Flametoad

 I need a new wardrobe.

For the last several years, I’ve suffered from frequent lower-back pain. Pain severe enough to keep me home from work or doing much of anything at all. However, there was one period in the middle of that time span in which I didn’t suffer from back pain, and that’s when I was taking taekwondo class. I stretched frequently and was generally in fair shape. However, even then I was still 15-20 pounds over my ideal weight.

Last fall, after a string of back problems, I blamed my weight on my misfortunes and decided to go on a diet. Mrs. Flametoad and I did so together, with great success. I lost 15 pounds and felt great. I had more energy. I could chase my son without immediately getting worn out. And my waistline shrunk dramatically. Well, maybe not dramatically, but I lost a lot of my gut and my previously tight waistline was now loose. For some reason though, I never bought new clothes. I guess deep inside I figured I’d blow the diet sooner or later and regain all the weight I’d lost. For the last six months I’ve been cinching up the same old big-waistband pants, and have even gotten in the habit of casually pulling them back up each time they slide down.

Recently the carb cravings have been getting stronger and stronger and I found my resistance getting weaker and weaker. A week and a half ago Mrs. Flametoad and I resolved to get back on the diet and put those carb cravings back in their place. Despite cheating (on the diet) at my sister’s birthday, I’ve managed to lose another 5 pounds and it finally hit me that I’m actually going to keep this weight off. I’m 35 years old and haven’t been this weight since college. I have another 5-8 pounds to go before I hit my target weight, then I’ll reintroduce some of the pleasure foods I’ve been denying myself. In the meantime, on Sunday I finally bought a new pair of pants that actually fit me. They look, and feel, great. They feel like success.