Diet postscript

I am surrounded by family and friends cheering me on as I come down the home stretch of my Optifast diet. Not everyone in my class has the kind of encouragement I receive. So just when I finally have another week of losing 4 1/2 pounds, and feeling rather proud of myself, we run into a family from our church at the restaurant. (Yes, I ordered my bowl of water and stirred in my soup powder again!) So while we were being shown to our table, we stop to greet our friends from church. Steve mentions that he read about my loss of 50 pounds as it was posted on Facebook. Just when I am getting puffed up with self esteem, he tells me that I beat him out. He only lost 40 pounds. "When did you start?" "Last November." he responds. "What did you use?" He slyly tells me, "Nothing, just self restraint." Steve is my hero! At great expense and calculated chemistry I am enrolled in Kaiser's celebrated Optifast program. Yes, I'm sticking to the diet, and yes, I am losing weight--but here's a guy who saved all that dough (no pun intended) by simply curbing his appetite. Now that's how it is supposed to be done. Only wimpy, indulgent sissies have to resort to the contrived protein shakes and discipline of weekly "classes" to gain (heh, heh, pun intended) the desired goal.

Okay, so only about half the number of fatties who began this program are still with it. There is some discipline to sticking to the diet. But Steve is still my hero. I am thinking allot about the self discipline method of weight loss, because that is what I hope to accomplish after I finish Optifast. I am reading vegetable cook books, learning about healthy foods and healthy proportions, and perusing a book titled: "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Glysemic Index Weight Loss." Some day I hope to arrive at the plateau where Steve already lives. Hats off to you, Steve. You are my hero.