A Weighty Issue

Project 15 - Day 80

For the past three years I have watched the number on the scale inch its way upward. I talked a lot about making it stop. Talked about diet and exercise. Talked about healthy eating. I even called for "A Sweeping Overhaul" in April of last year. It lasted all of two weeks. I tried to accept the extra cargo as part of aging. I was miserable. Finally, when one of the two remaining pair of pants I could squeeze into ripped I knew I had to make a change. I refused to buy a larger size and it was going to be tough keeping that last pair clean. I also knew I needed help. I knew I could no longer do it alone. My old tricks didn't work anymore. I needed to be accountable to someone or something in order to get the job done, enter Weight Watchers.

I attended my first meeting the next day. I paid my hard earned cash and began the journey. A journey towards a healthier way of living. A journey towards expanding my depleted wardrobe. I knew if I had to write a check and weigh in once a week I would persevere.

I felt a little uncomfortable at first. There were amazing people in attendance who had successfully lost a lot of weight. In comparison my goal was small...17 pounds. Did I belong? I knew I was out of control and before long 17 would become 30 and then 50 so I stayed. Returning each week to hop on the scale and celebrate the milestones. Last week we celebrated one woman's loss of 156 pounds. A few week's ago a young mother's successful 50 pound loss but more importantly her victory of getting her entire family eating healthy. Her dream was that her children would never have to go through her struggles with weight.

I am now 1 pound away from my goal. The difficult part of the journey is about to begin...maintenance. I'm approaching it with cautious optimism. I don't want to do this again. I've done it too many times in the past. I want this to be the last. I have a game plan. I will continue to attend meetings and I will weigh in weekly for a while and then once a month. I have taught myself to eat slower, to drink more water with meals, to take small bites, to make better choices when I need a snack and order from a menu. When I do treat myself to a burger & fries or a hot fudge sundae I will not fill guilt. I intend to be a success story.

My need to get the weight off isn't entirely vanity driven. My genes are fraught with health issues exacerbated by excess weight: heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, debilitating osteoarthritis. The list goes on. I have always believed that the one thing I could control was my weight. I might not be able to prevent the inevitable but I can diminish the effects by keeping my weight in check.

I hope by next week I will be celebrating reaching my goal. I now have more than one pair of pants that fit. Everything old is new again....including me.