*forehead smack*

I don't even know where to begin. . .

I guess I owe everyone a Diet Coke. Except it's all gone. Seconds after I put it in the faculty room. Every last bottle and can. The vultures. I didn't even have a chance to look back in that lingering, nostalgic movie way.

The daily exercising just didn't happen. Correction: I didn't make the exercise happen. It was Parent-Teacher Conference week and I thought it was a good excuse not to exercise. I took that excuse and ran with it. . .uhhhhh. . .sat with it. And ate some food with it, too. Apparently, a lot of it. . .and I don't even remember what. But I do remember that by Wednesday I was all the way back up to 206. That was a wake-up call. As of today?

203.8

Up 0.2 pounds from last week.

I am NOT giving up, though. I'm committing again to a week of 30 minutes of exercise. It's going to happen. It will.

My wise sister commented last week.

And I copy and paste: "Every re-commitment makes your resolve stronger than before. Also, as we teach in rehab: You haven't lost all the progress you made before your lapse. There is no starting from the beginning again. There is only continuing on in the direction you are pointing in the moment...I am so. wise." <---see, she's so wise. And if she's right, pretty soon I'll have resolve of steel. And then, maybe, I will have buns of steel to match.

I did get some exercise in Thursday and Friday, though. So, it was an improvement over last week. I pulled about a zillion staples from my brother's floor so he can get new floor put in. I sweated, therefore I exercised. And weird muscles hurt.

So, new topic.

Thursday I got braces.

It's my new diet tool. It's super-effective. It's how I lost 2.2 lbs in just two days! Call now for your free trial. . .no, don't. Nothing's free and braces are semi-permanent, okay?

So many of my food-related problems are non-issues. . .for the time being. So many no-nos involved with braces. And since I'm forking out several thousand dollars (lousy dental insurance doesn't cover ADULT orthodontics. . .grrr) I will follow the Orthodontal Commandments religiously. So, I'm cutting out candy, soda, chips, and other things on the no-no list.

Along with the braces, I got an expander. Which makes eating even more complicated. Unless it's liquidy or puddiningy it gets stuck on top of the expander. And I can't stand it. So, even once the discomfort of the braces subsides food that requires masticating will be avoided. I've mentioned before that I'm a creature of convenience. And it is highly inconvenient to have to try to suck food from the top of my expander. And it NEVER all comes out. I have to swish my mouth with water 37 times before it feels even halfway normal.

So, it is now a diet of liquidy and puddingy consistencies. Smoothies. Yogurt. Pudding cups. Pureed soups. Applesauce.

I am now forced to plan ahead with my eating.

All in all, despite this throwback to teen awkwardness, I do believe these braces will be highly effective for my teeth AND waistline.