Against my better judgment, I went out and bought several pairs of new pants yesterday. I am now officially down one size and tired of wearing baggy jeans. That, in itself, is exciting news. But the best thing about it is seeing Husband's reaction to my weight loss. He's becoming very kissy and comments every day about how I am looking different...younger...great.

I just love that.

I found all of the clothes at Steinmart in the "regular" sized department (all at amazingly discounted prices!) No more W clothes for me. I cannot even begin to describe the relief of not having to go to a specialized store for clothes that fit.

Is there discrimination against obese/fat people? You bet.

Am I tired of trying to overcome it to prove myself worthy and capable? You bet.

I have a new and different kind of Hope for 2009: To finally get fit.

Husband walked into the office the other day carrying a large bucket of drywall mud. He asked me to walk over and pick it up. It was incredibly heavy in a dense kind of way.

"That is 61 lbs," is all he said.

I was dumbstruck. That is how much weight I need to lose. And I couldn't even pick that damn bucket up. How in the world do I walk around with all of this weight? No wonder I'm pooped all of the time!

I am thankful for the chance to lose this weight.It's finally starting to happen. I am very grateful and relieved.