Erasing Those Old Tapes That Play in Our Heads

I remember the years when my mother was growing older. She gained weight, and any time someone asked about it, she replied, “I’m just fine the way I am.”

Isn’t it funny how history repeats itself? Each time I went for a checkup, I made a mental note of my weight and thought, “I should lose weight . . . but I’m just fine the way I am.”

And then one day my youngest daughter said to me, “Mom, I love you. I really want you to be around to be grandma to my kids.” Shortly after that, I went for a checkup and weighed in 13 1/2 pounds shy of 200!

I knew I couldn’t do this alone, so I found a Take Off Pounds Sensibly chapter near my home. The weekly weigh-in prompted me to throw out my scale at home. The approach focuses on good eating habits, drinking eight glasses of water a day (not coffee, diet sodas or tea, but water) and exercise. The members encourage each other and help change those old tapes we play in our heads. I replaced “I’m just fine the way I am” with “I will be healthy and be around to have fun with my grandkids.”

I started with the group in January 1998 and vowed to walk a 10K with the American Volkssport Assn. each month. (The association’s 5Ks and 10Ks take place locally and around the country.) My plan was to lose a pound per week. By June, I had walked in 13 10Ks and was well on my way to attaining my weight goal.

Best of luck to all of you who have new goals for 1999. You can do it.

Vital Statistics

Name: Sarah Moran

Age: 48

Occupation: Rehabilitation

counselor-coordinator

Old weight: 186 1/2 pounds

New weight: 148 pounds

Height: 5 feet, 7 inches

Time to Get There: 8 1/2 months