A Farewell to Shwarmas

I'm keeping up with my exercises. In fact, I can usually get in a good hours' run every day. It' snot quite a real run, more of a run... stop... run... stop... run. Over the last few weeks, I've noticed that my knees and ankles are hurting a bit more than usual, and it doesn't go away. Usually I can just sit down for 20 minutes or so after a jog, and then get back to my normal routine, but lately I've been feeling wiped for the rest of the day after I come back. I thought maybe I'm coming down with something, or maybe now that I'm in the last ten months of my twenties, maybe my body has decided to prematurely give out.

Last shabbat I was in Yavniel, a small farming town in the Galillee, and, trying to hike up a modest hill, I felt that every step required a massive effort. My shabbat clothes felt a bit tight, and when I got back home I looked through some of the photos...

Uh oh, the symptoms are all there. I've got the puffy face and I look like I'm in my first trimester. I jumped on the scale as soon as I got home, and sure enough, I had just hit 235 pounds! My ideal weight is usually around 215. How could this have happened? I must not have been watching myself carefully enough. I haven't been this heavy since , well, according to my records, January 28, 2004, when I was in the middle of my crash weight loss when I lost 50 pounds.

It's time for the big W, the dreaded "Weight Watchers." I figure that by announcing it to the world here on my blog, I maybe I can shame myself into sticking with it all the way. So we're off! The first three days of Weight Watchers are absolute hell. I suffer from a constant state of gnawing hunger, and have the nasty metallic aftertaste of all the vegetables I've been eating following me around. No more white bread or pasta, only whole wheat pitas. Gotta write every last little bite that goes into my mouth down into that obnoxious spiral notebook. I bought some measuring cups, stocked up on vegetables, and got rid of my n0n-whole-wheat pitas.

If I can keep on the big W for three days, then I'm home free. My stomach shrinks, my fridge is cleared of unhealthy temptation, and I'm pretty much on a roll. But the first three days are brutal. After that, it should take me about two to three months to clear 20 pounds, if I stick to it. Wish me luck!