The clock is ticking. Are you becoming the person you want to be?

• Greg  Plitt.

“O, come on. What’s going on?” I moan as I take the readings off the weighing scale’s display.

I take my eyes to the mirror, and a sigh escapes me as I settle on my reflection. My exasperation is resplendent in the moody storms in my eyes. The person staring back at me from the mirror is the exact opposite of what I had in mind – a step backwards from the goals I’d set for the month.

I just had my bath and decided to check the scales to see how much progress I’d made since I kickstarted the plan to shed some weight before my birthday this summer. I sigh again, and this time, my eyes get wet. I’d picked everything I needed for my birthday. The perfect dress – red, sleeveless, with frills at the end and a V-neck – the perfect stilettoes, the perfect everything. In my mind’s eye, I was already sashaying down some red carpet while my friends sang happy birthday. I could see myself in the mirror and, finally, the mirror wasn’t too small. There were no folds of flesh and skin. I was just as slim as Mel.

 I also had plans to try some outdoorsy stuff. The last time I went hiking was in high school. I really wanted to feel it all again. All I had to do was drop from my 169 pounds.

Getting help the moment I finalized my decision wasn’t difficult. When I told Mel at work that I wanted to embark on a weight loss journey but didn’t know how to go about it, she chuckled.

“O, sweetie, that’s simple. You don’t need to be asking these questions when you’ve got the internet. I’m no expert on physical fitness. But there’s nothing the internet won’t give you.”

My google search history took a different turn over days. I came across a gamut of websites that promised rapid weight loss in record time. I also realized that I saw myself in every list of fitness offenders: those who ate at late hours, those who’d never taken a run in their life, or a walk in the park; people who’d never hit the gym before or eaten vegetables for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  At that moment, I’d known what I had to do. I was going to embark on a series of life-changing decisions. It was going to be difficult. But worth every inch at the end of the journey.

In two weeks, I’d dropped 9 pounds. Now, however, I feel like I’m journeying in the opposite direction of where I’m supposed to go. It’s not supposed to be this way.

My eyes go back to the scale’s display. I weigh 164 pounds from the previous count of 160. An extra four pounds, I think.

“What’s going on,” I wonder out loud. “I cut back on the late night snacks. I put myself on a diet. And I’ve been taking walks. What could have gone wrong?”

I would have questioned my decisions for longer, wondered why my fitness dreams weren’t going as planned, but it was another workday, and I had to head over to the office.

I get off the scales and trudge out of the bathroom to go get dressed.

At work, Mel steps into my office.

“Hey, how’re you doing?”

“I don’t know,” I reply, lifting my head from my computer. “Fine, I guess.”

“Woah,” Mel steps in fully. “I’m certain that by the sound of your voice, you don’t even believe yourself. And don’t even get me started on your face. You look like you’ve gone to the edges of the world and back again.”

“You wouldn’t be wrong.”

“Come on,” Mel sits on the edge of my table. “What’s the problem? Is it your time of the month?”

“No. It’s not that.”

“Then tell me what it is. You know I’m giving you the services of a therapist for free, right? Somewhere else, you’ll have to pay for listening ears.”

I wear a smile on my face. Look at Mel. How’s she going to understand me, I ask myself.

Mel is my exact opposite, the goal at the end of my proposed fitness journey. She’s the belladonna of the office block. She’s slim, curvy, and gorgeous. Everyone’s dream! I’m often taken by the way she carries herself gracefully on heels. It’s often a thing of wonder watching her walk from office block to office block within the building complex without sweat rolling off her body like from a torrential rainfall. The last time I tried to recreate Mel’s movements, I timed out even before I’d gotten past two blocks.

Mel is everything but my type of person. I can’t keep my disgruntlement in any longer.

“It’s not working,” I moan.

“What’s not working?”

“The whole fitness thing. I went on the internet like you told me to. I stumbled across some fitness sites. But nothing’s happening.”

“What do you mean nothing’s happening? Didn’t you call to tell me that you’d dropped 9 pounds?”

“Yeah. But this morning. I was back by four pounds.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah, wow. How do you do it, Mel?”

“Do what?”

“Stay this fit.”

“I don’t really have answers for you, Marie. I don’t do anything. Okay, of course, there’s the occasional jogging. But like I told you I’m no expert on physical fitness, so I can’t help you here.”

Mel says a few things more about trying hard and not giving up, but my mind is somewhere else. Mel had said something about not being an expert on physical fitness. And while that excused her from giving me any piece of advice, I saw a way forward. Rather than rely on the internet, I could consult a gym expert who would guide me on my fitness quest. Throwing myself fully into the gym with a qualified instructor by my side will help make me fit.

Yes. That’s exactly what I’m going to do.

On my way home, tired and spent from working, I stop to get chips and chicken and burger, which I almost swallow when I get home. Then I eat up the steak I left off and ordered some pizza. I’m just too hungry.

A couple of weeks later, I’m standing in front of the mirror with yet another dejected look on my face.

What really is going on, I ask myself. I’ve got a regular gym appointment. I work my ass off, all for what? 

I look at my weight on the scale’s display. I weighed 163 pounds from 159 two weeks ago. After everything I’ve tried, I keep repeating the circle of losing and gaining more weight. It’s not normal. I’ve gone through lots of fitness testimonies online: a lot of them talking about how they became fit through dieting and regular exercising. I cannot unsee the before and after photos in juxtaposition and the distinct changes between both timelines. They always filled me with awe, always fed me with determination, and fueled my dreams. I’ve followed the same routines. Why the outcomes continue to be different for me just beats me.

Maybe being fit is not for me. Maybe, being overweight is in my DNA. My mom looks overweight. My grandmother was. I don’t think it’s something that can be shaken off.

I take one more look in the mirror. It dawns on me that I’ll never meet the fitness goals I’d set. I’d never carry myself with Mel’s kind of grace, and I’ll never fit into that red dress for my birthday. I blink tightly and get off the scale.

I’m just built this way. Nothing can change it.

Reluctantly, I put the measuring scale back into the packaging it’d come in and take it to the basement.

That’s just another waste of money, I think. And so was my gym membership and the money I’d paid for online fitness coaching programs.

It would be one week before Mel would burst into my office, giving me the phone number of her friend, who she said had achieved astounding shape in such a short time. I don’t want to raise my hopes anymore, but Mel’s pestering pushes me into making the call.

“Do you know achieving the body shape of your dreams can be very simple,” Bella, Mel’s friend asks.

I almost snicker. Bella sounds like yet another salesman eager to show what she’s selling. I move my thumb, ready to end the connection, but what Bella says next stops me.

“It’s not all about the meals you cut back on, stopping the late night snacks, or eating at late hours, and maybe exercising. Achieving true physical fitness, comes from a healthy, skillful, and informed combination of exercise, nutrition, and your mindset. It’s a complete package. There are foods you can eat to bolster your health, your mind, and your fitness levels. And you don’t need to kill yourself in the gym to get that killer figure. With the wrong coaches, it’s easy to get everything wrong. But with the right ones, all your dreams and aspirations can click into place with very simple steps. Food, exercise, mindset, they help each other. No one acts independently of the other. There’s such a thing as stress eating. If you’re exercising and still stress eating, probably, fatty foods and all that, which are pretty much common, it’s difficult to achieve the fitness goals you have in mind. All you need is proper guidance. And I’ve got something that can give that to you. Are you interested?”

Everything Bella has said is very different from what I’ve heard before. I decided to give her a try. It’s not like I’ve got anything to lose.

“Yes. Yes, I’m interested,” I reply.

“I’ll be sending you a link to a book, it’s called Easy Lean Body. I’ve had my own share of so-called fitness experts whose advice weren’t worth the cents they took from me. I’ve got a box full of very sad stories but I’ve never seen methods as productive and easy as those in Easy Lean Body. The book doesn’t just tell you. It shows you. It walks you through the entire process.”

“Alright. I’ll get it.”

A month later, I’m in front of my bathroom window. I’m back on the scale, wearing one of my favorite T-shirts. I haven’t worn it since high school when it still fit. It’s tight; definitely not as loose on me as it used to be, but it’s managed to fit.

I look down at the scale’s display, and a broad smile appears on my face. I take my eyes back to the mirror. Then I turn this way and that, looking at myself from different angles. The folds of the flesh are vanishing, and the mirror’s no longer looking too small. I can even feel the difference in weight. It’s like a weight being lifted from my shoulders. Even my breathing is easier.

At the moment, there are only three words on the tip of my tongue. Easy Lean Body. That’s one book everybody looking to get fit should get.

Click here to read a report about the TMN strategy discussed in the Easy Lean Book,