Like a lot of people do, I gained some weight in college. But as an overachiever, I put on the expected freshman 15 in record speed, and then I forgot to stop and doubled it. I repeated this as a sophomore, and somewhere a bell went off. I was getting fat. I spent the next few years being stalked by images of ultra thin, airbrushed models on every commercial, magazine, and billboard. I desperately wanted to lose the weight, but after unsuccessfully investing in several different programs and strategies, I remained stuck in a ridiculous cycle. Food had become my comfort, so the more miserable I became, the more I ate!
For awhile, I just gave up, and tried to convince myself that it didn’t matter what size I was. Then I started dating a really great, really trim guy. He didn’t seem to notice or care that I weighed more than he did. I kept waiting for him to get a full on rear view look and realize that I was packing a lot of pounds, but he never said a word. Somehow his acceptance sparked the motivation I needed, and I started to lose weight. We got engaged, and for the next several months, every time I would visit the bridal store, they would have to take in my dress just a little bit more.
All in all, I lost about 50 pounds, and have kept it off for almost 17 years. When people see old pictures, they always ask me how I did it. I’m always tempted to launch into an inspirational, but completely fictional story, because I’ve found that no one really wants to hear the obvious answer. A few weeks ago, I learned that I was in good company. Our Governor, Mitch Daniels, was asked to tell the secret of Indiana’s enviable balanced budget. (Yes, you read that correctly, we’ve balanced the checkbook and there is a surplus - a remarkable accomplishment in light of the debt that we had when he took office, and the fact that he pulled this off during the worst recession that we’ve seen in our lifetime.) The room hushed in anticipation as every head turned to hear him speak. He paused, shrugged his shoulders and said simply, “Well, we spent less than we took in.” It was a short interview. I bet our neighboring governors’ just cringed at hearing THAT. We’ve come to expect these questions to be answered with a script and a soundtrack playing in the background. But there it was, and it was obvious. No fancy program, no complicated formula.
And that’s exactly how I went from XL to XS: I finally rejected the entire weight loss industry and embraced one simple plan: I was going to eat less! And guess what? It took some time, but I lost the weight. It wasn’t easy, but it was simple. I had to make some hard choices, and I’m sure the Governor did, too. I wonder if he was tempted to add on or embellish a little during the stunned silence that followed his answer. I sometimes think that if I embellished mine just a little bit, someone might hire me to stand next to a cardboard cut out of my "before" self and sell their sub sandwiches! I’m sure I ate a few along the way, right?
Truly, I just started eating less calories than I burned off every day, and that (drum roll) became a change I could believe in. So, I’m not a politician, and I’m sure the issues are complex, but I wanted to stand up and cheer when I heard the Governor’s simple explanation. It might not get him a presidential nomination, or even another interview - and I’ll never be the Subway girl, but at the end of the day, I’m still a size small and our State still has a balanced budget. And Mitch, I think that’s a pretty good bottom line for both of us.
