Day 51

Yes, I have been at this for awhile. It has been 51-days since my BFF and I returned from our visit to the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. At 6'3", traveling in coach class would have been hell for me no matter what. But add being 150+ pounds overweight to the mix and you have the makings of a hellish experience.

For 51 days I have really stayed on track! I have not "cheated" on my food plan, not even once. When I eat in restaurants, my "splurge" is to order a small steak ---since I live on fish, poultry and egg whites while at home, a small steak, by itself, is like the nectar of the gods.

There have been a few times when I skipped a work-out or didn't push myself as much as I could have, but by and large I have been on track for 51 days and counting!

My motivation? Mere words cannot describe how absolutely HELLISH the whole airline experience was for me at 400+ pounds. Since Jeanne and I will be returning to Pine Ridge in July 2010, I use this as my primary motivation to stay on track.

Let's ignore the obvious discomforts and humiliations - such as having to ask for a seat belt extender and barely being able to squeeze through the aisle ----- Just WALKING from one side of the airport to the other was like climbing Mount Everest in the shape I was in. And at JFK in NY there was no where to sit while waiting for your check-in time -- and we got there early. That meant that after dragging my huge butt through the airport I had to stand around for nearly two hours waiting for our check-in area to open -- I thought my back was going to break!

While waiting at JFK, My BFF put her duffel bag on the floor and sat on it. Good idea! I couldn't do that. If I put my 400 pounds on the floor I wouldn't have been able to get back up without mechanical assistance--- as in a freakin' crane!! LOL

So when I get a craving for sugar or the urge to overeat or the thought to skip a work out, I just think back to how miserable, humiliating and painful the whole airline travel experience was and I remind myself that Jeanne and I WILL be returning to Pine Ridge in July 2010 no matter what shape I am in.

There is nothing that Jeanne or anyone else can do for me. I am the only one who can make next year's experience more pleasant by making the right choices now -- so that is what I am trying to do.

That's it for today! Be good to you!