In the past, I’ve been one of those people that goes all in when trying something new. I’d be crazy about whatever it was for a while, and then burn out on it. One day, I’d just be done with whatever I had previously thrown so much effort into, before.

Consequently, I have a graveyard of stuff I was once enthusiastic about, and then at some point, decided against it. I have a Food Saver and some of the supplies; I swear, I was absolutely crazy about sucking all the air out of packets of whatever food I was going to throw in the freezer, just knowing that months down the road, I’d be thankful I cared about prepping that food properly… only to throw out the stuff that made its way to the bottom of the deep freezer a couple of years later.

And then, perhaps, a buss.

And the diets? Oh, dear. I remember counting Weight Watchers points with my mother as a teenager, and mixing crushed pineapple with Alba (a chocolate weight loss drink) and then freezing it as a treat. I remember some wild diet that involved eating can after can of tuna, and then dropping off of it when the friend who suggested it said it made both she and her husband sick. There have been any number of programs I’ve tried over the decades, and still, I had to start over at my absolute heaviest weight in the fall of 2013.

Did those diets fail? No, I did — I failed to stick with them, find the right thing for me, commit myself to a change in lifestyle. I failed because those things I chose weren’t sustainable in the long run. Many of the things I did were more like punishment than changes in lifestyle, as if I deserved to suffer because I had gained weight.

When it feels like punishment, that wall that stands between myself and success might as well be the Great Wall of China.

Now I’m on course for adding exercise back into my daily life — literally, one step at a time. I enjoy walking, especially outdoors. Instead of thinking of it as exercise and something I must do, I’m feeling really good about walking. It wasn’t that long ago, after all, that a simple trip to retrieve my mail from my box at the street meant grabbing my cane and wincing with every step.

I’m adding to my step goals gradually; a little more every week, but even this early on, I can tell a difference. I’ve lost enough weight that the amount of time I can be on my feet before my knee pain bothers me is longer, and that ratio will hopefully continue to improve; the more weight I lose, the more steps I can take.

Perhaps it’s perspective that keeps me happier while walking. After all, I very clearly remember how much my daily routine has been changed by dealing with chronic knee pain. I know how often I feared going anywhere that was unknown because I felt my limited ability to walk governed my activities.

Being able to walk with less pain is a gift to be treasured, appreciated, and maintained. There’s a spring in my step that hasn’t been there in a long time — and I’m looking forward to improving. There are no more drastic changes the burn bright and then fizzle out. I’ve traded them in for incremental changes that I can live with.

While my weight loss has been more like a roller coaster than a nice, clean slant on a graph, one thing has been true ever since my start date: the beginning of the new year finds me up in weight and having to get back in the groove.

I’d bet the bank I’m not alone, here.

While I’m not in the situation of just having to start a weight loss program, I do have to master it before it explodes on me. That’s what I’ve been working on, this week: getting control of my eating, being realistic about what I need to be doing over the months to come to be back in weight loss mode, making sure I’m doing the right things in order to be successful.

Patience is a virtue. Or something.

Success is rarely accidental. No, it’s more like a juggling act, and sometimes you have to juggle chainsaws to make things work out right. Other times, things are surprisingly easy — so easy that you just know you’re doing something wrong.

The one consistent truth to success is that it takes work. Sure, there are some lucky souls who can drop weight easily and quickly, but they’re the exception to the rule; the rest of us are the rule, and then some.

That’s what I struggle with during the holidays. I get in a mindset where I’d like to have a few treats, knowing full well I’ll pay for it and accepting that it’ll take some time to get the effects of those treats off my hips and out of my system. But that’s a dangerous game; if you allow yourself treats and you’re in the wrong mindset, you just might never go back to embracing the necessary discipline to master weight loss. I am determined to keep that from happening to me, as it has happened so many times in the past.

At the risk of yet another metaphor, it’s a tightrope walk, but the more experience you have, the less likely you are to fall off. That’s where I’m at; the first few days back totally on plan, my body wants to go back to the treats and my stomach fights me, but things get a little bit easier each day I’m fully back in command.

The same is true if you’re just starting your journey — the first days are absolutely the hardest, and they often come with only slim rewards. Success takes planning, determination, a willingness to change, and being absolutely truthful with yourself.

If you’re taking your first steps right now, stay strong. Forget your long term goals for now; promise yourself this day, this meal choice, this moment, and take it to the limit.

It’s Friday — tomorrow is New Year’s Eve. The time of year when people make lots of resolutions, including changing their lifestyles to be healthier in the new year.

I see the new year as a fresh start to lots of things; I’ve been working on a novel and I plan on moving on to the next stage of development with the new year. There are some things I’d like to do around my house. I want to attain some personal achievements in my business. And, like so many others, I want control of my health in the new year, which includes my weight.

I can’t bear the thought of this puppy, walking alone! Who wants to walk?

Yes, around the holidays, I have my treats, and I end up feeling bloated and a bit angry with myself for the deviations. We’ve also had some particular stresses just this past week, and while I don’t consider myself a stress eater, I admit that I’ve had some lusts for foods I know I shouldn’t fulfill.

What, you, too? You’re not alone, you know. If you happened here because you’re looking for encouragement in the new year but you’re feeling like the job ahead of you is insurmountable, please be reassured that it’s not. Start small, if you must. I am living proof that the small changes add up to big changes over time — and you can be, too.

Let me suggest Jack Canfield’s “Rule of Five”. Simply put, it’s the commitment to do five things a day to move you closer to your goal. In his book The Success Principles, Canfield used the illustration given him by teacher Ron Scolastico, who offered them the analogy of a lumberjack cutting down a tree.

If you would go every day to a very large tree and take five swings at it with a very sharp axe, eventually, no matter how large the tree, it would have to come down.

No task is insurmountable if you dedicate yourself to constantly do things that move you closer to your goal — even the smallest of things, starting today. In my case, I work to achieve five things every day, and then some — but those five core things I do include getting enough sleep, drinking enough water, moving more, eating within my plan, and the big one: keeping my head in the right place. When I do those things, I find myself moving down my path. Sometimes the steps are tiny ones and it seems like I’m going nowhere; sometimes they are surprising leaps.

My five things may not be your five things. My goals may not be your goals. You may not achieve everything you set out to do every single day. You may fail at times; in fact, it’s just about guaranteed you will. But if you manage to win more than you lose, chances are you’ll find yourself moving toward your goals rather than away.

But most of all, if you are just starting out and finding your courage, know you’re not alone, no matter where your starting point. Believe me — I hated myself when I started, and I didn’t believe I would be any more successful on this try than on any other previous attempt at weight management. I certainly didn’t believe I deserved it, and I was horribly embarrassed by that starting point. I didn’t want to admit my real weight and measurements to anyone, and most of all, myself.

But had I not done that, I’d have no idea now exactly how far I’ve traveled. That knowledge brings power. And I am not alone; I am not the only woman, ever, to have lost over a hundred pounds. In fact, I’m proud to know quite a few fierce woman (and men) who have come that far, and even more. We are part of a family of those who have fought hard for that right to know exactly where we stood — and stand. Because it matters, every step of the way.

This journey is not a solitary one; from the first moment of public confession, I never once walked alone — but it took that step of admission for the hands to reach back to me and join with mine. The same can happen for you, whether you’re standing on the brink of changing your life, or well along your way.

You’ll never walk alone — but you must first be willing to walk.