Autobiography in 5 Short Chapters
by Portia Nelson

Chapter I

I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk
I fall in.
I am lost ... I am helpless.
It isn't my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out.

Chapter II

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don't see it.
I fall in again.
I can't believe I am in the same place.
But, it isn't my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.

Chapter III

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in ... it's a habit ... but,
my eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.

Chapter IV

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.

Chapter V

I walk down another street.

 For those unfamiliar with the basis for this cartoon, see below...

Footprints in the Sand
                a poem by Margaret Fishback Powers 

 

 

One night I dreamed a dream.
As I was walking along the beach with my Lord.
Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life.
For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand,
One belonging to me and one to my Lord.

After the last scene of my life flashed before me,
I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
I noticed that at many times along the path of my life,
especially at the very lowest and saddest times,
there was only one set of footprints.

This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it.
"Lord, you said once I decided to follow you,
You'd walk with me all the way.
But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life,
there was only one set of footprints.
 
He whispered, "My precious child, I love you and will never leave you
Never, ever, during your trials and testings.
When you saw only one set of footprints,
It was then that I carried you."

"He was born on the finish line, so he thinks he won the race."

This quote is So VERY applicable to naturally thin people,.... and also to those people who have never lived well inside the border of Obesity,.... who give weight-loss advice to those of us who are personally living with the issue of Obesity.

While this quote amuses me, I find it important to never lose sight of this TRUTH:
Whatever method one chooses for weight-loss, with regards to issues of weight-loss and maintenance of that weight-loss, there is NO Finish Line.

At this point I consider weight-loss Advice from people who have not personally spent considerable time in the state of Obesity …no matter how "well-meaning" that advice may be … to be uninformed, ignorant chatter, which I find tiresome, offensive, and unwelcome. 

Much of the Conventional Wisdom one hears repeated again and again, year after year, decade after decade,…including what is currently taught to medical professionals via nutritional textbooks... originated from Marketing Interests, and that information isn't helpful to resolve our obesity issues.

We are all different and there is no one-size-fits-all, BUT….I do feel certain that: Whatever one does to lose weight must be continued FOREVER in order to maintain that weight-loss.