A little more than six months after starting the Melt the Middle Challenge with fellow blogger Yvonne Shinhoster Lamb, my waistline is still too thick.  My journey to reduce my middle has been a roller coaster adventure, and along the way I’ve learned something about myself: I can’t do this alone.

My intentions are good and I know what to do but it’s too easy to slip and slide. Generally, I have a healthy diet and saw my waistline starting to shrink when I gave up refined sugar. But I was naive. I told myself that I could eat a small piece of cake or a favorite cookie or a bit of ice cream and not get hooked again. I was wrong.  Studies show that refined sugar is addictive and I clearly am one of the folks most susceptible.

I’m not giving up. I’m renewing my effort to melt the middle but this time I’m going to build a stronger support network. I will be talking regularly with friends who have successfully changed their lifestyles and joining Weight Watchers or some other group. I walk about three miles every other day but that isn’t enough exercise to really boost fat-burning. So I’ve joined a Zumba dance fitness program,  a high-energy, fun exercise class that uses Latin and international rhythms.

I’m still on the path to a healthier lifestyle, despite the detours. I hope you are, too. This time, I’ll have a village of supporters. Stay tuned.

Related posts:

1. Trying to melt the middle, again
2. Melting the middle with friends
3. Melting the middle, at last

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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I’ve always had a puffy stomach, even in my younger years when I was much leaner. But the puffiness has turned into life-threatening flab and I’ve got to do something about it. I’ve joined my friend and fellow blogger Yvonne on a journey to shrink my belly as part of the weareblackwomen.com Melt the Middle challenge.

 Over the past year or so, I’ve been eating better and exercising, losing some pounds in the process. A few months ago, I moved back to my native North Carolina and I’m sure you can guess what got lost in the transition. Even when I lost weight, my belly didn’t want to let go. So I’m renewing this pledge: Good health will not be an afterthought in my life.

My Mom is my role model. At nearly 80 years old, she is conscientious about healthy-eating. You won’t find any chips or candy in her house. Until a few years ago when health problems affected her mobility, my mother walked several miles a day with her friends. Now, she does leg lifts and other exercises recommended by a physical therapist.

I want to be a role model for my soon-to-be 15-year-old daughter. I also want to have enough stamina to join her Girl Scout troop on a camping trip in the spring and to continue to jump around with her, learning some of the dance moves popular among the teenage crowd.

I’m going to follow the recommendations of the Flat Belly Diet, a plan created by Prevention Magazine, and will exercise at least five days a week in a nearby gym. This is going to be no easy journey. I hope you’ll join us.

Related posts:

1. It’s hard but don’t give up