Excuses, excuses...

I was out of town last week on business and while I'm sharing my weight loss journey with all of you (and my close friends and family...what can I say? I have a big mouth!), I really was trying to keep my efforts under wraps in front of my colleagues.

Mostly because, well, I was the only woman there and I certainly didn't want any jokes.

Eventually though, my secret came tumbling out. It happened over dinner at Applebee's when everyone looked at me like I'd grown two heads when I ordered from the Weight Watchers menu (A genius invention, by the way...)

Everyone at dinner had multiple glasses of beer in front of them. They were noshing on french fries, ribs, chicken fingers, and burgers while I picked my way through my meal (I say pick not because it was bad but because it was good...and I wanted to make it last, ha ha!). And of course, soon the question came up.

Why was I eating off the Weight Watchers menu when there were so many other yummy things to tempt me with?

I had to stifle my urge to say, "Are you kidding? LOOK AT ME! I should've been eating off the Weight Watchers menu the moment I switched off formula!" but instead I bit my tongue and said I was trying to lose weight for Mr. CCC's and mine's upcoming trip to Hawaii.

I got lots of understanding nods. Because even though they were all men, I'm starting to understand that "swimsuit season" freaks them out as much as it freaks women out. But then I started hearing the excuses...about how my job--therefore my lifestyle--made it difficult to lose weight. We all had such demanding schedules, finding time to work out was tough. Constant road trips and eating out meant havoc for the waist line.

For a moment I was tempted to agree. Heck, I've used those excuses for years. And then it hit me. It's not about excuses.

It's about choices.

Of course, traveling makes it harder to lose weight. No doubt about it. We all know restaurant meals can be dangerous but that doesn't make it impossible. I made the choice that night to drink Diet Coke instead of a cosmo or margarita. (Okay, I ordered the cosmo and it tasted so bad I switched it to Diet Coke). I made the choice that night to eat the Weight Watchers chicken dish instead of the burger and fries. I made the choice that night NOT to order dessert when everyone else did.

And as I looked around the table, I realized some of my colleagues were overweight. They were the ones most loudly blaming their "job" and their "lifestyle" for their lack of success.

It made me kind of sad for a moment because I know what it's like to be there. To feel like you can't control anything. To feel like you're just supposed to be overweight. I heard that resignation in their voices.

And then I got upset. Like me, those colleagues have friends and family who love them and have probably encouraged them to become healthier. They've chosen not to.

Staying on track is hard. Oh my goodness is it hard. As I'm blogging right now, my tummy is rumbling, I'm out of healthy snacks and I know the vending machine has all kinds of evil goodies for me.

I could just go over there, get some cookies, blame it on another late night at the office and say I'll do better tomorrow.

But I'm making the choice not to.

You aren't going to hear any more excuses from me.

Ever.

(Unless you're my husband and you're asking me to explain why I bought another pair of shoes. I might have an excuse then....)