In the Beginning . . .

I'm fat. Obese. I've known this for a while. I've also known for a while that I really ought to do something about it. It wasn't easy to make the commitment to give up my big bowl of ice cream every night habit so I procrastinated.

But the New Year brought new determination and this past Sunday, I signed up for Weight Watchers. Our health plan, Kaiser-Tormente (my son made this up when he was five), offers a discount for WW.

I signed up for a year. Why? I'm asking myself that question right now. But the other option was to sign up for three months. I need to lose WAY more weight than can be safely lost in three months.

I'm glad I picked the one year plan. I have a definite end date for my diet. If I would have picked the three month plan, I would have had to renew and renew and renew. There would be no set end date. I would have gotten discouraged and quit. I might have already quit. But now I can say to myself, "It's only a year. I can do this for a year." And I know I can.

I picked Weight Watchers because it works. That and the health insurance discount. I did lose 35 pounds with eDiets and might have done that again, but I also wanted something new. And I like the points system. It makes things easier. I like the idea that I can eat what I want, as long as it fits into my points allowance for the day or for the week.

So the next question is - why blog about it? To keep me honest, to look for support and motivation, to use as an outlet for frustration. The question is - can I keep up the diet for a year, and can I keep up the blog for a year?