It’s not an easy thing, this losing weight gig. Since I started in January, I’ve dropped about 20 pounds in total. This coming week, the trainer and I are about to measure the inches, which will give a true picture as to where I’m at. Last time we checked was April and I had lost 9 inches. Considering the way my pants hang down like those punk kids in the mall, (not that I go out in public that way) I’m thinking I’m in for some really good news.

Like I said, it isn’t easy. When I used to smoke, cigarettes weighed heavily on my mind. When I would have another, how many I had left, how good the current one made me feel, did I have to stop on the way home to buy more, you get the picture.

Well now it’s like that with food only not as an addiction. I do a lot of kitchen math as to levels of protein, carbs and fat. Meal planning and portion control take up a lot of mental time. It’s like re-learning how to speak or walk - learning to eat properly when you never have is not something that comes easily.

I got to thinking about just how messed up our thinking is. Commercials drone on about various fast food places, and about restaurants with embarrassingly large portions. Show me any women-centric prime-time show and I’ll show you 18 commercials for low fat, high sodium, cardboard dinners.

Don’t even get me started on the ‘just add meat and water’ frozen bags of vegetables for the busy Mom. Add in all the messages of weight loss, low fat, fat free and skinny, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.

What the media and the food industry is feeding us is garbage. We need to think and plan out healthy meals using real food. What a concept, eh? Allow me to let you in on a little secret: I don’t eat diet food. If it says low-fat or fat-free, it’s probably loaded with sugar to boost up the taste. If it’s sugar-free, it might have aspartame or the like to account for the lack of sugar. High sodium products are counter-productive too, as you know. It’s not rocket science.

If you want to really lose weight, you’ve got to look at the big picture. How long did it take for you to put that weight on? Me? TEN YEARS.

So given the years of weight gain, what do you think it’s going to take us to lose the fat and gain muscle in the correct way?

You guessed it. Years.

If you’re feeling stuck, get out the tape measure. Every inch off your things, hips, waist is a sign that whatever you are doing is working. The scale is likely not an accurate place to measure your success because muscle weighs more than fat.

I’m not going to tell you I don’t get frustrated and impatient with just how slow this process is. I get downright terrified about achieving my goals.

But I keep going. I see the definition in my body and I don’t want to lose that. I’ve worked so hard to get to this point and you have too, whether you’re a week, a month or 2 years into this new lifestyle. There is no quitting now. Besides, don’t you feel good? I do.

Record your measurements, take pictures, celebrate every inch, and enjoy your new silhouette as it changes. It may be slower than molasses in January, but that’s the best way to keep it off for the rest of your life.