The days leading up to my 50th birthday are going too fast and my progress too slow. I feel fat, tired and unmotivated. It's getting dark before 7:00 which has brought my weekday biking to a hault--this saddens me. The time between October and January is my most difficult. Candy is on display everywhere, and social events have picked up. I'm frustrated and disappointed at my lack of control. I cannot afford this attitude, especially as the summer season ends. This time of year is when it takes everything I've got to keep up with my workouts when the early darkness makes me want to curl up with a book in bed, and the cooler weather brings on the cravings for warm comfort food--not fruit and salads.

I've read a lot of Sparkpages lately and there are countless people who have slipped back into old habits and gained some or all their lost weight back, and there are many who really seem to have made the lifestyle change like it's second nature. I have an idea in my head of what it takes for me to maintain my weightloss, but it has never, ever felt natural.

I have also seen many Sparkpages where people have listed very specific short and long-term goals, at it looks so motivational. I've never been good at setting short-term goals, so I decided to make that my first goal (lol).

Step 1: Have at least 3 short-term goals written out by this Sunday, along with a plan on how to achieve them.