Things I've learned on the Fine in '09 Campaign trail.

You guys! I'm ready to pronounce the campaign a success, pretty much back to my normal size and weight. Still working on firming up a few trouble spots, but just about there. I've never really tried to lose weight before, and did not have a clue what I was doing when I got started. So, here I am littering the Interwebz with what I've learned.

Exercise is key. Dieting alone will get you just about nowhere.

That said, what you eat is far more important than what you do. Think about it this way, it takes someone my size and weight about an hour of hard work to burn off 500 calories. So, that Big Mac meal you can scarf down in ten minutes...? You'll have to run pretty hard for almost two and a half hours to work that off. Want to walk it off? Get ready for a trip...you're looking at almost six hours. Much less time consuming to just not eat it in the first place.

To lose weight quickly and efficiently, recognize that your body is a furnace. Streamline your input so you maintain a fairly constant energy level, don't overload it three times a day. This makes it easier to avoid temptation and makes your metabolism work with you.

Bust. Your. Ass. I know they say to start slow and build up, but nothing is more inspiring than making serious progress. It's a lot easier to lose your focus and drift back to bad habits when you're trying to go slow.

I guess that's all I've got. Worked for me.

ADDED:

As requested. Excellent picture quality due to the fact that Baby A saw me trying to take pictures and insisted on wiping down the mirror for me. With a baby wipe. Ever the little helper bunny.

Bollywood is not coming to find *me*.

I mentioned to a friend that I was going to go Bollywood for Halloween this year and she sent me a link to this amazing site and specifically the beautiful dress below: I could have kissed her! How amazing is this!? Then, I could have kicked her. It's $599.95!! What is she doing to me!? Hey, this one is only $340.95. Sweet! I like it better anyway. I really need to get on the hunt for reality based items. Halloween will be here in like a minute.

No shame in my game.

I've always found the topic of this post on Serious Eats interesting. Do girls really eat less when guys are around? It doesn't seem heterosexual men similarly constrain themselves. What about gay men and women? Do they also exhibit typical group-wide behavior? Does this mean gay women on a date generally both starve themselves? I'm curious. Apparently, I'm weird. I go the opposite direction. First, though, with the caveat that a man has to be attractive to me to in any way affect my eating behavior. I'll eat things in the company of men that I wouldn't eat by myself, with girlfriends or the fam. The last thing I want is to give the impression that I need to starve myself to look good. I want the package to appear effortless. I'm trying to decide whether that is more or less pathetic than the typical girl behavior. It may well be a wash, you guys.