Group Think

A funny thing is happening as I lose weight. I'm finding that I am even more motivated to slap the snot out of people.

I didn't think this would be possible but there it is.

It's my continuing lifelong irritation with people that are unable to think for themselves, people that can only do things in groups, and people that will only try something if so and so famous person tried it (insert Oprah's name here).

As I close in on the 35 pound mark, (the only time I'm really impressed by this number is when I go to the grocery store and try to pick up 35 pounds of flour. That's a lot of cookies. Mmmmm. cookies...)people are starting to stop and ask me what on earth I'm doing to lose weight.

As much as I'd like to look them straight in the eye and say "Well, you'll need a goat, 23 gallons of fish guts, and a lot of dramamine", the truth is, you need to exercise more and eat less.

Let me repeat that. Burn more calories than you take in.

It's at this point where people start going off about such and such grapefruit diet, a cabbage diet, the Atkins Diet, the South Beach Diet, should you just eat this one thing or that one thing...and this is the point where I just want to slap them across the face a'la Cher to Nicholas Cage in Moonstruck. "SNAP OUT OF IT!"

As I said, burn more calories than you take in.

Learn how many calories are in the food you eat. If you don't know how many calories are in the food you eat, DON'T EAT IT!

Find out how many calories you burn in the activities you do.

Get over the fact of "treating yourself if you've been good". You want something sweet or laden with calories? Don't do it impulsively, plan it in the morning. Make concessions with other things you are eating that day, and have your tasty treat without going over your budget for the day. Just realize that if you do this too often, you're cutting out nutritious stuff so you can eat crap. Don't make it a habit.

There you go. It's not a diet, it's a lifestyle change. Food isn't good or bad, it's just food. You aren't good or bad for eating certain things, you are simply living with the consequences of your actions. If you want to change, you will. If you don't want to change, you won't.

It ain't rocket science.