motd Sunday Jan 29, 2012

[Guest guest]

US

Sunday, 29 January 2012

Have you ever noticed? It happens every time

I talk about the weight-loss battle so many Americans

fight. But before I bring that word--US--into

the fight, let me talk about myself just a little

first.

There wasn't a day that

passed where I wasn't indulging my desire to eat.

As you know, when I was younger, I ate anything and

everything I wanted. That was easy to do back in my

hometown of New Orleans where food was king...and queen, for

that matter. LOL. (Hey, any of you from that part of

the country know...it still is!)

There wasn't a day that passed where I wasn't

indulging my desire to eat. Those big-old

Southern-style breakfasts my father prepared, complete

with a bowl of cereal, fried eggs, bacon or sausage,

hot buttered pancakes and an ice-cold glass of orange

juice were the only way to start my days.

On the way to school, I might stop at the corner

grocery store and pick up a candy bar to munch on my

way to St. Louis Cathedral School. And by the way,

our school had the best home cooked lunches you could

imagine at any school. Yum!

Lunch at school would tide me over until I got home.

"Mother, can I have a

bottle of Coke before I go to bed?"

My father was the best chef in New Orleans,

far as I was concerned. He would have prepared a

delicious dinner that always included a rich and tasty

dessert. After dinner, when my family sat down to

watch TV in the living room, we'd often have a nice

bowl of ice cream to enjoy as we watched I Love

Lucy. "Mother,

can I have a bottle of Coke before I go to bed?"

Can you believe that's the way I used to eat? All

that food and no exercise when I was growing up is

what helped turn me into a very hefty 268-pound young

adult. Thank God, I turned my life around, lost the

weight I needed to lose and I've kept it

off for all of these years. But now, let me get back

to the title of this message.

See, even though I've lost the weight and keep it off,

that fat kid from New Orleans still lives inside me.

And that's why when I talk to you about the importance

of losing weight, I'm not just talking to you. You'll

notice I always use the pronoun...US!

That's right, I'm at a healthy weight and will be, for

the rest of my life. But it's my job to make sure all

of those pounds stay

off. It always saddens me when I read about or

see someone who's worked so hard to lose weight, then

end up gaining part of or all of their weight back.

Honestly, it breaks my heart.

Losing this weight and

keeping it off is a battle all of US fight.

That's why, even though I've reached my goal, no

matter what you may weigh right now, I'm still

one of you. Losing this weight and keeping it

off is a battle all of US fight. Is it

hard? I wouldn't say so. Sure, we have to work for

it...we have to earn it. But boy, take

it from me, it's worth every bit of effort WE put into it!

So if you're feeling all alone about your own

weight-loss fight, please, don't feel that way.

You're not

alone. We're

a family. I'll

always be here for you and we all have to be here for

each other. Because remember, this weight-loss fight

is all about me and you. It's all about...US!

Love,