Marla posted something that made my jaw drop

This part! This part right here made my jaw drop:

"It just strikes me that the discipline of weight loss is, or can be, not unlike the discipline of a martial arts student. It takes such a long time, and so much hard work, that we are accumulating knowledge about ourselves in small pieces that may, eventually, add up to a more whole, balanced person."

And this hit home, too:

"Have you ever known someone who went through a really intense life-changing experience — like near-death or death of a loved one, a giant catastrophe, an incredible piece of luck — and they didn't change? I think that happens because the person simply isn't paying attention. They're not self-aware enough to realize what has just happened."

In the last few years, I have been yanked through one high-stress change after another. And it has been similar to weight-loss in the sense of dropping habitual behaviors or ways of thinking about myself and my space in the larger world. Not only is it difficult to change how I act and think, but it is hard as h$ll to not slide back into old habits. What i have found out is the only way to make real, hard-core changes is to change who I am.

I don’t eat out much, and never at fast food places like McDonald’s because I am not (any longer) a person who does that.

You won’t find junk food in my home or lunch bag because I am not (any longer) a person who eats that stuff.

I walk or take public transportation wherever I want to go because that is what I do. I do not own a car, haven’t in a long while and have no plans to buy one because I am not any longer the sort of person who puts their money into such a sinkhole. (Add up the all the costs of carownership and you’ll see what I mean.)

I take the medication that will help me manage my health problems (Zoloft, Lipitor, Levoxyl) because my once enormous pride has been whittled down to the point at which I think it’s just fine to accept help when it’s availible.

I no longer do things the hard way unless I truely enjoy the process. I enjoy cooking; it has become one of my great pleasures. Good cooking demands we use all of our senses: taste touch hearing smell sight. Pizza delivery just doesn’t compare, folks.

The list goes on. But you get the idea.

:)