The Harder You Work, the Luckier You Get

As you can tell by now, I love cliches and analogies. This is one of my favorites. I've worked pretty hard to be healthier this year. From January 1st until today, I've lost 18 pounds. One day last week I actually hit a 20 pound goal but then gained a few pounds back. On the days when I am more strict, I have better results for the morning weigh in. Some people disagree on weighing yourself everyday, but for me it works. For me, weighing myself every morning helps me see immediately what kind of impact the previous day's food choices have had. With few exceptions, I can see that eating 1200 means slight weight decrease, 1300 means no change and more than 1300 equals weight gain. I have also learned that not getting enough water or exercise slows the progress down.

I remember a few years ago feeling jealous of women in my neighborhood. Most of my neighbors are women about my age, with kids and jobs, and a size 2 wardrobe. Then, I started to uncover another interesting thing they all had in common -- they all exercise and eat right. Dang! I had been feeling sorry for myself for not getting the genetic favor these ladies had. It turned out that they were working hard to get so lucky!