The tortoise or the hare?

Many, many times in my life I have vowed to lose weight (and keep it off).  Sometimes I lost a lot, and kept it off for a while, but it never stuck.  Other times I started out at a great pace (like the hare), but couldn't keep it up.  Every time (as is common), I gained back even more than I lost.  My health has suffered, and now that I'm about to turn 50 years old (in about 4 months), I have to do something serious.  After months/years of consideration, I am going to go down the path to weight loss surgery.

One of the things that is always a challenge for me when losing weight is my unrealistic goal for the speed of seeing those pounds drop.  Of course I want it to happen quickly!  We are an instant-fix society, and want immediate success.  I think I've been a little like the hare in the old story of the Tortoise and the Hare.  Quick success leading to great enthusiasm, and then boredom--or stress or just the typical physical process of losing weight--kicks in and it gets more difficult, and I drift away from my plan.  So, I want to be more like the tortoise this time!  Or, like my favorite creatures, the garden snails.

I have a bunch of snails that live at the bottom of my carport stairs, in the plants and shrubs there.  (I have put up some pictures of them on this blog.)  I bring them a few lettuce or kale leaves at night, and sit and watch them for a few minutes.  Slowly, s-l-o-o-o-w-l-y, they come out and move toward the leaves.  They move at, well, a snail's pace!  I'm tempted at times to give them a lift, but they are very delicate and I would probably hurt them.  Besides, they don't need my help!  At their super-slow pace, they make it to their "dinner" and start munching away.

Now, you may say that going for weight loss surgery is like a quick-fix.  However, after quite a bit of research, I have discovered it is not.  It isn't like a switch that you turn on, get skinny, and stay that way forever without any effort.  Everyone seems to call it a "tool" to get you started on a life time of eating differently.  Yes, most people lose a fair amount of weight quickly at first, but unfortunately, without continuing to follow the eating plan, some gain it back.  It's not forever.  It's still work.  There's the second year, and the third, and the fourth.  But if I remember the snails, and their slow-but-steady pace, I will have a chance  to overcome the obstacles and get to a healthier weight.

Wish me luck!