It all started in April of last year. We were in Disney World and all was magical with the world. Josh asked Charity (the princess daughter) to spend her life with him – she said yes. We celebrated with them, thrilled to add a son to our princess crew.
This is the “will you marry me” reenactment — yes, you read that right — reenactment. Josh is one great guy!!
The happy couple just hanging out
In the midst of all the celebration and the tears, it hit me – Wham-O! I have to lose weight! Wedding pictures are on the horizon.
You may think me a bit shallow that this hit my mind so quickly, but judge not until you’ve walked a mile in my mother-of-the-bride wedding day shoes. Wedding pictures make the rounds and stick around for years. I didn’t want to look like a Michelin Man version of myself. So I declared – I will lose 50 pounds by May 2008. Come on, it’s 13 months away – I can do this.
I signed up for Weight Watchers (great program) and I attended the meetings and the weight fell off — in ounces. (Those flex points are fun, but I like to add a few additional to my week) But the bottom line is the weight was coming off. A week at national conference in Orlando packed on quite a few of the lost ounces, but I couldn’t be rude and not eat the food – it’s included in the conference price and who am I to say the conference planner didn’t chose a healthy menu.
Summer ended and fall began. Trouble at the office and some missed WW meetings and the ounces stopped dropping. No gains, but no losses. Fall drifted into the Christmas season and tell me this, who in their right mind diets during Christmas? Not me! I’m not going to miss free fudge. I used this holiday time to research how to look good in photos when you’re packing on a few extra pounds. Best tip – take photos from above, tilt chin slightly down (not too far or you run the risk of multiple chin syndrome) and look up. Believe me, it’s not as hard as I make it sound.
I get word in late December that the book sold and must have food to celebrate. What’s a celebration without food? A meeting – and not even a good meeting.
January rolls in and I’ve lost a total of ten pounds – that’s ten pounds in 8 months. At this point, I’m averaging a little more than a pound a month! I have three months and forty pounds to go, but I reassessed that goal and adjusted. I don’t need to lose 50 pounds, I haven’t been that thin since …. well, I’ve never been that thin and why start now. I decided that 40 pounds would put me right back at my wedding weight. I have 3 months and 30 pounds to go – at my current rate I need a ten fold increase in loss. That means I need to lose weight ten times faster than I had in the past…. YIKES!
It occurred to me that 40 pounds may be too stressful on my mother-of-the-bride psyche – I mean how can I lose another 30 pounds and still have chocolate therapy?
30 pound is my new goal . .. and with ten under the belt that leaves only 20 — of course, it took me 8 months to lose ten pounds and at that speedy clip I should be looking hot for Charity and Josh’s one year anniversary party.
Hmmm – maybe I’ll just provide the photographer with a step ladder and keep my chin tilted down.