Fatastic!

On those rare occasions when I bring the high heat (and I blame you all for commenting so much on the serious posts that it makes me have to write more of them than would occur naturally), I can be hard on you, hard on myself, hard on us all as we all make our way on this arduous weight loss journey. I push and push, because I want you and I to be as focused as we can possibly be. I want us to be as successful as we can possibly be. I want us all over our goals, and I want us rockin’ that scale each and every week.

But there’s something I don’t say often enough: we’re awesome.

I mean it, we’re so all over this.

We have setbacks and bad days, but we don’t let them bump us from our course. We have times when we don’t have our “A” game, but we have a deeper understanding of the big picture than we’ve ever had before. We may not be absolutely fit right now, but we have a dream of being fit, the hope of being the person that deep down we know we can be. An aspiration to be a better person…. and we’re making our way toward that goal. Some slowly, some faster, but all moving toward that better future with a sense of power and purpose.…

We’re losing our chins and our excuses.

Losing our extra pounds and our bad habits.

Losing our inhibitions and our love handles.

Losing it all, and gaining so much more in the process.

A half pound here. Two pounds there. Three, four, five lbs. I watch people having success in so many places, so many folks all over the planet making solid strides in their weight loss adventure. I'm almost as proud for them as I am myself with my own losses (almost, I said...almost).

Oh sure, there’s a few that are still in the “pre-success” stage, trying to psyche themselves up to make that great leap of faith, or those stuck in that dreaded limbo of “The Plateau,” a miserable place that will try your patience and test your will. But for all those folks, I see more that are fighting the good fight and reporting favorable news, both on the scale and in all the other victories that making ourselves healthier brings… clothes fitting better, people noticing their change in appearance, a general uplifting of the spirit. A scale will just give you a number, but all those other things… that’re what this journey we’re on is truly all about.

So here’s to us, the weight-loss warriors. We’re armoring ourselves with workout clothes and Green Monsters, with spinning classes and low-fat recipes. We’re facing down the day with a smile on our face and running shoes on our feet. And we’re doing it, folks. We’re really doing it.

Here’s to you.

Here’s to me.

Here’s to all of us as we make our successful way down this long and winding path. Wherever you are on it, either at the very start, a few steps from the end or plodding away in the mushy middle, I wish you Godspeed and good health.

Keep on keeping on, and know that there are plenty of us that will be with you every step of the way.