My weight gain came later in life, which left me scrambling to figure out what to do.

I joined fitness gyms and bought fitness equipment. I tried diet supplements, aids, pills, bars, and frozen dinners. I tried my mother’s egg diet, my aunt’s grapefruit diet, and my neighbor’s Sleeping Beauty diet. I read dozens of books on scientific breakthroughs. I joined Weight Watchers, Nutri-System, and Jenny Craig. I fasted four months on a medically supervised liquid-only diet. I joined internet weight-loss programs, which tracked every calorie. I tried yoga, Pilates, and meditation. I committed to multiple life-style changes. I kept food journals, counted carbs, and permanently banned donuts and Big Macs. I own 34 work-out DVDs and VHS tapes ranging from nice guy, Richard Simmons to the terminator, Jillian Michaels. I’m sometimes at a good weight, but more often on a yo-yo… 30 up – 20 down – 10 up – 5 down…

I’ve been on a diet for 20 years.

I never choose diets or strategies on a whim. I hear about them. A fat person loses fat and then tells me how to lose fat. I’m convinced it works and I can do it, too. Later I run into the advisor and we’re both fat.

This time is different. For the past 10 months, I’ve been losing weight and getting fit the hard way, which is the right way, which is supposed to become the natural-easy way, eventually resulting in a permanent way of life.

I’m networking with different kinds of people; some former fatties, some athletes, some wanting to lose weight, or get stronger or healthier. We met on a dating site. I internet chat with these people every day…they are available 24/7. We call ourselves Accountability Partners (APs). We share our health and fitness goals each day. In sharing we teach and learn. I’m mostly a student.

Many days my workouts happened because of a promise I made to my APs in the morning.

I’ve lost over 20 lbs., but even better I’ve built endurance working out at least four times a week. I’m stronger and I’m faster. I’m not a graceful jogger, but I try. I watch and I listen to my APs. I would not be where I am today without them.

I’ve never met daily requirement for fruits or veggies, so when I learned many of my APs experience weight-loss and increased energy by juicing, I bought a juicer. The raw fruit and veggie pictures on the juicer box were beautiful. The promises in the literature made me want to become a juicing maniac.

By using the juicer, I’ll have beautiful hair, skin and nails; an enhanced mood, increased energy, and increased athletic performance (I can use that when I jog). Juicing will improve my digestion, sleep, cholesterol, and blood pressure. Over time, I will see a visible decrease in wrinkles and improved elasticity.

Day 1 – I head to the grocery. Many juicers use kale, but I was told beginners will want spinach because it’s not as bitter. I don’t want bitter. I want delicious. I return home with bananas, apples, strawberries, mango, red pepper, broccoli, and lots of spinach. I clean the produce and make my first juice. It’s ugly. I drink it. It’s not as good as I had hoped, but not bad.  Later in the day, I make a second juice with different ingredients. I can’t drink it. I add strawberries and bananas and finish the drink. I don’t like it. I need to acquire a taste. I finish 8 cups of juice.

Day 2  – I wake with stomach pains.  My stomach never hurts. It’s either the juice or a virus. I wait until 1 p.m. to make my first juice. It’s extra ugly…thick green; smells like wet grass. I sip and then add 6 strawberries. I pour it over ice. Ice might help. I sip, I gag. I continue this pattern long enough to drink about ¼ cup. One more gag is going to induce a horrible juice reflux. I make chicken tortilla soup; delish!

Day 3 –  I’ll decide whether the juicer stays. I’ve been doing this diet stuff long enough to know there are millions of scientific findings and roads to fitness. Juicing is very expensive and my taste buds are screaming Gag Me.  At the end of the day the juicer leaves!