I want patience -- now! That or a magic wand.

The trouble with this whole 'getting fit' business is that you're trying to feel your way blindly. You don't get the satisfaction of seeing immediate results when you make good decisions. You know that -- in theory -- eating right and exercising will get you where you want to go. But theory takes a long time to translate into reality.

If I could just do One Thing that would make me fit, I would do it. But even though I'm doing several right things (exercise, keeping within the plan), it'll be months before I can look back and see "Yes, that helped... and that... and not having that second piece of cake, yes..." Right now all I see is the deprivation, and all I feel is the sweat and the ache. I want to skip all the boring middle stuff and get right to the end already.

I see little changes: I'm fitting into a smaller pant size, my face looks a bit thinner. I lost several pounds in a week, then I gained half of it back (then lost half of that again). Damn it, Jim, I want to see a big change already!

Yes, I know that's silly. Even people who get gastric band surgery still have to face the task of getting used to eating less and dealing with all the side effects of the surgery. There's no magic wand. But right now I really wish there were.

Exercise du jour: Jog 3 miles
Done! Slowly. Actually, since speed is relative and I was the only one around running, it was pretty damn fast. That's my story, anyway.