I lay on the bed trying to put on my favorite pair of pants, pulling and dragging, but the zipper wouldn't close. Angrily I threw them to the back of the closet. I found a long large skirt, tied it around my middle, and then joined my husband downstairs. I caught sight of myself in the halfway mirror--I didn't like the person I saw. The weight kept climbing higher each year. The problem was that I hated the word "diet". To me it meant my keeping off every good thing I loved. Later that summer, I found myself out of breath when I climbed two flights of stairs and my heart started beating heavily. I saw my doctor and she told me that I needed to bring down my blood pressure. "Easy for her to say," I thought when I drove back home. Up ahead I saw a McDonald's. I pulled in. The doctor's warning couldn't resist the pull of McDonald's food. The next morning I stepped on the scale and weighed more than I had ever had in my life. Just at the very moment, my thoughts were finally clear. To check the weight I needed to control my choices. Several days later, I went to my favorite restaurant for lunch--I only chose Chinese chicken salad. I felt great when I left the restaurant carrying a take-home box filled with half of that huge salad. But most of all, I discovered I had control over my choices. The weight came off slowly, but after a while it made no progress. Eating a light meal a couple of nights a week would help, but that meant I would prepare two separate dinners, for I would have to continue to make my husband his favorite meals, who supported my weight loss goal. Dusting off the old two--wheel vehicle in the garage, I added exercise by pedaling for 30 minutes after dinner. A year later I lost 25 pounds and my blood pressure was normal. I tried on my favorite pants again. They fit perfectly. Why did the author throw her favorite pants to the back of the closet?
Because they were too big. Because her husband didn't like them. Because they didn't match her shoes.. Because they were too tight for her to wear.