OMG I'm almost there!

I haven't posted in over three years.

In that time, I've subdued Lyme disease (note that I didn't say beaten or conquered) and had a hip replacement.

In fact, it's my hip replacement that finally launched me on the path to losing weight.

About 15 months ago I came to grips with the fact that I needed a hip replacement. I tell people that my hip and I had a "come to Jesus" moment (ironic for an atheist but accurate).

Since then I've lost over 30 pounds, maybe 35. I even set a goal at Weight Watchers.

In fact, despite all my struggle, I attribute Weight Watchers for losing the weight. I never stopped going to meetings. I never stopped absorbing the message, even through Points, Points Plus, and now Smart Points.

I'm a Simply Filling girl, although I started as a Core girl. I just can't track, whether it's points, calories, fat, whatever. I exhausted my ability to track anything well before I joined Weight Watchers. Still, I calculate Points for food I'm thinking about purchasing or recipes I'm reading.

The current plan, Smart Points, has an emphasis on fruits, vegetables, and protein. It's the protein that has made a difference for me.

There's another thing that has made a difference.

While subduing Lyme disease, I lost my sense of smell and, therefore, my sense of taste. One of the antibiotics I took did the damage. I stopped the antibiotic, buy it was too late.

Upon realizing that I'd lost my sense of taste, I was depressed and gained weight. But after my come-to-Jesus moment with my hip, I started to pay close attention to what I could taste. Mashed potatoes were totally tasteless, as were pretzels. I could taste strong cheese (thank you Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar cheese!) and really good roast beef.

It also helped that my good friend, Susan, was willing to meet me after work at Panera Bread instead of the mall for our weekly meetings "for coffee." The food court at the mall has horrible food. I could get a bad salad and feel unsatisfied or get something full of fat and feel over stuffed.

So I changed my food habits at home and away.

I'm almost there!