Did everyone think I abandoned my quest?

I have spent quite a bit of time thinking things through. I have collected opinions and I've been doing some reading about diets, weight loss, and exercising. I've also been searching my heart and seeking the Lord's will in this matter.

I'm not going to continue in the First Place weight loss program. There is some healthy things to learn from in their material. However, I believe it is going to be impossible to follow the program and the commitments. After time spent reflecting and praying, I don't believe God is going to hold me to those commitments.

I am still wanting to try Weight Watchers. They hold meeting right up the road from where I live in a community center which also hold a gym, weight room, and indoor swimming pool. They offer water aerobics and a water walking class. There is also a basket ball gym and aerobic and yoga classes. Many people, especially elderly people, walk inside the upstairs area. They have a really wide hallway. People use it like many who walk the malls for exercise.

I had not joined WW earlier because the meetings that were being held during the time I had someone to watch my children was on the same night as a college course I was taking. The class is over, so I'm thinking of going up there now.

There is also the option of joining online. I am interested in that as well, but I think I may do better if I join an "in person" group. The draw back to joining on line is that it has to be paid whether you are using it or not. If you join a group for meetings you only have to pay when you attend the meetings. If I needed to hold off on spending money for this, then it would be easier if I went to meetings instead of doing the program online.

I have not gotten the membership for the fitness place (the same place in which the WW meetings are held) because of some financial drawbacks. We've had car repairs to take care of two months in a row. I am still wanting to do this, though.

In the reading I've been doing, I've found some very encouraging tips. Frequent short and moderate forms of exercise are just as beneficial as hard workouts. A short walk, briskly picking things up around the house, mopping, or a dance with a partner are all easy ways to fit little bits of exercise into your life. These things count.

Also, an interesting fact is that if you reduce your diet by 100 calories a day, you can loose 10 pounds in one year. If you burn an extra 100 calories a day in addition to cutting back 100 calories, you can loose 20 pounds in one year. That does not seem like a major undertaking, but it will carve out 20 pounds of excess weight. It makes it seem easy when you consider doing small things instead of looking at it like "hard work."

I think part of my problem is also that I think in terms of the whole problem and the whole amount of weight that I need to loose. If I could just think in terms of today, or one change at a time, then I think that would help me out a lot.

In the past it has been helpful for me to make one or two healthy changes at a time. For example I switched to 2% milk, then 1%. I'm working on skim now, but I still prefer the 1%. I've switch from ground beef to ground turkey. I've slowly cut back the amount of sugar we use in our tea. I've switched to sugar free chocolate for our milk. I'm trying to switch from candy bars to granola bars.

I think if I pick one change each month, then I may have more success. I'm thinking of posting the change I'm wanting to make. I want to include things besides diet and exercise. I think I will add things like housekeeping and spiritual issues. I want to keep them small and simple. It may be best if I aim for lower than I want to go. That way I will have a better chance of success. As time goes, I can build on the changes.

I don't want what I am doing to be set in stone. I need flexibility and I need to feel that if I drop the ball, it's no big deal because I can just try again, or choose to try something else. For now, I believe this is the best way.