[cruel_raspberry]

So, this is mostly an elaboration of my introduction, but I'm so happy about my progress with alli so far (and everyone around me is so sick of hearing about it) that I thought I'd share it with other people who might understand.

I'm 5'3" and three months ago I weighed 208 pounds. That was not my highest weight, but we'll just stick with that. This morning the scale said 192. That's just the happiest news I've had all week.

After my mother (to whom I hardly ever listen) suggested alli so strongly that she offered to pay for it, I caved -- though I paid for it myself since she lives 3000 miles away. I decided I'd try it out until the pills ran out, and if it worked I'd stick with it. Having lost and gained the same 10 pounds several times, I was not optimistic. However, in fairness to the program I committed to a few adjustments in my routine:

1. I will consume something for breakfast (a meal I have ignored for half of my life), even if only a Slim-Fast shake as I'm running to the car with still-wet hair.

2. I will use commercials on TV as an opportunity to get up, move around, maybe do some crunches or do a few reps with some free weights.

3. Every beautiful weekend morning will see me on my bike, with iPod, riding through the park.

4. I'll take the multivitamin, stop drinking alcohol, and carry a full alli pod with me at all times.

I weighed myself every day. I know you're not supposed to because fluctuations in weight are natural, but I had been afraid of the scale for so long that I really needed the constant possibility of improvement. ...and there it was. Every few days, I would be a little lighter. And I didn't go back up! It was astonishing to me, especially in the first few weeks when my commitment to exercise was proving to be lacking. All I did was truly eat better at every meal and take the alli.

This led me to ponder what would happen if I did exercise. (A little encouragement goes a long way with me.) So I increased my activity level and the pounds came off a little faster than before. My pants no longer fit properly. I made it into my goal pants (one size smaller than I had been wearing) without sucking in my gut. And after a particularly active July 4th weekend -- two 2-hour bikerides and a trip to the gym -- I went to see my doctor for the checkup she had mandated after confronting me with my, um, obesity. She had just sat down with her laptop and started into the 20 questions when she suddenly said "Wow! Look how much weight you lost! Usually when I have a talk with people about their weight, they come back weighing even more!" I blushed.

Other people are starting to notice too: my boss, my husband, my clients, the accounting department, and that guy who hit on me at a party last weekend (hey! I can at least appreciate that he tried). Unfortunately, now that none of my pants fit, I need a new wardrobe. Hopefully this will be the first shopping trip in years that will result in more smiles than frustration.