Watching Weight

About a month ago, I was out in the backyard with the schnauzers when it suddenly began to rain. Maggie and Lulu love to splash around in the puddles and I knew that I had one of two choices: either grab them and get them into the house, or leave them outdoors and then have to bathe two seriously muddy woogies later. So I scooped them up - one under each arm - and began to walk rapidly for the house. It didn't take long for me to realize that although each dog only weighed 15 pounds or so, lugging them around was harder than it looked.

After I reached the house and dumped them unceremoniously inside, I had to mop the sweat streaming down my face from the exertion.

I thought, Man, we're feeding those girls too much. They're getting fat.

Mags and Lulu pranced around me, happy as clams. They love being carried around.

After I settled in on the couch I grumpily thought about how much effort it took to lug around an extra thirty schnauzer pounds. And then.......

Ah, geez. I really hated to think about it.....but it was abundantly obvious that there was a lesson to be learned from this experience.

Yes. I would get around much easier if there were thirty less pounds of ME, too.

Coincidences are amazing things. Just a few hours later, the phone rang - I was still cooling my heels on the couch - and it was my friend Susan. She and I chatted for awhile and then she asked the question: So. I'm going to join Weight Watchers. Would you consider going with me? I'm not saying that you need to join, but, it sure would be easier if I had a buddy to go with me. And they're having a free-to-join promotion going on right now.

Sigh.

She was being very kind. Of course I really needed to lose weight. We talked about it a for awhile, and I promised her that I would give it some thought. As I mulled the prospect of counting calories or points or whatever, and regularly weighing myself (shudder), and writing down every morsel that I ingested, I felt myself coming up with a gazillion excuses why a successful weight loss program would just be impossible for me at this point.

Can't do it. On prednisone. Carb cravings. Blah blah blah blah blah....

Hm. This was sounding familiar. Didn't I use the same excuses to avoid regular exercise? Yes. Yes, I did. And I am still enjoying floating around the pool twice a week.

I called Susan back before I lost my nerve and promised that I would join her at the next weigh in. And, about a month ago, I did.

Yikes. This. Is. Hard.

And MANGO MARGARITAS are really really high in calories and points. And I've only lost about five pounds. Wah wah wah wah....

Ah, but it was really hard going to the gym the first time too. I've made a commitment to myself to give this the ol' college try for six months, and then I'll re-evaluate if this is an effective weight loss program for me.

I'll keep y'all posted.

Image found here.