Countdown to the Wedding

My daughter is getting married on November 5, 2011. That's 7 months from today. Just under 31 weeks. Exactly 214 days. I'm happy about the wedding. I'm thrilled with the man she's going to marry. It's going to be an exciting and jubilant time. I am, however, NOT happy about my weight right now. I want to feel that I look good at my daughter's wedding. And more importantly, I want to FEEL better on that happy day and for many, many days after. So I am embarking on an attempt to lose 25 pounds before November 5, 2011.

I admit that I've let myself go. I've gotten lazy and haven't kept up with eating right and exercising. But today I need to make a change. I've done this before. Thirteen years ago, I lost 40 pounds. It took me about six months. So 25 pounds in about the same amount of time is possible. I know that there are lots of diet plans out there. Last time I did Herbalife, a program of dietary supplements along with decreasing caloric intake. It was very regimented and involved taking many pills throughout the day. It worked well for me. But this time I need to make life changes. I can't just lose the weight by my target date and then go back to life as usual. I'm older now and I believe that these changes need to be made so that my quality of life will remain as good as possible as I go into the middle of my life. My plan includes exercise and proper eating. The exercise part is pretty easy. Willie, my dog, is there every morning encouraging me to hook him up to his harness and leash and get outside for a walk. I commit to Willie a one-hour walk every day. In addition to that, I plan to get back to the gym so that I can tone up with weights. I actually look forward to the elliptical trainer and the treadmill. I know that I will feel so much better the more I exercise. The proper eating part is going to be considerably harder. I love food, all kinds of food. And my husband is a superb cook. We have fantastic food in our house all the time. I also love sweets. Put a chocolate cake on the table and I my will-power goes out the window. So this part will be much harder for me. I need to consider everything I eat. How much am I eating? Why am I eating it? Am I using this food as a comfort? How will I feel after I've eaten? And, most importantly, will eating this help me reach my goal? I need to remember, too, that the wedding is the target date for losing the weight, but the ultimate goal is to be healthier and be able to live a fuller life. I've always believed that the more you do the more you can do. Now is the time to start living that belief.