The Little Things

When you're trying your best to lose weight, it's the smallest of compliments that mean the world to you.

I've been lifting weights since well before Christmas. My best effort is on the leg press, where I sit on the machine and then lift as much as I can with my legs. I'm now doing the stack -- all 410 pounds of it -- for a total of 45 reps. A few weeks ago, I finished and when I stood up there was a gentleman standing there with a strange sort of look on his face.

He said, "I have NEVER seen anybody do that much on that machine. I always thought it was kind of dumb to have that much weight on that machine until I saw you."

Yes, sir! I kind of laughed and told him that I lift almost that much with my legs just getting out of bed in the morning.

Then, last week, an older man stopped me to ask how often I weighed. I said I tried not to, to avoid getting disappointed. He remarked, "If I worked as hard as you do for as long as you do, I'd weigh every day!"

I couldn't believe it. I'll never be a famous body builder, and I don't want to be. All I want is to see progress on my shrinking gut. I'm trying.