9 1/2 weeks

Around 9 1/2 weeks from now, I'll turn 33 years old.

You should probably know that I love multiples of 3. Three is my favorite number and when given the option, I'll take anything with a three on it over anything else. Since double threes are doubly awesome (obviously!), I've decided that this year will be my year.

To celebrate, I'm determined to be lighter on my 33rd birthday.

Ideally, I'd love to be down 20 pounds - to make my weight loss around 75 pounds and get the 75 pound washer (a small, flat ring that you can put on your keychain) from Weight Watchers. But realistically, losing 20 pounds in 9 1/2 weeks is very agressive...especially for someone that hasn't lost more three consecutive weeks in almost a year.

So instead of being impatient as I typically am, I'm just going to say that I want to be lighter. I want to be done with having my weight loss be in the 50s. I want to be able to claim a weight loss of in the 60s.

It's already taken a bit of dedication. Last night at dinner I had several fantastic "reasons" for not staying with my plan. For starters, the wait for the table was about 30 minutes and there were barrels of peanuts that we could snack on while we waited. Upon sitting down, they gave us warm rolls with cinnamon sugar butter as soon. THEY SMELLED FANTASTIC.

After 30 minutes AFTER we gave our order, the waiter realized that he didn't turn our order in...so we had to wait even longer. The manager came to our table, apologized profusely and asked if we wanted anything in the meantime free of charge.

By this time I was so hungry... how I didn't already eat the three remaining rolls in the basket is beyond me. I almost salivated at her temptuous appetizers. I was hungry. I wanted some food right then and we would be able to get it free! FREE FOOD!! Did I mention it was free?!?!

But I remembered my goal and asked for a side salad instead.

Our meals finally came - mine with a 6 ounce filet and double veggies. The veggies came smothered in butter (which is not how I ordered it) so rather than just saying "well, I'm hungry - at least they're veggies", I sent them back - asking for them to just be steamed.

My food tasted delicious and as much as I wanted to wolf it down, I tried to concentrate on being mindful. I looked at the beautiful color of the meat and paid attention to how tender it was when I was chewing it. Because I took a bit longer to eat than I normally do, I realized that I wasn't as hungry because of the salad I ate...so I stopped eating.

And now, I get to eat the other half tonight for dinner. Talk about free food!

I'm trying. And I'm not depriving myself either...I'm being mindful and being good to my body. I want to love my body - and one of the best ways I can honor it, is to listen to it.

My body wants to be lighter. My joints are crying out for it.

So in 9 1/2 weeks, I'm promising to give my body something for it's birthday - freedom from some extra weight.

After all, that's what it's wanted for many years.