(Editor's Note: In February, Stringing the Pearls columnist Lee Ryan wrote in the Times/News about her plans to take off a significant amount of weight as a New Year's resolution. She promised to report back to readers on her progress. Here's her happy report.)

And so we pick up where we left off, but not quite. The "picking up" will be a lot easier, now that I've lost 60 pounds. Yep, you heard me right; I lost 60 pounds since Jan. 18th of this year.

The picture is one of the visual aids I used to keep track of how many pounds I was losing. The butter boxes were stacked in a prominent place, so that I could marvel at my continuing progress.

And I did NOT use any medical procedures, special foods, fasting or pills. I eat normal food (you can pick up at any grocery store), take good vitamins (all capsules), work out (two times a week), wear my ExerSpy band and plug in everything I eat into the DotFit computer program.

I don't like to promote a product or program, but when it works this well and is this consistent; I think that I'd be robbing you of the possibility of this kind of success, if I didn't share the wealth of my experience.

And let's get this straight, right off the bat; I am not a gym rat. In fact, I find it really hard to get myself into the gym, at all. However, I do push myself in twice a week. When I get there, I work out pretty hard for about an hour, and then hang out in the pool area for another two hours - that's my reward.

What I've learned the most about shedding weight is that it's more about what's in your head than the rest of your body. I'm no shrink, but I do know that your body is just a grunt that does the mind's bidding. If you're fat, then there's something going on in your head that's leading your body that direction. In very rare circumstances is it a glandular disorder -- very rare.

I had a wonderful talk with Keith, one of the Highline Athletic Club trainers, and we both agree that those little voices from the past (Mom, Dad, siblings, teachers, etc) speak with a very big and booming voice. You may have to seek some help to shut those voices down, before you can hear your own voice and figure out what you want for your life and what you know to be true about yourself.

I took a marker and wrote this on my bathroom mirror, "What do you want? Are you investing in what you want?" It reminds me that I have some goals and that my weight and physical appearance can propel me toward or take me away from them.

I remember, very well, what it felt like to have Fibromyalgia, Planter's Fascistic, fatigue, having to shop at the "fat girl" stores and struggling with most everything I did. That's all behind me, now. I feel like I'm 25 and spring up the stairs like a gazelle.

I'm wearing four sizes smaller and have a mountain of clothes that I'm stacking up for a sale. I will never see those sizes again. I've made up my mind about that. Not to say that I haven't said those words before. However, I've never fully had my mind completely in charge over my body before, either.

Once you've created a plan and you've got a specific pattern worked out, all you need to do is continue repeating it, until it becomes who you are and what you do. In time, it becomes a habit that you do without thinking -- like breathing. Your choices, reactions and activities meld into the foundation of who you are. After that, you're just along for the ride, and it becomes effortless.

Even with making my short-term goal, I still have some fine-tuning to do and I'm not stopping until I've fully completed this mission. There's a hair care commercial that tries to get you to buy their product by saying, "Because you're worth it." Well, I'm not selling you a bill of goods, but I am telling you that you're worth it. You're worth the effort, the investment of time, energy, planning and the execution of those plans.

I think we all wonder what would have happened if -- if I had done this or not done that -- if I would have been ready -- if this or that. "If" is a cop out, because at some point in our lives we were standing at a crossroad and had the opportunity of choosing yes or no, left or right. I'm suggesting that we can, in essence, go back and make the right choice. That we can dump the "if" word and actually see what happens when we make the right choice and press on -- not wasting our tomorrows with our regrets of yesterday.

If you want some details about the program and what I specifically did, I'd be glad to share them. I talked to the DotFit people and asked if they could give you a deal, if you wanted to try their system. They offered $20 off. This is in no connection to Highline Times or me. It's just a perk they offered for our readers -- a kind gesture, if you will. Carpe Diem!