Lists

It was a very busy day at work today and typically after a day like this, I mindlessly make my way home.  Today was a bit different though.  I was thinking about lists.  I am a list maker - those of you who know me well are laughing yourself out of your chair because we all know that I'm not merely a list maker...I'm a bit obsessive.  I make lists for the grocery store (who doesn't do that?) and lists for the tasks at work (hey - it helps to keep me on track).  I also have lists for bill paying (a God-send if you want to stay within a budget).  But I think the funniest is my obesession with making lists for my husband.  Just this morning I made a list for him - kind of a to do list.  He was home with our sick little one and the list had things like "call school", "call babysitter", get WW code (he said he wanted to join Weight Watchers again).  Yup, my list making can only be categorized as an obsession I think.

I made another one of my lists on the way home today.  It was a mental list of the excuses why I've failed at weight loss and exercise in the past. 

1)  My husband sabotages me by bringing home double stuffed Oreos when he wants me to smile. [Hmm...so is the problem that he brought them home, or that I ate them...all of them!]

2)  My workout buddy didn't feel up to going tonight so I can stay home. [So apparently my body's ability to work out is directly linked to being in proximity with a friend or family member.]

3)  I've messed up the eating today, so I may as well enjoy the rest of the day and restart tomorrow. [Please note, tomorrow is the day after today...not a month or a year later, but the very next day - oh, and tomorrow starts at midnight.]

4)  I'm having too many health problems to stress about losing weight.  [Guess what - lose the weight and the health problems might get better.]

5)  I can't work out because I don't have any workout clothes and I don't want to go shopping for more fat clothes. [Please refer to yesterday's post and then remind me that since I'm overweight, it stands to reason that I own one or a dozen pairs of pants that have elastic in the waist and are made of stretch material.]

6)  My husband loves me just the way I am.  [True, he does...but I don't love me the way I am so what is the real excuse.]

7)  I hate doing things outside - dirt is the enemy.  [Newsflash!  Dirt will not kill you.  Don't you remember the saying when we were kids "God made dirt so dirt don't hurt."]

8)  It costs too much to diet and exercise.  [Not near as much as the medical bills later.  Besides let's think about this....if you eat less, you spend less on food.  If you get active, you spend less on activities such as going to the movies and sitting in front of the satellite enhanced television.]

Am I getting it yet?  For every excuse I have, I have a reason why it doesn't hold water.  So every day is a battle to put the excuses behind me and focus on the positive the future holds if I stick to my plan, keep my commitment and remind myself that every step on the treadmill is another moment of time that I'm adding to my life. 

I want to have a full life....not be too full to live life.  Maybe tomorrow I'll think of a list of the positive things that this journey has brought me so far.