Nope, not trek or journey, but slog. For the last 15 or so years, I ate too much, too often, and the wrong things. Since every tooth in my mouth is a sweet tooth, a fair amount of sweets passed my lips most days.

I didn’t quite blow up like a balloon, but I did gradually pile on the pounds. I had to buy larger sizes in most clothes, and wide shoes. I am, by nature, a lazy sort of person, and just took the easy way out. I have a home rowing machine, but only used it occasionally. And a torn tendon in my ankle (decades of flat feet catching up with me), reduced my activity level further.

In mid-February, we had a trip to Arizona planned, so at the first of the month I said to myself that it’s time I got serious about losing weight. I read all the time about the dangers of too much sugar in your diet, and how reducing sugar intake was a good way to lose weight, so I decided to bite the bullet and start there. Also around the same time, my doctor changed my medications for my borderline-high blood pressure.

I discovered early on that losing weight is harder than quitting smoking; you don’t have to smoke to stay alive, but you sure do have to eat! I didn’t keep track of food intake, but I sure did reduce the sugary sweets. No more muffins or danish for breakfast, no more dessert after every dinner, no more snacking on candy. By the time we left for Arizona I had already lost a couple of pounds. I can’t say it made much difference in how I felt (and it took an enormous amount of will-power), but it still felt good to be doing the right thing.

I also tried to get on my rowing machine more often, but I was already pretty tired when I got home from work, so I didn’t do much. I did work out every weekend, which gradually increased my tolerance. Rowing indoors is pretty boring, so I listen to podcasts and learn something! My favorite is the Egyptian History Podcast, done by a guy from New Zealand called Dominic Perry, and I have been learning all sorts of new things about ancient Egyptian history and culture.

When we returned from Arizona, I embarked on the real slog. I was very proud of myself the last few weeks of my job, and managed to keep from indulge in all the sweet treats that sat behind me every day. One of my coworkers would bring in all sorts of sweet bakery items every week, and no one could make him quit. So every day in the office I was exposed to a wide range of food that was bad for me. And I successfully resisted!

I called this “Temptation Alley”

So you can see what I was up against. But once I decided to just say “no” to sweets, I was able to resist most of the time. I gave in once or twice but I figured that once in a while would not be the end of the world, and it wasn’t.

I started keeping a diary in mid-July, and my comment on July 16 was that I’d lost about 22 pounds. In June I had gone for my appointment with my rheumatologist (for psoriatic arthritis), and he weighed me. He also reviewed my 3-month lab results. He was absolutely thrilled to see how much weight I had lost, and that my lab results were dramatically better than they had been in years. In fact even my kidney-function measurements had all fallen back into the normal range. My September results were also very good, showing that my sugar reduction was working.

Once I retired in mid-June, I was able to get on my rower nearly every day. In fact, I am encouraging in myself a feeling of guilt, if I don’t exercise every day. My schedule is trending much later now, and I’m only eating two full meals a day. My chart of pounds dropping off was steady. I found that I could now get into clothes that I hadn’t been able to wear for years, and pairs of pants went back into the rotation. Years ago, I bought a new pair of jeans, and when I got them home they were too tight. So I left them in the drawer, until this July, when I pulled them out again and lo and behold-they fit! That’s great motivation.

I wondered in September about my bathroom scale, so I did a test. I weighed myself on my own scale, then on my husband’s scale. I discovered that my own scale had been weighing me 2 pounds too heavy! So I bought a nice new scale, and it’s very accurate. I weigh myself every day first thing in the morning.

By the end of July I had lost 23 pounds. By the end of August, I was down 27 pounds. By the end of September, I had lost 30 pounds. But in October I made a big mistake. In the middle of the month, we had a trip planned to the Carolinas, for a Hillsdale College function, then a meetup with some Ricochet.com friends who live in the area. I said before we left that I was going to go off my diet for the trip, and that didn’t go well. I ate the desserts they always have at the Hillsdale meetings, and we went out to dinner for our anniversary, and I ate ice cream then.

The worst effect of that “sugar bomb” wasn’t actually weight gain-I only put back on about two pounds. When I got home, I had a new attack of gout, and the big toe on my right foot was red and swollen for a week. Medication took care of it, but lesson learned-no sugar bombs! I can’t believe how successful my new regime has been. Just the big reduction of sugar intake has made almost everything better. As of this morning, my total weight loss is 35 pounds. I decided I am going to go for five more, so I will have a little cushion for the holidays.

My next big temptation will be our holiday party the first weekend in December. We make a big pot of chili and fixings, and put out snacks and goodies. I am already strategizing about how I can minimize my intake of sweets, and not ruin the great progress I have made. I am looking at more crackers and fewer cookies, and I plan to nurse a bowl of chili for as long as I can during the day. Our chili is fabulous, and we have fun making it. I figure if I can avoid “temptation alley”, I can avoid sweets in my own home.

So if anyone out there has decided that they need to lose a few pounds, I think I found a fairly effective way to do it. Try to reduce your sugar intake as much as possible. Except for that, keep eating what you normally do, just less of it (reduce portion size). Get more exercise. Don’t expect miracles. If I can drop 35 pounds at 76 years of age, you can too, regardless of your age. But it does take perseverance, and keeping your eyes on the prize. Don’t give up if you have a setback, and you will feel and look better.