Procedure Part 2: Keep Moving Forward

Goal number 2 is to loose weight.  There was a time when simply cleaning up my eating habits would mean quick weight loss.  Those days are apparently gone.  My body has gotten comfortable with those extra cells hanging around and is in no to hurry to bid them adieu.

I've committed myself to a 3-4 month intensive push to loose weight. I've set a particular weight loss goal and a time frame in which to accomplish that loss. I'm working with a trainer 3 or 4 times per week.  I'm hoping to finally learn to swim around the end of that push. With hard work, I'll look less like a beached whale wrapped in colorful fabric after 20 pounds have gone. Swimming would give me a good, non-weight bearing, aerobic exercise.  It would allow me to spend time with my family in an activity they enjoy.

This process is about 8 weeks along.  I've been frustrated at times. I try to keep a positive, one-little-bit-at-a-time attitude. Sometimes I find myself repeating, "Do Your Best," the Cub Scout motto.  Other times it's "Keep Moving Forward" from the movie Meet the Robinsons.  I was thrilled this week when I pulled out a belt I hadn't worn for a few weeks and found I needed to add a hole. I drilled that extra hole through the leather belt with relish.  My trainer has been a fantastic coach. A word of encouragement here, a push to do two more reps there keeps me progressing even on those days when I approach the session with a little secret dread. I always leave each session with a better, more positive attitude.

With all that said, I've picked the absolute worst time of year to try to loose weight. I had a friend who'd tracked his weight over several years.  He found that every year in the fall he gained a few pounds regardless of diet or exercise factors.  I'd love to see research that backs that observation up and explains why it happens. It's easier to change a "what" when you understand the "why."  In any case, the holiday feast season is coming up fast.  The store aisles are already packed with holiday sweets.  Pie pumpkins are piled with the big jack-o-lantern pumpkins and colorful fall squashes.  Special displays are set aside for baking supplies.

I love to cook.  I love to explore American favorites as well as western and eastern European  foods.  I like to experiment with more exotic dishes.  I have a small collection of family favorite holiday treats. Most are laiden with sugar and rich fats that made so much more sense in a household that rose early to care for animals, spent hours chopping logs into wood for heat and a host of other heavy manual labors.  How do I go about recreating the essence of those favorites or capturing the fragrances we associate with the holidays while maintaining a more appropriate diet?  That's a challenge I'll be facing over the next few weeks.

Yep, I'm right back to Goal #1 while working on Goal #2. I can do this.