Let's go, Cupcake!

I'm feeling motivated again! I'm not sure what clicked. Why, after all these years, do I suddenly believe in my own power to lose weight and live a healthier life? Here's what happened:

I was catching up with one of my dearest friends on the phone a couple of days ago. She lives across the country and we haven't seen one another in many years. Toward the end of a really good talk, during which I'd told her about various ailments and how slow the recovery is from my recent ankle surgery, she startled me by asking "how much do you weigh these days?" I answered, "the same, too much." She said "No, HOW much? In pounds." And I startled myself by telling her! And she so kindly and bluntly said how much better my ankles and entire body will feel if I lose weight. Then she said "who am I to talk?" as she lit a cigarette, her own battle.

After we got off the phone, an idea sparked in my head, and last night, I sent her this text message:

"Alright, my friend. Using the SBMI calculator (smart body mass index, which takes into account age as well as height and sex like the BMI), my goal weight is 160 lbs. So...Challenge: When I reach my goal weight, you will quit smoking cigarettes."

And I woke up the next morning to this simple text:

"challenge accepted"

Me:

"Well crap. I mean, yay!"

Her:

"fine, let's go cupcake"

So now what? What has worked for me before? My time on SparkPeople all those years ago was my most successful weight loss experience to date. I loved the friends I made here, and how positive and encouraging people were. I'm hoping to reconnect with any of you still here, and to make new friends, too. Much is different, much is the same. Let's catch up!