my will all in one swoop stepping down off of the scale. Pants that fit 2 months ago wouldn’t even go over my thighs and my pride (and thrift) prevents me from buying new clothes. Yes, I’m well aware of how the fashion industry inflates sizes to make women feel thinner and that the numbers don’t correlate to anything: I don’t want to buy a size up. I tried to hold it together but I started tearing up a little after the hysteria wore off.

Despite my best efforts, mediocre they may be, I was trying my hardest and gaining weight so quickly made me feel emotions I’d never felt before, even at my highest weight. I feel bloated, unsightly and yes, fat. I won’t pretend that I didn’t have a mayjah hand in my undoing but this last gain is truly the straw that broke the camel’s back.

I need to be hypervigilant about everything now. No more guessing what I’ll eat for dinner then having 2 desserts instead. No more assuming calorie counts for everything I’m too lazy to look up. Certainly no more half assing it. As I type, my desk snacks are ready to be bagged up and I’ve got a detailed sketch of what I’ll be consuming tomorrow, down to the bite of whatever my friend orders for dessert and the 2 cocktails I know I’ll knock back. I’m stockpiling recipes that’ll allow me to make easy no-brainer crockpot or low cook summer recipes that are healthy and fastfastfast.

I’ve been working out more, about 3 times a week, which is about 3 times per week more than I was a little while ago. I’m trying not to use exercise as a weight loss tool but as a way to make my body smokin’ hot. Last time, I saw that the workouts I did weren’t dropping numbers on the scale so quickly but whittling my body down like mad. Even 15 lbs from goal, I appeared fit and skinny. Luckily, my new apartment building has a stationary bike and new elliptical machine. That plus my Exercise TV onDemand workouts, The FIRM workouts, my mini-trampoline, jump rope, strength training and yoga will definitely give me a well-rounded, snoozeproof exercise routine. Summer, though, has never been a problem for exercising. Who wouldn’t want to get lost outside when the weather is gorgeous? I just have to make sure now more than ever that my diet is on point.

At 74 years young, Baltimorean Ernestine Shepherd is a Guinness World Record holding athlete. She’s up before the roosters and goes for a run, lifts weight and does other exercises—all before 6 am! She’s a certified personal trainer at the church just up the block from where I used to live in Baltimore.

I’m posting this picture in my workout corner so anytime I’m feeling lazybones I have a bit of inspiration— to be a GILF.