Friday Quote Day

At first, dreams seem impossible,
then improbable,
and eventually inevitable.
~ Christopher Reeve

Who am I to argue with Superman?

When I calculate the amount of weight I have to lose to reach a normal BMI, it does indeed seem impossible, particularly when I think about how many months – or, actually, years – I’ve been trying to lose it. The lowest weight I’ve been recently was in early fall of 2006, when I squeaked in below 160 and fit into a size 12.

(As I’m sure you know, that dress was vanity-sized. I weighed 135 in high school and wore a size 12. That was when a 12 was a 12. And I felt like the fattest girl in 10th grade.)

I’ve gained 20 pounds since 2006, making my goal weight approximately 45 pounds away.

Sometimes I feel like it might as well be 450. I put a lot of effort into eating right and working out consistently for damned little reward.

And then, of course, I trip over a Milky Way and feel like everything I’ve done is a total waste.

There are days, though – sweet, unexpected days – when the scale plays around with a new, lower number, one I haven’t seen in a long time, and my impossible dream does feel like something I could actually reach.

Right now I’d have to say I’m in the “improbable” stage. I feel fairly certain I can lose some weight, but getting to my goal is a far-away, distant dream. I spend very little time regretting what I should have/could have done differently, though.

Everything I’ve done has gotten me to this point, and I’ve learned a lot about myself along the way. For me, bread, crackers and starchy carbs, along with sugar, are guaranteed to stall my weight loss. The first two weeks of South Beach Phase II were fun for me, but I didn’t lose any weight.

I didn’t gain any, either, meaning I’ve already experienced how much fun maintenance can be! So I’m trying to stick with lean protein and vegetables with fruit in limited quantities to see how it goes. I’m sure I’ll throw in a whole-wheat pasta meal once a week or so. I stayed the same weight again this week, but I blame that on the candy bar.

Each morning is an opportunity to renew my commitment. And follow my dream.