My Sista' from another Mista'

There's a really beautiful part to being on a weight loss journey.

It is that you tend to meet other people who are also on parallel weight loss journeys!

You don't have to walk this treacherous path alone?! Friends! Road trip buddies! Brilliant, no?

In my little self-centered world I made the assumption that I was the only one out there that was fat and that wanted, nay, NEEDED to lose weight. So I cast my eyes downward and started trudging along while focusing intently on my path, resigning myself to solitary travels. And then I started bumping into people.

Comments on the blog.
Messages on Facebook.
Women at church.
Fellow runners on my running paths.
Old friends. Friends of friends. Strangers.
New friends.

There is something about being on a major weight loss journey...And I'm not talking 5 to 30 pounds, though I don't discredit the herculean effort it takes to go through that either; especially as I face that hurdle myself now. I'm talking about the girls who understand what it is to shop in the Plus section their whole life. To be The Jolly Green Giant in their social circles. To watch as all their friends get asked to date and dance while they stand as structural support for the building. To hesitate and ponder how they will be judged before they take that dessert. That feel the regret and shame of scarfing a bag of Cheetos in bed to comfort private injuries. To resign yourself to being "the funny one" since you're never going to be "the pretty one". That have tried and failed over and over and over again.

Those girls. Those people.

They know what it is to sweat and hurt and struggle and cry and abstain and obsess and endure over months and months and years of painstakingly slow, but steady weight loss. They remember both sides of the fence. They understand hidden demons. They constantly glance behind, fearing a historical repeat.

There is something about being on a major weight loss journey that changes you and marks you and immediately ties you to others who have experienced the same bittersweet quest.

(There's a club. Fellowship of the Scale or something. We're still working on a name. And a cool handshake.)

Meet Amy.

I never have. At least not in real life. But thanks to the wonderful world of Facebook, a mutual friend of ours (Thank you Emma!) introduced us and a kinship was forged. She's one of "those girls". But she's literally working her booty off to change that. This ain't no 30 day weight loss plan. This girl's in it for life!

And she blogs! (Yeah!)

I'm grateful for the inspiration, support, and fellowship that comes from my travel-mates! Not just Amy, but anyone who has asked a question; expressed similar feelings of fear, frustration, and failure; or just offered a virtual (or literal) fist bump.  It makes this journey bearable, if not downright enjoyable!

Now, who brought the healthy snacks??