I skipped school again today. It was the very last session of my History of Rap Music class. Lecture hasn't been helpful or interesting up until this point, and I expected more of the same today. I slept until noon instead, which was much more fun.

I also took a two mile walk. I'm getting back on track with my plan to get healthy. I had a pretty good momentum going before Thanksgiving, but then it just all went to hell. Today, I'm recommitting! I bought healthy groceries, I walked. I'm on a roll, people!

The funny thing is where my recent inspiration has been coming from. There are several sources. One is my Going Nowhere goal. I'm just shy of 370 miles for the year. Can I walk 130 miles in 23 days? I don't know, but I'm going to find out.

My other sources of inspiration are all t.v. related. Dr. Phil just started his new Family Weight Loss Challenge segment. He said into the camera, "Why don't you folks at home join in and lose weight too?" And I said, "Okay!" I don't think he heard me. But damn if those shows aren't inspiring! I see people losing hundreds of pounds on his show, and I feel like I can't lose 50? That's nuts. I can do it, too! And I'm going to.

Here's the bizarre part. Biggest Loser (which I mistakenly called "Big Fat Loser" the other day, and Joe and I both found that funnier than we probably should have, and call it that all the time now)... Where was I? Oh yes. Biggest Loser and The Swan are also inspiring me. With the former, the inspiration comes from seeing the before and after shots of the contestants. They look great after working so hard!

With the latter, I feel guilty finding any inspiration in it at all. I mean, it's a horrible show, really, and it goes against everything I believe in. I think pageants are vile, frankly. Who on earth thinks it's healthy to subject themselves to being ranked from most to least beautiful? Gag me. Still, I'm captivated by The Swan. I want to see what they'll look like at the end, to see if I think they look better or not. Sometimes they just look freaky, and sometimes they look downright beautiful. Only once have I seen a contestant that I thought needed surgery and that was because her stomach had tons of extra sagging skin. I'd want to get rid of that surgically, too, if I were in her position. No one else seemed to need surgery at all.

If the show were exactly the same, except with no plastic surgery, it would still produce stunning transformational results in the contestants. They work out and eat well and receive therapy for three months. Three months is a long time! No wonder they look awesome. I always wonder what they'd look like if sugery hadn't been part of the package.

So, even though I have a serious objection to the overuse of plastic surgery, their efforts cause me to ask myself, what would happen if I worked out and ate right for three months straight? And again, I'm curious to find out.

I've noticed that every eating program is latching onto the phrase, "It's not a diet, it's a lifestyle change." Some of them are only diets, though. And every diet bases it's monetary success on the likelihood that people will fail and come back to try again. It's how business works, unfortunately.

The idea that changing your eating and lifestyle are the keys to successful, lasting weight loss do ring true, though. I find myself wondering what I want my new lifestyle to be. I enjoy my life as it is now, you know?

Currently, I play on the computer a lot. That is my main hobby. I watch a lot of t.v. I find it relaxing. When I hang out with my friends, we're usually at school -- sitting and eating, or sitting and studying. We just hang out together. I also eat out often and don't go grocery shopping nearly enough.

If my lifestyle were different, maybe I'd play sports with friends, or go hiking more on weekends. I envision myself experimenting with recipes, going food shopping regularly and cooking tasty meals for Joe and me. Walking to the grocery store, perhaps. I can see myself getting up early in the mornings and taking a walk. In my head, I'm lean, confident, and smiling as I head out into the early morning sunlight.

I'm going to hold these images in my head as I make solid plans I can stick to. And if I screw up, I'll just jump back on track. I guess I really am planning to change my lifestyle. I'm going to try my best not to fear the changes that come along with it. I'll just take it all one day at a time, and see how it goes. I imagine it'll go pretty well, actually. I'm glad to be getting back on track!