I wondered for years what it would take for me to drop the 15 to 20 pounds I've always wanted to lose and to get my butt in gear and get fit. Seems I've found the answer: The threat of public humiliation. 

Over the years, I've tried Weight Watchers (which is healthy and works for many people, but I just hate that darned point system) and I've tried going it alone (which lasted for about three days). What finally worked, I learned last year, is weight-loss blogging.

Woman's Day asked me to write a three-month daily weight-loss blog, "Scaling Down and Fessing Up," for womansday.com. Talk about motivation!

Having to confess my weight each week, in front of thousands of readers, helped keep me on the straight and narrow (most of the time). In three months, I went from 142 to 127 pounds. (OK, technically, I was 127.2 at that last weigh-in.) But still… Woot! That's close enough to 15 pounds for me.

It has been just over a year since that last, triumphant weigh-in. But what did I do once the blog ended, and I didn't have the threat of public humiliation to keep me in line? I stopped. I stopped logging my weight loss every week. I stopped
exercising regularly. I stopped watching what I ate quite so
closely.

I "got cute," as my old Weight Watchers instructor called it. Started hitting the chocolate and the chips. Started this parenting blog and kept my butt in this chair way too much. (And I was already working as a freelance journalist for magazines, another butt-in-chair job.)

So here I am, August 27, 2008, at 138.6 pounds. Sigh. (At least I didn't break the dreaded 140 barrier.)  I told you I got cute. But I can turn this freight train to flab around!

Let's face it: You, dear readers, are my best hope. No, I'm not morphing Parent Talk Today from a parenting blog into a weight-loss blog. But I do know there are a lot of busy moms who, like me, would like to drop some weight and get more active.

So here's the deal. Every Wednesday will be "Weight-Loss Wednesday" here. I'll confess (with photo evidence from the scale — yikes!) my current weight. We'll talk about the week ahead and what we can do to eat healthfully and get moving. We'll do it together. I'm living proof that this works. I just didn't realize, until now, how much I need you to keep me on track.

Today is my son's first day of seventh grade. It's an excitiing day of new beginnings for our family. I can't think of a better day to make my own fresh start. Care to join me?

To see
all of my weight-loss posts in this series, just click on "See Mommy
Lose Weight" in the category cloud on the left sidebar.

That whoopin' and hollerin' you can probably hear from your house right now? That's me, doing the HAPPY DANCE because Parent Talk Today has been named a TypePad Featured Blog! Check out the review here.

I think this occasion calls for a big old sign on the side of a building, so thanks to the folks at photofunia.com for their help. (That site is a hoot!)

There are a lot of thanks to go around, starting with all the wonderful bloggers who helped me (through their advice, encouragement and inspiration) get this blog off to a great start back in July 2007. Check out some of these wonderful blogs on the blog roll in the left column. Thanks, fellow bloggers!

I want to especially thank the editors at womansday.com, who introduced me to TypePad when I did a three-month weight-loss blog, "Scaling Down and Fessing Up," for them. They taught me so much, and I I started this blog because I couldn't wait to share parenting information in this wonderful forum.

  The best part of blogging for a journalist? I get to read your feedback, often minutes after I post something. (Try that with print magazines.)

I really appreciate your comments, and the community we're building here. Let's keep it going! Tell me what makes you happy, sad or just plain crazy as a parent. What do you want to see more of (or less of) here? Please leave your comments. As always, I'll read every one.

Thanks so much, TypePad, for this terrific honor!

The fact that I’m eating chips and salsa as I write this post confirms that I need to be writing this post…

Back in May 2007, Woman’s Day magazine asked me to write a 3-month daily weight-loss blog based on the advice in Ellie Krieger’s wonderful book, Small Changes, Big Results. You can see the entire three-month process unfold at womansday.com.

When I started the blog, I weighed 142 pounds — not too good for a 5’2" chick. My doctor agreed that it was time to drop the pounds. At the end of 12 weeks, I weighed 127.2, almost reaching my tentative goal of 125. I was flying high and committed to staying with my plan.

Then I got "cute" (as my old Weight Watchers leader used to call it). Without the threat of blogging-related public humiliation to keep me on the right path, I started falling back into my old habits: not exercising enough, eating when I was happy, eating when I was sad, eating when I was bored. (And scarfing chips and salsa at my desk…)

Sound familiar?

I’m back up to 131.4 now, and I can see that if I don’t get serious about this I’ll be back to 142 before I know it. I’m not going to let all that work go down the drain! Since this is a parenting blog, I can’t think of a better place to write about the challenges of dropping the weight while juggling the demands of motherhood. So I’ll be weighing in here with my thoughts, my struggles, some great tips and, every Wednesday, a weigh-in report.

Please join me. I want to know what you’re doing, as we start a fresh new year, to get fit, lose weight and inspire your family to live a healthier lifestyle. Let’s scale down and fess up — together!