Weight-Loss: The Plan

Christmas 1988 | A little Flashback Friday fun for you, huge shoulder pads and all.
I weighed approximately 110 pounds in this picture and was 26 years old.

Like many of you, I've struggled with my weight since my early 20s. I've done Weight Watchers (three times), Diet Center (twice), and Nutrisystem (once). Each diet worked, in the sense that I lost weight. I got down to either too slim (105 pounds) or a weight that I was happy with: 110-130 pounds. That's a 25-pound range, which reflects both the social pressure to be thin and the range of starting points.

Not Before You're Ready

My husband, Steve, and me at our son's recent graduation from his trade program. | 4 February 2016

My weight has been a struggle for, well, the past thirty years. Except for the periods when I have been pregnant*, dieted, or have gone on obsessive exercise binges, I have gained weight at approximately half a pound per month. I have an appetite that will not quit, and I have never found an exercise program that made me happy.

Well, over the past few months, a few things have conspired to push me to the point of readiness to make some changes.