I'll never forget the first time I was at a restaurant with my mother and couldn't finish my meal. She told me we would ask the waitress for a doggy bag. I asked her why they called it that and she said that's just what it was called. We didn't have dogs when I was little, and my parents were not pet lovers. It wasn't until I had a dog of my own that I started to understand that phrase. Now I know that the doggy bag was there so we could bring some of that wonderful meal with us and share it with those at home, humans or dogs.
Each new day brings its share of joys, challenges, opportunities and motivations. This personal truth smacked me in the face earlier this year as I was lying in the hospital two days after having had a major operation. My surgeon stood by my bedside and told me quite frankly that I could either make some life changes and lose some weight, or we could meet to do this surgery about every two years! It's not like I was unaware that I was overweight before that day, but my blood work always came back in the normal ranges and I felt good. Well, good except for the back pain that had started three years ago. I was not motivated to do the actual work necessary to lose weight until that moment.
