large fries. and a cheeseburger. stat.

Five weeks into healthy eating and exercising my butt off, literally, has netted me a loss of 9 pounds. I am super happy with this, but of course my human need for instant gratification demands a faster rate of loss. After momentary frustration following my Saturday am weigh-in, I succumb to what I know for sure:

Any loss is a LOSS. Slow loss is forever loss. All this change can only result in a healthier me.

I'm basically half way to where I want to go, which isn't so bad. The Weight Watchers new program I've been following is something I can really get into and follow with ease and I've got no doubt that I'll forever be more mindful of how many minutes on a treadmill equal a serving of chips and dip. Better food choices (for the most part) will likely follow me around for some time to come.

That being said, with each successful weigh-in and each healthy week, I have begun to crave a restaurant-produced cheeseburger and fries like no body's business. Let me just say I rarely eat beef - maybe once every few months and not much meat besides that. The fact that I am day dreaming about a "huge hunk of meat" (thanks J.B.) baffles me to say the least. But nevertheless, it grows larger and looms over me each week. The fries are no mystery. If you ask me, they may just be the world's most perfect food. Hands down.

Tonight I will cheat! I need a break and WW works in a way that allows you to take one every now and then. So tonight, I will forge a path to Portillos, with an anxious heart and watering mouth and order those deliciously crispy-salty fries (LARGE) and a burger to go alongside. I will enjoy the first few bites of the burger that I've hankered for and then I'll pass it on to Mike, who's sure to finish it. But those fries.... those fries are a different story entirely.

From first to last, I will not share. No, not tonight. I will dip these crinkle-cut spears of golden perfection into ketchup (Heinz, there is no substitute) and savor every bit of oral revelry as I devour them one by one. I'll do it slowly, so I can survive on the experience for the next five weeks when I'll once again give in to that culinary satisfaction only the french fry can deliver. In a couple short hours, I'll be there. Care to join me?