Recycled Resolution

The annual New Year?s resolve to lose weight follows the holidays like clockwork.? A bunch of years ago, my husband and I tried the South Beach diet, and it worked great.? I was ?between horses? then and had been sitting around too much.? I lost 20 pounds that stayed off, but I need 20 more to get back to an ideal weight.? However, even though I was a food editor in a past life, I never want to go the South Beach route again ? too much time in the kitchen.? I’d rather be riding than shopping and cooking (I had one whole drawer in the fridge just for lettuce!). I was doing pretty well on the annual weight loss thing last year until I broke my leg in March.? I didn’t balloon up again, but I lost my main motivation, which was to fit into my show clothes by the time the show season started.? By the time I got to a show in July, I didn’t need my coat because it was too hot and there was no way my new boots would ever fit because my left leg was still swollen.? It was back to the old rags ? and I did well despite feeling that I was not wearing my best duds. A lot of years ago, my husband surprised me at Christmas with a beautiful Pikeur shadbelly coat.? I really want to be able to wear that coat again ? it still looks fabulous on the hanger but not on my body.? Worse yet is the problem with the vest points.? If you don’t know about shadbelly coats, unfortunately they end in front at the natural waist so tHere’s an expanse of tummy sheathed in white between the coat and the pommel.? The coat has yellow vest points dangling there, I guess to honor real vests worn fox hunting. ?The problem is that since I last wore the coat, I’ve added too much acreage below my waist, so that the vest points keep popping up at right angles.? Not a good look.? If I lose 10 or 20 pounds I should be back at my fighting weight and the vest points will stay perpendicular, I hope.? Velcro is not an option. THere’s also the matter of breeches ? I spent a long show weekend in the rain with a new saddle a few years ago and my best breeches got clobbered, but I’ve got a stack of white breeches still in the closet if I can lose the pounds, rather than investing in new white full-seat breeches.? And my new boots should be okay this year.? Even my new-last-year top hat doesn’t fit any more (can you put on weight there’) but I’m now showing in a hard hat, so that’s not a problem.? (Anyone want a top hat’) So, Here’s the plan.? No specialized diet.? I’m going to eat less/move more, aiming for two pounds a week during January and then a pound a week after that. ?My goal is 20 pounds. The most important part is that I’m going to be held accountable by this blog.? I’m going to report in each week.? This week, I made the two pounds.? THere’s chocolate birthday cake in the kitchen right now, but I’m determined to overcome that obstacle and report another two pounds down next week.

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