I’m feeling stronger today, and I can’t say why. I can imagine myself at 160 pounds, and today the goal seems manageable. I’d like to be free of this extra 45 pounds I’ve been carrying around for the last 15 years. This morning I felt a hip underneath the flab. It was encouraging. I can only dream of the other bones I might find underneath all this when I hit my goal.

The hardest thing will be to keep up my morale and desire once I get below 190. That’s 12.5 pounds from now. But from experience, I know that once I start fitting into a size 14 regular (that’s usually right around 190) my motivation starts go because I start thinking I look okay. This time, though, I’d like to go all the way.

Now that there’s no Paris vacation gumming up the works, I feel like I can really concentrate on my diet. I feel better when I eat well. Tonight it’s going to be stuffed green peppers and tomato sauce. I’m hungry now.