Someone who works in my building saw me, today, and said, from the other end of the hallway, “You look really good! You’re looking slimmer!”

Do you have any idea how good that made me feel? I’m looking slimmer! Someone noticed! Do I think I’m slimmer? No. Do I weigh less? Not yet. Someone thinks I look slimmer, though!

I’ve been so down on myself about my weight, lately, so I felt my face go aglow and my smile beam when I heard this compliment. It’s almost as if it were the first time I received it, but I guess it really depends on my current frame of mind.

I have heard this before, and almost always when I have not lost weight, but when I started exercising regularly, like now. I’ve been pretty good, this week! In addition to regular exercise, I’ve been a little more reserved with my diet, and I’m working on eating more fruit, again. That’s not always so easy, especially when my cravings are for cheese and meat. How odd a woman am I? My cravings aren’t for donuts or milk chocolate. I want cheese and meat!

My biggest issue has been with bloating. I am a woman—for those of you who haven’t figured it out—so I do suffer regular bloat cycles predetermined by my DNA. Unfortunately, I add to it by eating high-sodium foods, particularly when I go out. If I drink beer instead of iced tea, that doesn’t help. After all, the tea will wash out the salt, and that will keep me from getting so darn bloated to begin with! Beer consumption, well, I’m pretty sure you’ve experienced that for yourself.

Perhaps my operator’s manual goes something like this:

• Diet keeps things working well.
• Exercise strengthens, stretches, energizes, and slims.

Seems simple, doesn’t it?