I checked my seldom-used guestbook today and found this entry from "Joe Blow" in my fair city of Austin:
"You oughta post a photo of yourself so people can see if you're a hot 130 lbs, and if this obsession with dieting is silly or not."
Well, Joe. I like readers who are opinionated. But I don't want to post a picture of myself just yet. Why, you ask? For a number of reasons. For one, I don't like the idea of people seeing my picture online and judging me because of my size (which is not all that hefty). Also, if I fail at this weight-loss thing, I won't have the satisfaction of posting "before" and "after" pictures. I think it's a lot more striking when you see both pictures at the same time. Kinda like those diet pill ads you see in Cosmo. But trust me, a picture will be here. Just you wait.
And, I know for a fact that my obsession with dieting is NOT silly. My BMI is 23.2. The highest it can go and still be within the normal range is 24.9. That's not a lot of wiggle room. I'd like to go ahead and get it lower NOW, before I've got 40, 50, 60 pounds to lose. I know myself; I don't have the patience to lose all that weight. If I get to be 160 or more, I'll be fat for the rest of my life.
Next time you grab a bite on the go, bring along this report from the Center for Science in the Public Interest. It lists the best and worst fast food out there. I was relieved to find that my old favorites - the salads and grilled chicken sandwiches from Wendy's - are on the "recommended" list.
This week's a short one for me. I'm gone to Lajitas tomorrow and after that I won't be back in the land of the living until Friday night. Fine with me, I say. I could use a change of pace. My life is SO non-exciting these days.
On Friday I went to Texas Land & Cattle with Mark and feasted on a 10-oz ribeye, caesar salad and baked potato (with VERY LITTLE margarine and sour cream, mind you). On Saturday I went out to my aunt's house and "babysat" my 9-year-old and 12-year-old cousins while she and my uncle went on a party boat for the night. I had no idea that babysitting was such hard work - and they're not even bad kids. I was just worried about keeping them out of trouble - I had to make sure they didn't kill each other, make sure they got to bed at a reasonable hour, and I also had to play Pokemon Monopoly with them. Oh yeah, and make sure that the two Labs could go outside to pee at regular intervals. But my aunt gave me a $20 gift certificate to Chuy's, so that was nice.
Very busy today trying to get stuff done before I leave tomorrow. Trying to fight urge to go get a Starbucks Caramel Macchiato. What the hey, I'm going to get one anyway. Who knows how long it'll be before I'm near a Starbucks again.
Name: Jen Location: DFW, TX Occupation: Journalist WHY this stupid blog?: To lose the 20 pounds I've packed on since high school and to entertain you with stories about my fabulous life. Current Weight: 138 My Goal Weight: 115 Pounds to Go: 23
