S-l-o-o-o-w-l-y

When my grandson was about three, he and I pretended a long piece of yarn was a jumprope. We'd each take an end and twirl it around in the living room. He would determine the velocity of the twirl by shouting "Fast!" and then suddenly switching to "S-l-o-w-l-y" in a deep, slow-motion voice.

That's how weight loss works for me. Slowly and surely. This week I'm one pound down. I've lost a total of seven inches since March 1, which is when I first took measurements. [I only do the Big Three, by the way – that's enough to let me know I'm making s - l - o - w progress even when the scale doesn't show it.]

On the left, the Before picture, taken January 3. On the right, four months later and 23 pounds lighter. Even I can see a difference this month.

Time to get rid of that ratty old sweatshirt, doncha think? Although I might just wad it up and throw it in the back of a closet and wear it one more time, for the After shot on January 1, 2007.

I missed one weight training workout this week, but otherwise met my exercise goals this month. Intentional exercise is getting easier to do and more fun, now that I can be outside for long walks in the morning. I've added some running intervals during the walk, and yesterday even sprinted on one of the flat spots. My weight bench is in the garage, so I usually open the big door; it almost feels like I'm outside.

This week I averaged 1066 calories per day – a little low, but one day I wasn't feeling well and couldn't eat too much. I averaged 80 minutes of intentional activity per day and burned 521 calories per day working out.

I'm still enthusiastic about the eDiets program. I could probably quit paying them and use the menu plans I've saved, as they do rotate the same meals in and out of each week's menu. But I think psychologically it's good for me to continue, and it's so reasonably priced and has worked so well. You know my motto: If it ain't broke, don't fix it!