Remembering The Turtle

Well, err, hmm. I got on the scale this morning -- my first time in weeks -- and did not like the number that registered. I am weighing in at 189 lbs., which means I have 29 lbs. to lose to get to my goal weight of 160 lbs. I had ball-parked things at 25 lbs. needed to lose, so I guess I was close. But when you are someone who loses, on average, only 2.2 lbs./week on Optifast, four pounds seems like a mountain.

Now, this is the time when I must remind myself of that wonderful story about the race between the Turtle and the Hare. The hare took off quickly, and looked as if he would win. But low and behold, that slow-moving turtle made it to the finish line first. Others may be seeing great weight loss results in the initial weeks, but things do slow down. So I'll keep plodding along, in my "day by day" mode, chiseling away at this weight I put on over the course of this past year.

I must be very careful not to get into calculations of how long I will be on product. That only frustrates me and can threaten my compliance to the full fast. Instead, I am trying to remember all of the wonderful things that happen when I am on product. I feel "de-toxed." I have energy. My skin glows. My clothes start falling off. And the wonderful relief I feel to have "food out of the equation" (as I like to say).

Folks, I'm going to be very upfront: I love to cook rich, hearty things and I love to eat them. I love restaurants. I love "sweet treats" at night. But this gets me into trouble. Optifast gives me the opportunity to step away from all of this and really focus on what I am going to do to manage my eating. I like this aspect. I need this aspect. Things were just descending into that eating free-for-all and I had to put a stop to it.

So here I go into Day Three. I am feeling good this morning. I've got my beloved Cup 'O Joe beside me and a whole day of possibilities open to me. My plan is to push ahead with a longer walk with Sir Little Legs (my 4 1/2 year old male Basset Hound), and include some running "spurts" in the park. (Bassets don't run for long distances LOL). I know it might not sound like much exercise, but for someone who had become completely sedentary, this is a good start.

I hope you have a great day too. Let's have some fun!