I just heard one of the best analogies- to paraphrase Dr. Huizenga from "The Biggest Loser", you have to treat and fight obesity just like you would cancer. Wow- I don't know about you, but that's pretty enlightening to me. When a doctor tells most people (including myself) that they need to lose weight- what do they do? They go home and think, "well, I'll get around to changing my lifestyle eventually, but right now I think I'll go out and have a pizza."

Now, would you have the same reaction if someone told you that you have cancer? "Well, I should get around to treating this cancer, but I think I'll go out and eat bad, smoke, and drink excessively for the next 6 months or more." No! You would go to the doctor and start treatment to fight that cancer! So, why do we treat obesity (which causes heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and strokes) like we would any other non-life-threatening diagnosis?

I know for myself, it's the fact that I have trouble sensing the urgency. I can still get around just fine and I can shop in regular stores (although there are some stores I can't shop in, like "5 - 7 - 9"). But, that's just it- I can do those things now, but eventually I may not be able to.

All of this excess weight is putting extra pressure on my knees. I'm also at a higher risk of heart attack- my own Dad died of a sudden heart attack at 55. And, just like me, he was a yo-yo dieter. I can't even remember how many times he lost and regained the same 20lbs. So, here's my Dad, who was not morbidly obese, fairly athletic (went to the gym several times a week, went on weekly mountain bike rides, and went hiking several times a year), BUT, he did have one problem: food. Just like me, he loved to eat and he loved to eat a lot.

With that kind of history, you would think I would know better. Like Dr. Huizenga talked about, you would think I would be treating my obesity like I would cancer. But, I wasn't. Like Margaret Mitchell penned, "After all, tomorrow is another day." And, I treated every day as the day before my diet- the day before my weight loss journey was to start. The problem is, I wasn't allowing tomorrow to ever become today.

Now, I have made the change many times, but I always see myself back in the place I was last week. Disappointed in myself- but deciding that a second or third piece of bread is worth the disappointment. This time, I have to choose myself over the bread. I have to choose my health- I have to choose to fight this disease like I would anything else that was threatening my life. And, this time, tomorrow isn't today- it was Sunday. :)