I'm a 10 (point 5.)

Today is weigh-in day and I'm down 10.5 pounds. Woot! Woot!

I have been in so many Weight Watchers meetings and listened to people talk about their success. Inevitably, someone in the room asks, "What's your secret?" I hold my breath. I cross my fingers. Maybe this time . . .

But 999 times out of 1000, the successful one says some variation of, "Well, I've been eating right and exercising."

Shoot! Uggh! Not again.

That's no secret. Everybody knows that. I want a SECRET. I want a magic pill. A special potion. Anything. But don't make me eat right and exercise. Geez.

Throughout high school and college, my best friend was a guy named Mark Harris. I went to Campbell and Mark went to some technical college in a little town called Chapel Hill. (And that did not end our friendship: a statement of how much I like this guy.) Our freshman year, he called one day sounding upset. His parents were elderly, so I was immediately concerned that something had happened to his dad.

"Aileen, I've got terrible news."
"What's wrong Mark?"
"Well, I've just learned the truth about," (my heart was thumping; what could it be?) "weight loss."
"Weight loss?"
"Yes and it's not good."
"We're talking about weight loss?"
"Right. Are you ready?"
"Now that I know your parents aren't dead, I suppose so."
"There is only one way to lose weight. And you have to" (gulp, pause, deep breath), "eat right and exercise. That's the only way to lose weight and keep it off."

Well now I could see why he was so upset. Could the news be any worse?

But over the years, I've found that Mark, despite his limited collegiate education, was right. (Mark, by the way, majored in Chemistry, went on to Cornell for his PhD and is now chairman of the Chem dept. at the university where he teaches.I guess he should know something about calorie burning.)

And the past few weeks have proven his statement true once again: eat right, exercise, and excess weight begins to dissolve.

I'm sorry I don't have a magic pill. Wish I did. What I do have is a commitment to decrease--one right choice at the time.

Decreasing doubt, Increasing health,
Aileen