You're kidding, right?

Yes, once again, I had quite the pleasant surprise at Jenny Craig on Monday...this whole thing has been full of surprises: first, good food. Then, my new commitment to being active. And every once and again, I get a healthy dose of "Wait...are you serious? I really lost THAT much??" Monday was such a day. I lost another 3.7 pounds last week. My new total? 30.9 pounds. I am now officially less than 10 pounds away from my goal.

To be completely honest, if in the beginning of February, you had told me I'd drop THREE pant sizes by May, I'd tell you you were not only delusional, but probably had a touch of typhoid fever. ONE pant size is great. THREE? For me, that's remarkable. I'm finally looking at styles I've wanted to wear for years...I'm finally enjoying shopping again...I'm finally enjoying walking out of the house again. It's quite amazing to feel so incredibly good, yet still be able to vividly and instantly recall those feelings of self-doubt, embarrassment, and humility. It's a delicate line, walking the blade of that double-edged sword...but I suppose both sides are part of me forever now.

Now begins the rest of the crawl...the last 9.1 pounds. I'm stickin to the plan, and with all hopes, I'll be there in the next six weeks...until then, I'm enjoying my new pants!! ;)

Thanks for all your continued support...I had a woman call me today and say I was an inspiration to her, and that she joined Jenny Craig yesterday. I can't tell you how wonderful that made me feel. YOU are an inspiration to ME!!!!

Till next time,
~L

What a great cruise!.....and then, there's the bad stuff....

Well, the Cruise to Lose was a wonderful experience. I humiliated myself (which, in my line of work is pretty much a necessity) and shared some stories about what I've done in my "fatter years"....like going through the Taco Bell drive-thru, ordering more than enough food for one person, and then when I got to the window, acting like I was on the phone and telling that (non-existent) person on the phone that I had "picked them up something to eat". Yes, true story. Unreal. I also talked about ALWAYS being the fat kid on the playground, those nasty names that Eric Mattoon and Brett Cappa called me in 6th grade (payback's a b***h, guys...KARMA...), and showed my "fat jeans" (pictures hopefully forthcoming). It was a humiliating experience, but also a "freeing" experience...empowering. And that's an experience I'd love YOU to have too!

Then, comes the emotional stuff. Some personal issues in my life have spiraled into what would normally bring "emotional eating". I feared that as some parts of my life started falling apart, some lessons I learned in this journey may fall apart too. I will admit, I did not have a nutritious Saturday night. I had a 3 hour phone date with a good friend, along with a box of Kleenex and a couple of beers. There, I said it. I drank two beers. 200 calories, 6 fats. And with every single sip, "200 calories, 6 fats" went thru my head. While I'm not thrilled with some things that I'm having to deal with, I'm also not going to beat myself up with guilt (at least, not TOO long) over going "off the program" for a couple hours. This is something you should be aware of with Jenny Craig, or any weight management program for that matter...they are well aware that despite being on a regimented program, LIFE still happens. Jobs will cause stress, hearts will be broken, schedules will be hectic - LIFE still happens. But like a wise old man once said, it's not what happens that matters, it's how you respond to it. So, I dealt with it in a certain way on Saturday night, and by Sunday afternoon, I picked up some pieces and got back on track. No more beers (today, at least), and just a few less Kleenex. But life still happens, as it always will, and it's how you respond and deal with things that ultimately make the difference. Make it a good difference this week, ok? ;)

Till next time,
~L