That's what Moms are for

"It was like coming this close to your dreams, and then watching them brush past you like a stranger in a crowd."

Admittedly, the past couple of days have been pretty tough. After 15+ years of trying to lose weight, only to gain, I had hope that my ship had come in. I had a plan to lose the weight and was doing it. It felt fantastic! I began to dream about being a size 10 again and it was as real as it could be. But, that ship has sailed.

To be sure, I'd consider myself pretty vain if that was the ONLY thing that has me distressed. It's not. It's the latest in a LONG line of recent things to which I've given 150% of my effort and attention, only to result in something much less than what I had hoped.

"Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane." Indeed, it can.

However, my mom did the thing that all good moms do. She dragged my butt to the gym. We talked to her personal trainer and learned about some different types of foods and eating plans, and then she drove me to Au Naturel Market in Valparaiso. We purchased some of the things the trainer recommended, like low-calorie gluten-free Pop Chips, gluten-free cereal and quinoa flour.

She also convinced me that I need to cook for myself. That in itself is enough to make me not want to eat, but it makes sense. My husband (who is THE cook in the family) can still prepare menus and meals for himself and the kids, but I will have control over what and how much is on my plate. And he won't need to cook twice. Tomorrow, I'm making chicken soup.

And, in two weeks, after I deal with this high-blood pressure thing, I'll talk with my doctor again. Maybe we reduce the dosage, maybe we'll try something different, maybe that's all there was to begin with.

In the meantime, I'm going to listen to Mom and do something I've never done before. I'm going to learn how to cook for myself.

Wish me luck!