Hello 2005 ... Goodbye Pink Lacies!

It's a quiet New Year's Day and both Cecilia (2 years, 2 months) and I (2 many to count) are trying to get over a nasty cold/virus thing. We seems to have the same thing and while I feel like I'm on death's door, Cecilia is bouncing around like a crazed chicken on crack.

A few minutes ago, Cece came out of our office/junk room sporting her pink footed pajamas and my fancy lace unmentionables (but, hey, if I mention them, I guess they need a new name) around her neck like a cape.

"Scott," I cried out, "do you know your daughter is wearing my pink lace drawers?"

Scott's in video game mode, but he offered to retrieve them if I liked. I declined since the lacies (circa size 26/28) don't stay up anymore and it seemed to make her happy for a hot pink second.

Cece flew through the house with the lacies flying in the breeze behind her like the superhero Pink Power Girl.

Next, she let them hang off one shoulder and the lacies became a royal slash. I was so proud to think of my little girl being named the U.N. ambassador to Victoria Secretland.

Soon, she tired of them and left them in the middle of the great room floor. I decided it was time to say goodbye to the wide-and-delicates, but I picked them up and put them away just in case the Jehovah Witnesses (our only holiday guests) came back in the morning.

Yes, this is as deep as my New Year's ponderings have gotten.

I'm excited about this new year's start, but I think it would be very sad if my goals centered around being able to shop for clothes in the "regular size" stores. What I have gained is so much more important than size 9 jeans. Cecilia is my miracle child and giving her an active, healthy mommy is like winning the lottery. I would like to eliminate my need for blood pressure and diabetes medicine and take many long, long walks to the park with Pink Power Girl. Whether I'm wearing my same old clothes held tight by safety pins doesn't factor into my happiness equation.

I plan to concentrate less on the scale and more on my body fat percentage and building some good muscle mass. If I gain some weight in doing so, that's fine with me. I plan to use Juice Plus supplements to aid in my nutritional goals, but I will eat, drink and consume good old fashioned food -- no fasts, no all-liquid regimens, no elimination of one particular food group.

That may come as surprise to many folks unfamiliar with bariatric surgery. It's no "overnight cure." Developing a new lifestyle is crucial to success and survival. One must read labels, plan meals, keep a balanced view of food and still deal with temptation.

So far, we have achieved a few important changes. We lean toward lighter bread alternatives and we are now stocked up on baked crackers, tortillas and flavored wraps. Snacking isn't forbidden in our household, there's just more choice and more protein.

The biggest temptation that I'm finding hard to resist is rushing the weight loss. It seems that most folks interested in weight loss have the one-year limit in their minds -- 100 pounds in one year or 150 pounds in one year. Don't get me wrong, it is quite possible, but I don't want to deny my human nature for one year thinking "in just one year it will all be over!"

I truly believe the gradual changes will eventually be changes for life; a long, long life. My doctor says this is a 2-3 year process and that's not really a long time. I tried to carry a baby to term and was pregnant on-and-off for almost six years. It's amazing how short that times seems now and I really would do it all over again (if I had not had my "get-out-of-pregnancy-alive" card retracted).

As the New Year dawns, I guess my focus is on quality of life and family -- not a year from now, but right now. I didn't make the cabbage, but I have a huge pot of black-eye peas waiting. We will team that up with sauteed veggies and sweet potato casserole from last night. Here's to a fresh, tasty 2005 full of life and good times and no more parachute lacies!

Editor's note: The images in this post were added a week later.