You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink....

Huh? What's that got to do with anything?

Yesterday at work, we had a company rep stop by. I haven't seen her in a few months. She's a little younger than me...single and looking for Mr. Right. Last time she came by, she took myself and a couple of co-workers out to lunch. I stuck to ordering something off the menu that did not contain lots of calories, fat etc. The others ordered cheeseburgers and fries with cheese....yeah.

So yesterday when she stopped by, she said, "Wow...you have really lost a lot of weight!"

I smiled and accepted the compliment by simply saying, yes and thank you. I didn't jump up and down and say...Can you believe I've lost 54 pounds!. (On the inside I wanted to, but I didn't)

Her next words are the words I hear from everyone who has commented on my weight loss: "How did you do it?"

I don't know what they expect to fall from my mouth..maybe some new type of miracle cure...or a potion that you take at night and the next morning you wake up and the fat is just gone..POOF!

I can tell you what they don't want to hear - which is the truth. My answer is and will always be: I have changed my eating habits and the way I look at food. I am very conscious of what I am putting in my body. I exercise in some form everyday.

You can almost see the let down in their face as my words roll out of my mouth.
Nope..no miracle. It takes determination, dedication, and hard work.

The next thing I hear will vary, but it is usually in some form of an excuse. This time it was , "Oh, I hate to exercise."

And yes, I have heard before, "I could never do that" ; "I just don't have willpower to stick with it"; "Maybe someday I'll give it a try".

There are times I wish I could put my hands on their shoulders and just SHAKE them!

So, my conversation yesterday ended with "Find something you like to do and then do it". I would like to believe that would happen, but I know it won't.

Just like anything else in life, if it something you REALLY want, you will find a way..you will make the time..you will work at making it happen.

I'm not superwoman, a person with miraculous abilities to just make the weight disappear. I'm just like everyone else, but maybe I just want it more than others.
I work hard everyday, I struggle with food issues, and yes there are days when even I don't want to exercise. I had the courage to face myself, accept that a change HAD to take place, and a willingness to overcome my fears and thoughts of failure.

Okay, I'm off my soapbox for the day. Meeting my personal trainer at lunch today - first day after two weeks. He had a death in the family and was out of town. I'm really looking forward to hitting it hard today!