Well, after almost six months, I've gone and done the thing I swore that I wouldn't do; I joined a weight-loss site.
I didn't think I'd get any use out of them. I'm a somewhat private and often stand-offish person, and I'm definitely a know-it-all. I figured that, given enough drive and determination, I could do this entire thing by myself, community and support be darned. I'm the woman who, upon being talked into participating in a support group, spends fifty-seven minutes staring awkwardly at the floor, and three minutes making accidentally insensitive remarks. Inquiries as to how I'm doing tend to be met with an awkward and sometimes untrue, "uh, I'm fine."
And, really, throughout this entire thing, I have been fine. My ultimate goal was to lose somewhere in the vicinity of a hundred and fifty to two-hundred pounds. I never determined a precise amount, as I avoided the scale for the first six weeks. My best estimate thus far is that, over six months, I've lost nearly sixty pounds. I've lost two-to-three pants sizes, started exercising, and blogged about it with varying degrees of regularity and success.
I'm in this for the long haul--counting calories, adjusting my eating habits, and developing exercise habits that I plan to maintain indefinitely. My initial teacher--aside from the trainer that I am only now working with--has been the University of Google. Over the past few months, my searches for stories and information have led me to this place. And now, having already made extensive progress, I feel comfortable enough to step in. I still feel skittish, as though I might run away at any moment.
I might not fit in. I'm not a very good chick; I am, however, still a chick, and am most assuredly on a diet. So. . .to everyone, I say hello.
And now begins the epic battle of not running away. . .
