I've lost and kept off 45 pounds of fat and 35 pounds of scale weight for almost a year now. But it was 5 pounds more. Now I'm 5 pounds heavier and ten pounds fatter. That's it. That's my limit. I never want to be where I was again and I have a weight that I'm not willing to go over. It's 165. That's what I weighed this morning. I can still wear my size 10 clothes, but just barely. That is not where I want to be.

I had to make a decision. There are easy decisions and there are hard decisions in weight loss. It is an easy decision for me (because I have practiced making it for over a year) to decide to give up sodas again. There's an empty 150 calories, even if I love the caffeine jolt. It is an easy decision for me (ONLY because I have practiced it for over a year) to give up chips again. I love chips and salt, but they're out of here.

I've decided to go back on Body for Life because it is the program on which I lost my initial weight and I know that I can do it long term. I have done it long term before. (A year.) The food choices are not too hard because I re-programmed my tastes to match it before and although I've not been eating like that recently, I know that I can fairly simply.

The hardest part for me is re-starting the exercise program. It's August. It's hot. I melt. I don't like to be hot. So today I made several tiny steps forward in my weight loss program.

First, I called the woman to whom I loaned the book Body for Life and arranged to get it back from her tomorrow.

Second, I put on my work out clothes and went upstairs and lifted weights. I also jumped on the trampoline, but it was all I could do to jump for 5 minutes. I've obviously lost all my stamina. Drats.

Third, I read Thin for Life's chapter on exercise. I can always use motivation and one of the ways I get it is by reading stuff for dieters, exercisers, maintainers, etc.

I'm thinking right now that I should go for just a short bike ride. But I know that it's a 100 degrees out and I don't want to be riding my bike in a 100 degrees. So I probably won't do that. What I will do is try to get to bed early tonight and set the alarm for 7. It will be cooler in the morning. I'll let you know how it goes.