Day 1 The Weigh, The Truth & The Lite

164 lbs. That's what the scale blinked out. I took a deep breath. I stepped off. I stepped back on. 164. Okay, that's what I'm working with. Six hundred, fifty six sticks of butter. I was praying my weight was sitting somewhere over the rainbow in 150 land. I was so hoping it hadn't left OneFiftyVille, but it had. I can deal with that. The silver lining in this chubby cloud is that I did weigh myself partially clothed, in the middle of the afternoon, after eating TWO meals. That definitely breaks the "Scale Steppers" honor code. I had committed, not one, but three cardinal, or at least, venial slimming sins. If I am a tad artificially heavy at my first Weigh In, so be it, there will be a calorie correction in the future, of that I am certain.
Although, it's irrelevant what the scale says now, you will want to know your starting weight so that after three months, you can triumphantly measure your success. Drag out your scale, dust if off and step on it. If you don't own a scale, go buy one. If you are serious about this, jump in the car, head to Walmart and plunk down two sawbucks. Nineteen bucks is all it set me back (the cost of three trips to Burger King). You'll need a scale to check your progress and, there will be progress each week.
I added up all the calories I had consumed since I had gotten out of bed that morning and, came up with a ballpark of about 1241. Hmm..I have a whopping 209 left to "spend." I thought about turning in for the night but it was only 4:00 p.m., and the kids would be home soon. Instead, I laced up my grass stained Reeboks, pulled on an old pair of sweats and hit the floor, shuffling. Although I was hoping for minimal public exposure (school traffic was over and the rush hour hadn't started), I pulled a ball cap down over my forehead to disguise myself.
I felt self-conscious and huge. I started walking. At first, it was more like a stroll, but as I turned onto the side street, I picked up the pace. I was certain I resembled the hippo from Fantasia, but it felt good to move.
It felt especially good to be out in the sunshine, sucking in fresh air. I began to sweat. That felt good, too. I could have timed my pace with a sundial but I was out there, trudging up hills, flapping my arms and moving.
I felt exhilarated when I hit the front door. I hurried in to check the clock. I had been out for 47 minutes!
That 47 minutes carried me through the rest of the evening. I was energized well past the hour I am usually nodding off while sitting upright on the couch.
My remaining 200 calories came served up in a bowl of Fruity Cheerios (3/4 cup) with 2% milk (1/2 cup).
I hit the sack. Day One.