Singing for a smaller me

Every person that has decided they need to lose weight has had *that* moment, the moment where they look in the mirror and say to themselves "God, what happened to me? I didn't used to look like this". Over the years, I've had that "OMGyouneedtoloseweight" moment many times; sometimes I listen to that impulse and other times it fades away as I continue munching away on a box of keebler soft baked chewy chocolate chip cookies.

This year will mark my thirtieth birthday. For years I promised myself that by thirty I would get my weight under control, but - unfortunately - the magic weight loss fairy never materialized to zap me in my monumental ass with her cellulitebegone stick. And while I found programs that worked for me and assisted me in losing 50+ pounds, my aptitude for denial, self delusion and sabotage far outstrip my talent for staying with the program and overcoming adversity.

Perhaps the biggest question is why the heck do I want to lose weight? The answer seems pretty obvious, especially at times when I'm feeling really motivated, but - and it's probably the same for most people attempting to lose weight - once you've lost motivation you tend to lose sight of the "why". But instead of going off on a tangent I will list my reasons one by one:

1) I'll be in better health

2) I'll feel better mentally and physically

3) I'll like myself more

4) I'll be happier when I look in the mirror and see myself in pictures

5) I'll have more confidence

6) I'll be able to exercise without discomfort or exhaustion

7) I'll look better

8) I won't mind eating in front of others

9) I'll wear a smaller size

10) I'll be able to wear more stylish clothing

11) I'll be able to shop in the "normal" size section of the department store

12) And on a very personal note, it might increase my chances of being cast in roles in musical theatre and opera.

Starting down the path to weight loss can be scary, but you're never alone. So many other people out there are fighting the same fight, celebrating the same successes, worrying over the same mistakes. There are scores of weight loss blogs out there and reading them only adds to my motivation to actually see this through.

I am just another diet blogger out there among the sea of so many others. I may not be particularly funny or witty, but I'm writing here to keep myself honest and open and on track through the upcoming months and years of weight loss and then, after that, maintenance. I recognize that this is not a sometimes thing, that in order to lose the weight and keep that weight off I'm in for a lifetime of change. I know I am ready for that change, I know I can lose this weight, and I know that I can make myself a smaller me.