Baby Steps, Big Picture

Three pounds down! Woo Hoo! Although the progress seems glacial I have to keep in mind that if I were to lose 1 to 1 1/2 pounds a week for an entire year, I'd eventually be down 50 to 70 pounds! (I am all about exclamation points today! Can you tell?!) It is so hard to keep the big picture in focus when time seems to pass so slowly - or should I say the time between meals passes so slowly. I have thought about nothing but food for the past 3 weeks. But it's just like anything in short supply - you want it most when it's least available - food, money, clothes, men, the list goes on. I haven't gone on any strict diets as I tend to rebel by eating to my heart's content. Plus I'm trying to keep in mind that this will have to become my new way of life; something flexible enough to last me for a long time. The other most important aspect is the exercise - I am doing it every day and as early in the day as possible. The later in the day it gets, the more tired I become and the more excuses I make. And I am all about finding excuses not to do the right thing. I have perfected the art of procrastination and that's a nasty habit I'm trying to break.

I may have made a big mistake last week. I asked my 12 year old son to take a "before picture" of me but swore him to secrecy. That probably wasn't very smart. Taking out a full page ad in the NY Times would probably have been the more discreet thing to do. I'm also going to need his help uploading the picture too. It's a good thing I have plenty of dirt on him to use as leverage. Maybe I need to trust him more. Yeah, right.

I know all the fitness experts tell you to "go public" with your weight loss efforts to keep yourself accountable but I'm not so sure. I have failed so many times before. I'm known as the Chunky Monkey Mama who cried "wolf" (sounds like "loaf", as in bread...mmmmmm!) one time too many. People do not take me seriously anymore. I don't think fat people in general are taken very seriously - except when cake is involved. I've been thin and I've been fat and believe me, thin people rule! I just want to be normal, that's all.