Eating right and exercise – that’s what you gotta do to lose weight, and let me tell ya, it’s no fun! Well not NO fun, but not a lot of fun! The exercise is getting to be more fun… well maybe not fun, but it’s more enjoyable than I thought it might be when I started out on this venture.

My goal is to lose 25 (or maybe more – we’ll have to see) pounds before our anniversary trip in late September of 2010. In order to achieve this goal I joined a gym and have been going faithfully since the day I joined. Also, the Winslow’s have “gotten back on the eat right wagon.” This has proven to be the harder part of the equation. I guess that’s part of the reason I’m in this position to begin with. I like food… and honestly for me – sweets and cakes and that kinda thing (except ice cream) isn’t really my problem, carbs are my problem - carbs in the form of pasta to be exact. But my wonderful hubby and I are making an effort to watch what we eat, and keep up with our calorie intake each day!

Then a few days ago I hit a snag… a Mexican food craving snag… oh boy did I have a hankerin’ for a lunch special #2 (which at most of the restaurants in our area means a chicken burrito with rice and beans as the side… YUMMO!) some chips and salsa and a BIG GLASS of sweat tea. The reason I so badly wanted this way too high calorie and high fat meal – I was starving! Yup, I let myself get too hungry and I wasn’t at home at lunch time and I was just starving. I was right there at the restaurant – so close to the chips and salsa… but I resisted – it took all I had and lots of prayers but I resisted. I came home and ate something healthier, but I was in a kind of weird funk for the rest of the day. It seemed that on top of the HUGE food craving, being really tired makes you wanna eat bad for you foods too! So I went to bed early that night! I woke up the next morning in better spirits and ready to get on with another day of eating right and getting in some good exercise!

I’ve been thinking a lot about this “new lifestyle” and all that goes into changing all the bad habits a person builds up over the years. And here are a couple of things I think I’ve learned:

1) Eating right isn’t very much fun, no matter what the already skinny healthy people tell you!

2) Exercise isn’t very much fun – unless you like to sweat a lot and have a very sore body!

3) Getting heavy didn’t happen overnight – so neither will getting thinner!

4) It’s a lot more fun and easier to stick to when your wonderfully supportive husband is on board as well!

5) Pilate’s isn’t so bad after the first class – and I’ve got a great instructor!

6)Kickboxing is HARD, but you burn lots of calories and you are encouraged to hit something – and hit it hard!

7) God wants me to be healthy.

8)I’m gonna look great by the time we go on our - yet to be determined 10 year anniversary trip – NO MATTER how many times I have to give up a lunch special #2!