I went to see my parents today and of course the evening ended with us
going out to dinner. My parents are older and have very particular
tastes when it comes to food. So we ended up at the local seafood
place where the only safe choice was fried shrimp. Was this the best
option? From a diet standpoint, no. (from a please don't let me eat
something that is going to make me gag, yes.)

So basically I ate something that wasn't on my diet and I am sure it
has acted as a small bump in the road when it comes to my progress.
However, at the end of the day that is all it was... a speed bump. I
have one month left to lose about 11 more pounds and I know I am going
to succeed. Odds are good that I will go out to eat one or two more
times prior to the date looming on the calendar. I will endeavor to
make good choices, but no promises at this time.

But that time is coming and very, very soon.

It is so easy to figure out where my major dieting challenges lie.
They are the same ones that I have always had, most notably eating out
at restaurants. As someone that has been overweight all my life, I
have never really made much of an effort to "eat right" when I go out.
And really, even when I did try to make an effort I was only eating
right when compared to what I might have normally ordered. (i.e. I
would get a salad, but it would have cheese, bacon, ranch, etc.)

So it is this challenge that I am trying to overcome right now. I
want to do well, honestly, but it is amazing how difficult that can be
when it comes to trying to eat something quickly or on the go. I
suppose I will have to figure this out. I mean, I don't have a choice
so it WILL get done.

On the plus side, even eating out today, I didn't do too bad. Not
perfect by any stretch, but not terrible either. And the rest of the
day has gone well too. Thank god for popsicles!

As of this past Friday, I am 5 weeks away from a very serious life
moment. More on that later, though.

In the meantime, know that I have to lose about 20 pounds in that
timeframe. I have been doing some weight loss activities over the
last couple of weeks and am actually down about 7 lbs. so far. But
again, I still have about 20 to go. And once again I am battling the
diet demons. As usual, I am not the best person when it comes to
dieting. It's amazing what 37 years of fighting it like it was a
commie invasion will do. However, I need to make that the past. I
need to look to the future. I need the future to offer up something
new, something exciting, something that works.

In 5 weeks, I think that something is going to show up.