More Entertainment Columnists

• J.A. Montalbano: At the movies, having the time of your life
• Lisa Abeyta: Snippy swimmer deep-sixes my trip to pool
• Tribune staffers pin their hopes on these fall films

MOST RECENT TRIB STORIES

• ABQTrib.com to remain available
  08:48 a.m., February 25, 2008
• Congressman is indicted
  08:37 a.m., February 23, 2008
• Series of attacks target Green Zone
  08:36 a.m., February 23, 2008
• Iran is defying U.N., agency says
  08:35 a.m., February 23, 2008
• Waterboarding approval probed
  08:34 a.m., February 23, 2008

TRIB IN THE BLOGOSPHERE*

• Ty Murray Invitational thrills fans in Albuquerque
• Is Rome Burning?
• Ominous Skies
• The Road to Invalidation
• Albuquerque company participates in “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”

*Note: The Tribune does not create and is not responsible for the blogosphere's headlines and stories. These links to blogs talking about ABQTrib.com are automatically generated. Use them at your own risk.

STORY TOOLS

• E-mail story
• Comments
• iPod friendly
• Printer friendly

SHARE THIS STORY [?]

April should be the official Diet Doldrums Month.

It's been a long time since those New Year's resolutions were made in the dead of winter - more than enough time to be discouraged by slow progress or one horrific week where weight loss backslid faster than a politician dumping his latest scandal-ridden campaign contribution.

In fact, come April it seems hard to remember why I needed to lose weight at all. It's not time to dig out the sandals or swimsuit, so who's going to notice if a few pounds are still filling out my baggy sweaters? With the frigid wind and cool weather, it's hard to remember that summer is just a few short weeks away.

Yes, indeed, April is prime time to give up on dieting.

I found myself at this particular crossroads recently and knew I was looking at the fight of my life. I'd been here before and knew I was not alone. Who among the dieting world hasn't been at the place where giving up seemed the best route to take?

In fact, the search phrase that most often brings visitors to my diet blog is "reasons to stay fat." It seems we would rather find ways to forgive the fat than stick to the tough task of burning off those extra calories.

My own diet started out with a bang, resolve high. The commitment to track food, exercise and emotions was strong. Every morning started with a trip to the scales, and every night often ended the same way.

But then the weight loss slowed. Temptations arose. Soon, my resolve to lose weight was as wobbly as a bowl of sugar-free Jell-O. A few pounds crept back on, and pretty soon it seemed easier to give up the fight than keep going.

This week, I was sitting in a doctor's office reading an article about some guy who'd lost a pile of weight, and his best tip for readers made me laugh out loud. "When you reach a weight loss goal, reward yourself with a fun new exercise," he said.

Was he a lunatic or just trying to sound wise? If I tried to reward myself with exercise, I'd quit dieting yesterday.

I decided that a list of better reasons to lose weight had to exist than the promise of a new, fun exercise.

Here is my own personal list of the top six reasons I'm sticking to my diet, no matter how boring or hard it's become:

6. Airplane seats: It's getting closer to summer vacation, so it's good to remember that the smaller my backside, the more room there will be to wiggle around when we're stuck out on the tarmac for hours on end while the airline figures out if we actually have all the parts on our plane required to take off.

5. Summer clothes: All too soon, the sleeves will start disappearing from everyone's wardrobe, and there's nothing quite so miserable as wearing long-sleeved clothes in the middle of July to hide flabby arms from view.

4. Roman sandals: I can see by the Sunday ads those wonderful sandals are back in style, and I know that crisscrossed laces winding halfway up my calf won't look very good if my calves still resemble heifers.

3. Swimsuits: I don't relish the idea of being the pudgy mom waiting for my kid to finish his swimming lesson while I hide under a shade tree instead of joining the skinny moms by the pool. And I happened to see the price tag on one of those magic fat-hiding swimsuits. It may take off 10 pounds, but it'll take a lot bigger chunk out of my wallet.

2. Cottage cheese: This summer, I want the only cottage cheese on our patio to be the stuff in the bowl on top of the table. Enough said.

1. Self-respect: That fat lady in the mirror laughs at me these days, goading me with her knowledge that I might have finally weakened in my resolve. She thinks her time to reign will soon return, but I have a secret weapon.

There's a sassy little floral skirt a size too small in the back of the closet with the clearance tags still attached. I'm wearing that skirt this summer - while eating cottage cheese by the pool in my sleeveless top and Roman sandals.