My Plan

So, what is different now? What makes THIS attempt so much different than the 813 (more or less) other times I have tried to lose the weight, get healthy and rid myself of this prison of blubber I've been trapped inside of for far too long?

Well there are actually quite a few things that are different.

These are the things that have had the biggest impact on getting this thing done this time:

• My new plan involves taking everything I've ever done before and doing the exact opposite. Because what I've done before just did not work. So if I do that which is diametrically opposed to what did not work then I should achieve success, right?



• I have realized that I can never eat like a normal human being again. I am not normal. I am someone that takes their love for foods and all the comforts that they bring to the absolute worst extremes. So, I cannot snack. I cannot indulge in just a little of this or a little of that. I have used up all of my snacking points. I have to start paying down the debt that has turned my body into something resembling a big, lumpy sack of cement that has no form or shape to identify me as an adult woman in the prime of her life. I had to break up with Ben & Jerry's. I had to tell The Burger King goodbye. Those cute little 100-calorie snack packs that seem so reasonable? I had to cut them loose. And I then cancelled all of my appointments with Dr. Pepper. It wasn't them. It was me. I had to move on. It was really hard to walk away. It was painfully sad and many tears were shed; but ending those relationships were really for the best. I am not on a diet that has an end date. I am making substantial changes in how I eat for life.



• A truly startling change is that I am now going on 4 weeks as a vegetarian. Me, the gal whose favorite meal in her life involved a medium-rare steak fresh off the grill, has given up all meat and eggs. And you know what? I feel great! I have never felt so good in all of my life. I feel less sluggish and all of the aches and pains I used to have are gone. I still eat dairy. I'm not choosing a vegan diet; I am just cutting out foods that involve ending a life to satiate my appetite. After giving up half and half in my morning coffee, I refuse to give up my skim milk too. And my morning yogurt is the only thing that helps me to get my daily cup of Fiber One down. But going meat-less and egg-less is a place to which my change in diet has naturally evolved.



• And the biggest change? This is the one that makes me know that this time is going to be the last time. I have started to exercise. I don't mean I do a few sit ups and count walking to the bus stop as a workout regimen. I mean that I have a real daily routine. I walk every single day except for Sunday. God rests on the seventh day; and if He gets a day off then I should get a day off too. I walk over 2 miles every night Monday through Friday and on Saturday I get even more mileage in. I have done this routine for about 6 weeks now and it has really paid off in ways I never imagined. All of those folks that tell you to exercise along with diet? They were right. It works! My body is shifting and I can see it developing some semblance of a real shape. And next month stage two of my exercise plan kicks in and that involves ditching my bus card to commute by bike. I plan on purchasing a bike and using that as my main source of transportation to and from work each and every day during the work week. I am already pretty excited about making this change because it burns more calories than walking and I expect to see even bigger changes in my body and my fitness level.

So that is how THIS time, I am going to do this incredibly hard thing. I’ve already started to do it and had great success thus far. The difference is that this time I know I’ve got this. I know that a new slimmer, healthier me is on the horizon. I’ve never truly had that feeling before. I’ve had hope with a side of finger crossing to spur me on; but I have never had that feeling deep down that this time is the time that I succeed. How big of a success have I achieved so far? Read on.