We have come to the halfway point of our 60 in 60 Challenge,where Erica and I set the goal of losing 60 pounds in 60 weeks. It’s been 15 weeks since we started, so that’s 30 weeks between the two of us. How are we doing? So far, so good. This week, to mark the milestone, we are bringing our blog “conversation” format to the print version of the column series.
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Terry: Welcome to the op-ed page.
Erica: Ooooh, I feel so honoured.
T: As you should. Many people make pitches to me, to get here, you know.
E: Oh I know… you always tell me.
T: Ha ha. Anyway, I figured, seeing as how this is our official halfway point in our 60 in 60 Challenge, it was only right to have a little chat with you, regarding our achievements thus far.
E: We’ve done pretty well, haven’t we?
T: I’ll say: 40 pounds in the first half. We only have to lose 20 in the second half to meet our target.
E: It is getting harder, so I’m sure we will use the majority of the time allotted. But I really like what we did today.
T: You mean the photo we took while we were shopping? That was a brilliant idea of yours.
E: I thought it would put a little perspective on things. Holding 20 pounds of potatoes gives me an idea of how much weight I’ve lost in the past 15 weeks.
T: I think we should have done it with bags of popped popcorn. Imagine how many bags that would take. A lot more than two each.
E: Yes, dear (eye roll). But this is a really good exercise for anyone else who has been on a weight-loss program. The next time you are out and about, do what we did, to give you some perspective. Even if you’ve lost 10 pounds, pick up a bag of potatoes and carry it around the store. Then think: you used to carry that extra weight around with you all the time.
T: That’s when it really hits home. I wanted a shopping cart just carrying those potatoes around the produce section! Now the challenge will be to lose that final bag each.
E: It hasn’t been easy. But it has been very rewarding. I feel really good.
T: For sure, we have had a few stumbles along the way. But we always seem to work through them.
E: Speaking of working through them, I hear the treadmill calling. Make sure to check out our blog at comoxvalleyrecord.com for weekly updates during our second half.
Terry Farrell is the editor at the Comox Valley Record