That’s my vision as the three of us today begin a journey to Melt the Middle, along with fellow We Are Black Women blogger Yvonne Shinhoster Lamb and several of her high school classmates, who are trying to slim down for their 40th high school reunion next year.  Nzinga, Patrice and I, former co-workers who moved to Charlotte over the past few years, already get together for monthly outings featuring exercise and light lunches, but now we’re planning to rev up our routines. We’ll be giving each other encouragement along the way.

Nzinga is already an inspiration.  Over the past 18 months, she has lost 60 pounds — and stopped smoking.  ”It started when Obama was elected and the Yes We Can attitude was going around,” says Nzinga. “I was very motivated. I was ready to do it.” She figured she needed support and joined Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous, which offers a 12-step program on how to control eating. And, Nzinga exercises every day except Saturday. She takes classes for spinning, water aerobics, aerobic boot camp and hot yoga in addition to walking several miles a week.

Patrice and I have been less disciplined in our efforts to manage our eating and exercise. “I’d like to feel comfortable and confident in what I put on,” says Patrice. “I go to the gym  but I know I need to shut my mouth and continue to educate myself. I’m hoping that having a buddy system will help me have second thoughts when I reach for the wrong thing.”

I participated in an earlier Melt the Middle Challenge but wasn’t as successful as I had hoped.  This time, I have enlisted the aid of a dietician, provided free through my health insurance. I will be having monthly telephone discussions about ways to reduce calories.

I’m excited about beginning this effort, again, to shed inches and weight, this time with the support and energy of friends. I hope you’ll join us as we Melt the Middle in coming months. Stay tuned for updates on how we’re doing, and I’d like to hear from you about your successes and struggles.

Let’s all get ready to celebrate in spring 2011.

Related posts:

1. Melting the middle, at last
2. Still trying to melt the middle
3. Melting the middle with friends

I’ll admit it, I didn’t stir up much resistance to these wonderful foods and others that filled the cupboards in the homes of my relatives and friends. That meant I strayed from my effort to reduce the amount of sugars and starches in my diet, and ultimately my belly fat. But I exercised every day, getting my sisters to join me every morning for an hour of brisk walking. 

This time, I’m resisting my old pattern. You know how it goes: You start a new eating plan, fall back into old habits and then just give up on the effort.  I’m committed to my new healthy lifestyle and expect that there will be tough patches along the way. 

These next few days will be challenging as I return to a more sensible way of eating. I’m not planning to make a New Year’s resolution about the matter. I’m just going to do it, day by day. Join Soul Rhythms blogger Yvonne Shinhoster Lamb and I as we take a six-month Melt the Middle journey to reduce our belly fat.  If you had a hard time over the holidays, don’t give up. Focus on your long term goal. I am.

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