And oh what a blur it was this past weekend! Family and friends gathered this weekend at my eldest son's Boy Scout Eagle Court of Honor and I can't articulate how much anxiety went into the whole thing- and food! We were way off the reservation in nutritional terms. The cool thing is that I managed to maintain my exercise regimen and showed enough restraint around to carb piles to manage a small drop in weight- though not enough to mark off another pound. It's all about focus and tenacity, baby!

My son's little shin-dig is a good example of focus and tenacity. I was never a boy scout and I can never become an eagle. My 16-yr-old managed to stick it out despite the bazillion or so daily distractions teenagers wade through each day. I'm proud of him for the accomplishment. His younger brother is on track toward the same goal and that kid has drive- I've no doubt he'll make it (knock on wood).

Weight loss is tough. It's rarely a quick fix and significant results take a long time to become noticeable. You have to stick with it and endure the drudgery of daily exercise and consumption control. I appreciate and marvel at all those who have dropped weight and kept it off- you are my heroes. Those who have never had to, or never tried to lose weight have no idea how difficult it is to completely rewire your life. You literally have to change the way you think about food. You actually have to think.

The good thing is that you don't have to think much- you just have to think often. You have to think every time you open the fridge, pass a restaurant, or load your plate. You have to think about exercise and you have to try not to think yourself out of exercising- just shut off your brain and push. You have to think about nutrition on fewer calories every moment you're awake. You have to think long but not hard- which is just my kind of thinking. And right now I'm thinking...