13

Thirteen. I love the number thirteen. What’s so special about the number thirteen? Well…it’s the number of pounds that I have managed to lose so far by just changing the way I eat. I’m not going to say, “I changed my diet”…I hate the word “diet”. Diets are things people try and fail at repeatedly. “Diets” are what you do when you deprive yourself of the foods you love or crave. That’s been my experience anyway. I’ve been on the weight rollercoaster most of my life. Up and down…up 10 pounds, down 4. This time it’s different. Currently I eat everything I want. I refuse to deprive myself of the foods I love. That is a recipe for failure as far as I’m concerned. At first I was motivated by the fact that I’m on medication to lower my blood sugar levels. Now I’m motivated by the fact that I’m losing weight. THIRTEEN POUNDS! Yesterday my friend said, “Syl, you know I love you…but never wear that shirt again…it’s too big for you”. It took a moment to sink it…”it’s too big for you”…I’m not sure I’ve ever been told those words before. I know that I have a long way to go…its taken almost 5 months to lose 13 pounds, and at this rate it’s going to take a long time to lose the rest of the weight, but I don’t feel myself slipping back into old habits. No, I’m not exercising other than walking…but now that the weather is nicer, I see myself out playing with the kids more often. I’m just really excited about my progress; I’m losing weight and getting a better handle on controlling my blood sugar. I might be on blood sugar medication for the rest of my life (genetics suck)…but at least I’ll be at a healthy weight.