Go ahead...make my day

The title is me paying homage to Clint Eastwood in whatever movie he said that line that later became a challenge phrase in a battery commercial.  Anyone else remember this?  If not, than my creative recall at least gave me an as-yet-unused-by-me post title.  Mainly I want to note that I'm doing Tammy's new challenge that you can read about here.  It starts today - a new month.  Each day a new beginning.

I'm excited and psyched.  Please refrain from saying "again Leslie?  We've heard it before".  I know it's probably only me saying that, which illustrates my embarrassment and shame for having gotten so off track in the last 6 months.  Yet, besides embarrassed I'm grateful that my floundering hasn't resulted in a larger weight gain than the scale shows.  But I feel the difference of the 15+ pounds in much of my day to day activity, my clothes and my general softness.  And softness NOT IN A GOOD WAY.  Literally - mushy.  If possible mushier than before.  At age 57, mushy ain't going to tighten up all that much, so damage control is indeed called for.  Please God, Universe, universe, and Leslie - let this be the time to truly regroup and step back up to the plate...er, away from the plate.  (unintentional but quite rich little pun, yes?)

Tammy's challenge is to just lose as much weight as possible in August, report once a week, photograph the first and last scale proclamations (8/1 and 8/31) and reap the rewards.  Now Tammy's official challenge reward is a very generous one (see for yourself at the above link), but the rewards in which I'm most interested are 2-fold (less "folds" than my stomach currently sports):  1) Spiritual, including letting go of the aforementioned shame, embarrassment and palpable poor self esteem about this weight/food thing; and 2) Physical, including the reversal of the aforementioned pounds, folds and body mush.  It is all possible.  It is entirely up to me.  See last petition sentence of above paragraph.  I need all those petition-ees and you wonderful blog friends to help me.  But all the help in the world can't help me if I don't let it.  Therein lies the conundrum.  I've learned to receive (and give) help in AA to give up King Alcohol.  It is all possible.

For my August 1 commencement of Tammy's challenge, I took the picture of my first weight this morning only to discover I left my cable attached to my work hard drive, so I will have to add the picture in tomorrow morning (or later today if I can get in to my building since there is construction ongoing and maybe I can bribe a worker or something).  My starting weight was a nice ROUND 209.  Yuck.  Better than 210 Friday.  Worse than 192 last December.  The past is done. Today is where I live and the only place in which I can take positive (or negative, for that matter) action.

*Added pic at 10:30 ...love how the metal of the scale reflects up my dress (or lack thereof)!  But I'm so committed to this I don't care.  And the next pic will NOT take you on the pictorial journey into my nether parts!  I must wear glasses next time so I can see whaddup!*

Because our internet service at home is messed up AGAIN (for the 5th time), I had to bring my laptop to SBux in order to do this first Challenge post.  I've had coffee but no breakfast, so I'm going back home to whip up a little something healthy and sane.  Enjoy the remainder of the weekend.