100 days in, 28.6 pounds down

Hi everyone,
I'm so excited that I'm about 1/2 way to my goal after 100 days of using MFP. (Or maybe 1/3 of the way to my goal - I can't decide whether to aim for "ideal" or just "normal bmi.")

I started tracking in October and generally eat between 1200 and 1400 calories a day, though I let myself go up to 1600 for the holidays. I'm 5'4", almost 42 years old, and recently got my hypothyroidism under control.

I haven't taken any photos because I've been hiding from cameras for my entire life, but I can tell from the fit of my clothes that I'm making progress. I have a box of "wait until spring" outfits that I'm hoping will fit again in ~80 days (my 6-month mark).

The biggest things I've learned since I started:

1) Thirst had been a trigger for me to eat. I now drink 10-12 glasses of water a day and feel so much better. My skin is more radiant too.

2) Calories and protein are the most important things for me to track. Followed by fiber. I ignore fat, sugar, and sodium...

3) It's completely respectable to lose 5-6 pounds a month. And those pounds won't come off evenly over a month. (After the first couple weeks when I lost ~9 pounds, I had to convince myself that progress was progress and not to be so impatient.)

4) If you screw up a day, just start again tomorrow and try to do better.

Thanks, MFP, for getting me here.