Any journey starts with a determined goal in mind, whether it is specific or not is the question. What specifically do I want to get out of my lifestyle change? What are my short-term and long-term goals? How and I going to get there? So many times I have started to "diet" and then quit a few days later, or I have worked out for a couple of days and then "got too tired, was too sore, had no time, etc...).

What is the difference now, and how have I determined to stay on track? The difference now is that when I look in the mirror I do not see Deidre. I see a large distortion of what I could be. I see the me underneath all of this weight and the person that is screaming to get out. The person that is tired of drowning in fat and processed foods.

My long-term goals in all of this are to 1) Get to the point where making healthy choices is no longer a choice, it's a habit 2) Be able to chase my son around without getting winded or asking for a timeout 3)Feel great in a size 8 little black dress. In the short-term range, I want to 1)get under 200lbs, 2)drink at least 8cups of water a day and 3) workout everyday.

In order to obtain these goals, I am going to have to be determined. I am going to have to workout EVERY.DAY.NO.MATTER.WHAT. I am going to have to track my calorie intake and make sure it stays under an acceptable level. This is not rocket science, but it also is not going to be easy.

What I want to pull out of this is to know without a doubt I am setting my children up to making healthy choices for the rest of their lives. That they can know that their mom WILL NOT be a statistic in the obese world.

Always remember:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference

...Robert Frost