The perfect storm

"Our problem is not lack of knowing; it is the lack of doing." – Mark Hatfield

This was today's daily motivational quote here.

And yes, I've bookmarked the site and will visit it daily, because Lord knows I need all the motivation I can get.

You see, I think I'm doing enough. I'm tracking my calories and exercising moderately. I'm careful not to eat sugar and to choose lower-fat alternatives when they are available. My snacks are planned and healthy. eDiets wouldn't have it any other way.

I do not want to get to the point where I'm exercising like a maniac. My theory (and I can find no one who agrees with me, except a couple sympathetic friends) is that when I was working out hard two hours every day, my metabolism got used to that. When I moved and basically cut my workouts in half (because after all, who can run two hours a day, and that was my exercise option when I quit going to the gym), I started gaining. Also at that time I stopped smoking (yeah for me!), and smoking revs up one's metabolism, too. Add to that the fact that we all get older, and our metabolism slows naturally, and I started eating sugar again, and I was in the Perfect Storm of Weight Unmanageability.

And I've been there for about four years now, I think. I did lose slightly less than 20 pounds a couple summers ago, on Weight Watchers, but inexplicably stopped and then started gaining again. The Christmas before last I threw caution to the wind, ate whatever I wanted over the holidays and have stayed at or near 200 pounds ever since.

I suppose maintaining for a year would, in some circles, be considered a Good Thing. But maintaining 65 pounds more than I want is most definitely a Bad Thing.

It's almost 10 a.m. and all I've had today is coffee. I need to have some breakfast and go hit the treadmill. I did my crunches this morning – it's so much more fun doing crunches on the exercise ball than on the floor.

Speaking of storms, the snow flurries are falling horizontally today, rather than vertically. No accumulation expected. It's quite windy and I'd really rather not leave my house. But the treadmill is in the garage.

A whole 50 yards away, by my feeble estimation. Suck it up, girl!