Summer Vegetable Curry

Someone's post on the Weight Watchers message boards the other day got me to thinking — will diet and exercise get any easier?

My answer: yes and no.

This is probably my fourth time trying to lose and I've started this time at my highest weight ever. So I have to really think back to when I first started WW way back in January 2002.

I was in college at the time. I would say up until college I didn't have the perfect diet, but it wasn't awful, either. My mom tried her best to serve us healthy foods. Our snack basket was filled with fruit snacks, granola bars, and the like. Although junk food in a sense, we didn't have cheese its, oreos, potato chips, etc.

But when I got to college, my friends influenced the way I ate. And suddenly, all of those junk foods became regulars for me. And every Thursday while watching “Must See TV” (remember that?) a must-have was a pint of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. An. Entire. Pint.

I refused to eat broccoli, tomatoes, raw veggies of any sort, and forget about drinking milk. And olive oil? What was that?

So in the sense of what I eat, it has gotten much better. Most fruits, veggies, and dairy are automatic for me. I don’t often have to think about whether I’m getting in the 8 Good Health Guidelines. I get them automatically on most days.

Take this vegetable curry for example. A one cup serving is two servings of veggies, make it 1.5 cups, and you've got three servings just at dinner.

The one thing that always has been hard for me and always will be hard for me is exercise. Except for the rec sports I played growing up or my short stint on the high school swim team, I have not been a sports-minded person.

I've always wanted to be one of those seemingly carefree people jogging down the street. They make it look so effortless. I, however, plod along at a pace most people walk at — struggling the entire way. I am not a born athlete and most exercise it torture. But for me, it’s the key to keeping the weight off. I gain weight whenever I’m not exercising regularly.

So in my view, the eating part gets a little easier — at least in everyday situations. It’s always hard to pass up some foods, but I find making good choices isn't has hard as it was in college. But exercise never gets any easier for me.

But I’m not too bothered by this. I have a hunch that most skinny people have to watch what they eat just like the rest of us. They just let on like they’re not working at it.