THIS WILL FALL AWAY... AND BY "THIS" I MEAN "POUNDS"!

Well, here's the February update on my New Year's resolutions... still plugging away, still putting it in black and white as a measure of accountability for my actions.

Remember last month's "Soy Un Perdedor" entry? Well, I've decided to keep with the rock theme and snag this month's title from "Loser" by 3 Doors Down:

Breathe in right away (reminds me of buttoning my jeans!)
Nothing seems to fill this place (except my big ol' rear)
I need this everytime (clearly, a shout out to Chick-Fil-A)
So take your lies, get off my case
Someday I will find
A love that flows through me like this
This will fall away, this will fall away (pounds!)

Ahhh... 3 Doors Down... fantastic little Mississippi band. I caught them when they toured with Fuel in 2001 and again at Memphis In May in 2003. Good times. Plus you know I can't resist throwing in a dash of musical flair everytime I blog... but I do digress. And yes, I realize these lyrics are a little dark as a weight loss booyah... "I'm a loser, and sooner or later you know I'll be dead"? Let's hope not! I'm just a little thin on loser-oriented lyrics. And I hope to get thinner yet-- on both lyrics and body weight.

I'm down a total of 21 lbs to date. Specifically, that's 8 lbs for February, and on top of my monthly benchmark for paying off the plastic, I included 100% of my state and federal income tax refunds. I wanted to buy an iPhone and a Francesco Biasia bag, so that part took a little willpower. So did resisting my Nana's coconut cream pie this past weekend... Some sacrifices are so worth it!

I read about this Mayo Clinic study that determined how much weight you can lose, just doing a little bit of "effortless exercise" while watching tv or checking e-mail or whatever... it's something astounding like 44 lbs a year if you do the anti-workout frequently enough. So I bought one of those little portable exercisers with pedals. It's amazing how fast 30 minutes goes by, pedaling through a sitcom or whatever. It takes the guilt out of watching TV, too. Don't ask me why my trusty treadmill doesn't do the same thing; it would if I would let it. I think it's just the novelty of a new gadget.

Mark suggested I bring the Instride Stamina XL (funny name, eh?) to work and put it under my desk... sounds good in theory. But I was reminded of an erstwhile co-worker who used to keep a ThighMaster under her desk, using it throughout the day, and that was enough to squelch the thought. We got so much mileage out of anyone vain enough to firm their thighs in front of their co-workers... it's like picking your nose in public. You lose all credibility forever. Plus, with the half-walled "viewbicles" we have now, there would be like 300 people watching my head bob up and down with every turn of the pedal. Some sacrifices are so NOT worth it!

But I'll keep pedaling and low-carbing the next 30 days and will weigh in with you, my super-support team, this time next month. Here's hoping the pounds, as the song says, "will fall away"... I'd like to shuck off seven more in March. But as long as the progress continues, I'll be happy. So far, I'm enjoying the ride!