第一步　Baby Steps

Start now！Commit to be fit.

～Author Unknown

In January of 2002，my weight had hit an all-time high and I had fallen into the category of morbidly obese. I was in my early twenties, and I was supposed to be reveling in the prime of my life, but my health was fading rapidly.It would take me months to get over a simple cold, and only a few weeks later I would catch it again.There were other things, things I'd been too scared to tell anyone about.How I would wake up at night choking, because I'd stopped breathing in my sleep.

When a person struggles with an enormous amount of excess weight her entire life, it's easy for the subject of weight loss to be a taboo. I never wanted to tell anyone about my diet plans because I'd always ended up failing in my previous attempts, and I was ashamed.But this time I knew something had to be done；this time my life was depending on it.

I didn't even step on a scale on New Year's Day. I was too scared to read the numbers.Instead I eliminated any beverage from my diet that wasn't coffee or water.It was a baby step, but I knew every little bit helped.I also knew that if I could stick to this small change, the other changes I had planned would be easier to handle.

By the month of February, I'd confirmed to myself that I had the discipline I would need for the future. My pants were no longer cutting into my stomach, and it gave me the courage I needed to step on the scale.When the needle stopped spinning and landed on the number 240，I didn't allow myself to feel the usual guilt, self-pity, or sorrow.It was only a number, not a reflection of who I was, and I was determined to see that number disappear forever.

It took every scrap of leftover courage I could muster, but I began to tell people at work about my weight loss plans. Instead of a New Year's resolution, I told them it was just for the month of February, to see what I could accomplish in the shortest month of the year.To my surprise, others thought it was a great idea and jumped on the band wagon with me.I don't think I'll ever know if it was their way of gently encouraging me, or if they really loved the idea, but everybody was genuinely excited.They could all last twenty-eight days, and they loved that there was no pressure to continue after wards.I was counting on my progress to be the motivational force to propel me forward.

I had an intense workout plan that I knew I could stick to for just a few short weeks. Three days a week I worked my entire body with free weights, and another three days a week I did cardiovascular workouts for my heart.On the days I felt lazy or reluctant, I would remind myself that it was only for a month, but more often were the days I looked forward to having that little bit of time to get my new found energy out.I was surprised to learn that exercise was actually therapeutic.

When March finally came, I confronted the dreaded scale once again. To my surprise, I'd lost eighteen pounds！That week I went out and splurged on a few new shirts and a new pair of pants at a discount store.I didn't plan on being able to wear them for long, but wanting to look good and feel good about the progress I'd made was important.I knew that there would be times of discouragement ahead because I had a long path to travel down, but being reminded of how far I'd come was the biggest motivation I could think of.

After my intense workout of February, I took things a little easier, allowing myself time to adjust to the new weight. I hadn't wanted my body to feel starved from such an extreme loss in such a short period of time, and I also wanted my mind to know that I wasn't planning on denying myself forever.It's a precarious challenge trying to make the mind and body work together, and I didn't want to jeopardize any progress.

When I finally welcomed the next year, I was at least forty pounds lighter than I had been the previous year.

February rolled around again, and again I began my intense training session. My weight loss wasn't as significant as the first year, but it showed.By the end of the year, I'd lost a total of seventy pounds.

I still battle my weight every day, and I still have a few pounds that I would like to see disappear. I try not to rush myself though, and I remember that keeping the weight off is often just as difficult as losing it.Every February I celebrate my own personal New Year, and my extended lease on life.With patience and persistence, I am reminded of what baby steps can truly accomplish.

～Rebecca Degtjarjov

行动起来！将瘦身进行到底。

——佚名

2002年1月，我的体重创下历史新高，我也不幸加入了肥胖症一族。我刚刚20岁出头，应该是风华正茂、朝气蓬勃的时候才对，但我的体质却每况愈下。一场小感冒就能缠上我几个月，而且好不了几周，感冒就会卷土重来。其实还有别的病呢，我都不敢告诉别人。半夜里我会喘不上气来，硬生生地憋醒。

如果一个人一辈子都在和肥胖作斗争，那他肯定会对“减肥”这个话题讳莫如深。因为之前的计划都以失败告终，所以觉得很丢脸，不好意思向别人提自己的节食计划。这一次，我知道不狠不行了，今后的生活在此一举。

新年那天，我都不敢站在磅秤上，不敢看自己的体重。除了咖啡和白水，我把所有饮料都从食物清单中划去了。不积跬步，无以至千里，这就是我迈出的第一步。我明白，要是能坚持每一次小小的改变，计划中的其他改变也能水到渠成。

到二月份时，我坚信有足够的自律迎接未来的挑战。裤子已经没有那么勒人了，这也给了我踏上磅秤的勇气。当晃动的指针最终指向109公斤时，我竭力克制以往的内疚、自责和悲伤。这不过是个数字而已，并不能证明我是什么样的人。而且我决心已下，要把这个数字抛到九霄云外。

我鼓起所有勇气把减肥计划告诉了同事。我说这不是新年决心，只是二月份的决心。我告诉他们，只是想看看在全年最短的月份里能做成什么。我惊讶地发现，大家都觉得这个主意很好，纷纷效仿。我不知道他们是真的喜欢这个主意，还是想用这种方法来给我打气。不过，大家的确都热情高涨，坚持了28天。坚持完了就没事了，没有什么压力。他们很喜欢这种没有压力的短期计划。不断的进步鞭策着我勇往直前。

我有一份高强度的锻炼计划。我很清楚自己坚持不了几周。第一周，我会花三天举举哑铃什么的，锻炼身体各个部位。下一周，我会再花三天，做一些加强心血管能力的锻炼。遇上犯懒的时候，我就会提醒自己，只要坚持一个月就好。不过更多的时候，我盼望锻炼日的到来，好把新攒下的能量释放出去。我惊讶地发现，锻炼也能使人的心情得到放松。

三月份终于到了，我又得面对可怕的磅秤了。我竟然轻了18磅15左右！太不可思议了！那一周，我去了家折扣商店，买了几件新衬衫和一条新裤子，好好地犒劳了自己。我知道体重会变化，这些新衣服不会合身太久，这么做只是想看上去光鲜一些，心情好一点，肯定一下自己的进步。前路漫漫，还有不少艰难困苦等着我，但是，只要想到自己成功地走到了这一步，顿时觉得拥有了无穷的动力。

经过了二月份高强度的锻炼，我不把问题看得那么难了。面对新的体重数字，我也能更耐心地去调整心态。我并不想在短时间内减掉很多，身体会吃不消的。我希望能在思想上明白，自己并不总是一无是处。把思想付诸实践确实是严峻的挑战。同时，我也不想前功尽弃。

新年到来的时候，我至少比一年前瘦了大约40磅。

又到二月了，我重新开始了高强度的锻炼计划。这一年，虽然体重下降的幅度没有去年那么大，但效果还是很明显的。到年底，我共瘦了大约70磅。

我每天仍然和体重作斗争，而且希望能再减掉几斤赘肉。我并不急于求成，也牢记这一点：保持体重不变和减肥一样困难。每年的二月成了我的新年，我都会庆祝自己能健康快乐地生活下去。只要勇于尝试，用耐心和耐力步步为营，最终就能修成正果。

——丽贝卡·戴戈迪嘉哲夫

Cartoon#3　Reprinted by permission of Steve Delmonte.?2008　Steve Delmonte.

①“我的体重开始下降了。我正从为时四小时的节食做起！”