Have you ever logged on to a weight loss website and read one motivating story after another of how a down-in-her-luck overweight mom pulled herself up by her bootstraps and finally lost the weight that had been plaguing her for years? And then, after reading said motivating story you say to yourself, “That’s it. I am tired of this extra weight and I think I am finally ready to take care of it. For good. Just after I eat this last Oreo.” What you have experienced is an epiphany. Dictionary.com defines an epiphany as “a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience.” Sounds life-changing, right? It should be. Unless you have them all the time. Like every few days.

Okay, I admit it. I am a member of about 3 different weight loss websites and due to my over-zealous ability to produce an epiphany on a semi-regular basis I am actively seeking answers to all of my weight problems, i.e. why am I so fat? Some background here…I am overweight. Always have been. But, I am still a stunningly beautiful woman who just happens to have a few extra lumps in her trunk. Anyway, each website boasts its own set of rules claiming to help you reach your weight loss goals. How many points do I consume on a daily basis? How much exercise am I getting? Do I have supportive family and friends? Do I keep a food diary and journal my feelings? Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I don’t fit into my skinny jeans because I EAT TOO MUCH FOOD. Okay, I don’t actually possess any skinny jeans. But that really isn’t the point here. The point is, why do we seek the same exact answers from so many different sources? Why do I feel compelled to self-inflict pain from three separate websites all telling me the same thing? Am I really hoping that I will be lucky enough to happen upon the holy grail of weight loss solutions moments after I log-in to website number two? Well fellow insight-seekers, I am here to tell you that there is no holy grail. Like I said, I’m overweight because I eat too much. Plain and simple.

Herein lies the problem. How does one stop eating so much? And if one does stop eating so much for, say, like, a whole day, how does one than stop oneself from then bingeing on Oreos and cheese crackers the entire next day? They don’t make Cheez-Its in a big box and offer up several tantalizing flavors for nothing. They know what’s up. That’s a great snack, people! The point is, epiphanies be damned. True, unencumbered weight loss will happen when you are finally ready to give up the bad habits you have accumulated throughout your existence. In my thinking, an epiphany is just a way of buying yourself more time. The real change begins the minute you put the Oreo down or throw cheese crackers away. And I will. Soon. But I just opened a new box of Cheddar Jack Cheez-Its.

Love to all, Mindy