An open letter to the Eating Machine

Dear EM,

For the past two weeks, I have given you what you wanted. After eight months of keeping you at bay, conditions aligned and I let you have your way. The summit of this was a Chinese buffet, the remains of which is sitting in my stomach and making feel like I'm going to (and wanting to?) hurl. I am glad I feel so rotten, for this is a feeling I will cherish in the next few months. This is what happens when I give in to you.

When I wake up tomorrow morning, I will go to WW and face the music for a second straight week of letting you have your way, and therein begins Part Two of my weight loss odyssey.

These are the new (and some continued) rules.

1) I will be held accountable for and journal each and every gram I eat, regardless of whether I am sticking to program or not. No more free-for-alls that don't get written down (and are therefore easy to pretend they never existed).

2) I will plan ahead.

3) I will endeavour to first get into the habit of 3L a day of water. Once that is under control, I will begin to work in regular exercise.

4) I must weigh in every single week, and stay for the meeting unless absolutely impossible.

5) No Treat Days ( ie greasy fast food) until after I reach the definition of "overweight", as opposed to obese. (Roughly thirty pounds from now.)

In eight months, if I see the need, I will allow you, cursed Eating Machine, another two-week stretch. But for now, you must get out of my way. I don't have the time or patience for you.