IF we¹re lucky, we find Stephanie¹s wonderful site. Ahh. No size 4¹s sneering at us. Encouragement. Advice. Gentle but firm nags to get ourselves off the couch and moving purposefully back into those beloved jeans. Even diet tips that don¹t include Buy this and immediately get to size 4 promises. Since you haven¹t been a size 4 since 3rd grade, you already know there¹s no hope for THAT! Sense. Support.

That¹s what was wonderful! I had ballooned to about 20 pounds over what I wanted to be--realistically. My normal bit of hide the chocolate, cut down on the pasta wasn¹t working. I¹m not a couch potato, but I had to admit, after some painful examination, that I¹d slowed down. A long hike with my adult kids showed me that I was, gasp, o u t o f s h a p e. Think more like play dough than buns of steel. Mashed potato instead of hot potato. Considering how big tunic tops had to be, and how long. This would not do. The kids were telling me I was getting old, fat and slow, and I couldn¹t even catch them to change their minds.

So I signed up for Stephanie¹s tips. I followed them. Yes, I goofed some days. Yes, there were times when the siren song of the hidden chocolate got to me. However, soon the jeans were merely snug, instead of impossible. I came closer to catching those teasing children, and was no longer contemplating tunic tops that would have fit a linebacker.

I exercised, albeit not in the normal way some might, with weights or fancy machines, but with my feet clad in well fitting tennies, I walked. I even did fast walking. I did the exercises she suggested, I followed the diet changes, and slowly, slowly, the pounds came off. The rate was infuriating--all those folks on TV seem to shed pounds in a week. Why couldn¹t I? The truth was that they might shed them in a week, but they¹d be back to size E(mbarrassing) in no time.

As for the fancy drinks, snacks, and other offerings out there--have you ever really looked at the ingredients? Would you really want a steady diet of stuff you couldn¹t pronounce, let alone spell? The fine print on some of them reads more like a Surgeon General¹s warning than mere caution. As for the supplements, I really didn¹t like the way they made me feel--like an out of control motorboat. I couldn¹t sleep, couldn't settle down in the evenings, and my mood went from merely cranky to pure witch. (to quote a friend)

So here I am, still working at it, but the jeans fit again, the tunic tops in sizes designed for a football team aren¹t in my closet, and I¹ve been ecstatic to see that clothes I haven¹t worn in 2 years are within a half inch of fitting nicely. I¹m determined, I have a plan, thanks to Stephanie and her wonderful help!

In case you¹re wondering, no, I¹m not 30, or even 40. I¹m over 50. I now wear clothes 4 sizes smaller than when I got married. I weigh less than when I got pregnant with any of the kids. I¹m happy, healthy, and best of all, I feel great about me!