Week 4, Day 7

What a great day! Good reading done this morning. Good food choices (turkey sandwich, lettuce, tomato, no mayo or mustard) while having dinner with good friends. Resisted the STRONG temptation to have cannoli for dessert. Walked about a mile afterward. And now settling in for a rented movie from Blockbuster.

I'm sore as heck since I've gotten in more walking these past three days than I've done in a long time, but it's an awesome soreness! I don't know why the pain in my back has diminished so much, but I feel like I've been set free and will finally be able to get in a serious amount of work on this whole weight loss thing. I've got a ways to go. I still need to lean on the cart for a bit of support while I walk. And I still have to make brief stops along the way to catch my breath. But I'm so happy that my legs are sore and getting the workout needed to get strong again! Could it be that someday in the not-so-distant future I'll be a healthy weight AND able to function like a normal member of the human race? You bet I will!

Congrats to my friend Ann Marie who is not only also losing weight using the Biggest Loser as inspiration, but she just closed on a new home today -- her first. AND this woman is managing to handle this major life change without turning to junk food or sweet stuff to help get her through it all. Wow! She's s eating all the right stuff, going to the gym religiously, and has lost 11 pounds. Way to go, Ann Marie!

All the kind messages of encouragement and advice I've been getting since I started this I've been copying to a Word document so I can save them and review them each day. It helps me stay focused, and it helps me remain accountable, knowing there are kind, loving people who will be sad for me if I give up. That's very powerful! I posted something on my Facebook status that I want to record here also because it struck me as an unusual source of encouragement....

Yesterday I posted something here about how Whole Foods Market will give a 10 percent discount to those who purchase an entire case of a product. Then I sent a message to Whole Foods to let them know that I shared that info in this blog. I've done marketing for years and years, and I know it helps for companies to know when something is word-of-mouth worthy. And this is what they sent in response: "Thanks for shopping and wishing you strength for your journey. Please let us know if we can be supportive of your new suit!" Imagine that....they took time to read A New Suit and to send a message. In this world with good customer service being a rare occurrence, I'm shocked to find a place that cares enough to read someone's blog and reach out to them with encouragement. Way cool!

I've got a bowl of mixed veggies to munch on instead of popcorn, and now it's time to watch that rented movie I mentioned earlier. Here's to healthy choices!