Anyways, while I was leaving a message for yet another person who wasn’t home, I was thinking that I would love to have my readers help me along for a very hard goal I have set for myself.  My goal is to lose 25 pounds by my 50th birthday on April 14.  I am 5’2”, small boned, and there is no reason for me to be at the weight I’m at right now!  I have been on Weight Watchers and a number of other diets over the years but the main problems are:  I love food, I love to eat food, I love to cook and bake, I love to read about food, and as you all know I love to drink wine with food.  Herein lies the problem.  

So I was thinking that if I could go through my challenge of losing the weight while still keeping up with all of the things that I love, that would be perfect.  Knowing that you are reading and cheering me on, or perhaps even doing it with me, will be a great support; then I won’t be all alone.

A lot of my challenges lie in the fact that I have many temptations to not eat properly.  

For example, between bridge, bunco and Assistance League meetings I’m at other locations where I don’t have the control of the food served at least 8 times a month.  The hostess is the one in charge of dessert and snacks.  I always look to see what the snacks are and hope that there isn’t anything that I will have trouble resisting, like M & M’s.  I always ask for a small portion of dessert, and they try to accommodate me, but inevitably I get a “small” piece that is too big.  And when I should take just one or two bites and be happy, I usually finish everything on my plate. Problem #1!  

Where I work, because it’s so boring, people tend to bring in food to help pass the time away.  Problem #2!  

Larry and I love to cook together.  We do try and cook healthy, watch our carbs, but we are still cooking good food.  We also love to have a small bowl of ice cream most nights.  I count that toward my calcium, milk, fat and fruit (if I put banana in it) requirements.  Problem #3!  

I have some medical issues and need to eat 6 smaller meals a day rather than 3 large meals.  Problem #4!  

I know that I need to exercise.  I try and get out and walk or ride my bike for a half hour at least 5 days a week.  However I’ve lately had the desire and need to sleep 9 hours a night.  The extra hour of sleep is eating into my work out time.  Problem #5!  

Problem solver:  Me!  I need to change some of my choices, deal with some temptations and overcome some rationalizations.  With your help I’ll lose my 25 pounds in 7 months, which is about 1 pound each week.  I realize that this is a tough goal, but I am more determined than ever.  At Weight Watchers I was losing an average of ½ pound a week.  If all goes well, by my trip in December to Cancun I’ll be down 12 pounds.  This will help me to feel better about walking around in a bathing suit.  

I know that losing this weight will be a big help in my health and mental being which is very important to me.  The main things I need to work on is making sure that my eating and snacking options are healthy choices, and doing the exercising.