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Dear Dr. Collis,

I've been a poor correspondent of late, but don't take that as a sign of failure. My goal was to lose 10 lbs. by your next newsletter and as of this morning I've reached that goal. At your suggestion I used the Weight Watchers on-line program, which enabled me to avoid their meetings and morality talks. I actually found some inspiration from Shakespeare who must have been one of the earliest advocates of behavior modification.

Assume a virtue, if you have it not.
That monster, custom, who all sense doth eat,
Of habits devil, is angel yet in this,
That to the use of actions fair and good
He likewise gives a frock or livery,
That aptly is put on. Refrain tonight,
And that shall lend a kind of easiness
To the next abstinence; the next more easy;
For use almost can change the stamp of nature.
  ~ Hamlet Act III, Scene IV

That's how I've been getting through my days and nights. "Refrain tonight", "Refrain today" and, of course, Shakespeare is right. It doesn't get easy, but it is a little easier. I've learned a few lessons, one of which is that I can't eat what I don't buy. If there are cookies in my cupboard they finish up in my stomach. (It's called the "see food diet", you see food and you eat it.) I've also learned that I must keep busy in the evenings, because many a good day has been undone in front of the TV at night. So, in addition to my morning walk, I walk somewhere almost every evening. I walk to the movies, to the library, to a night school class I'm taking and to the swimming pool. (I like the adult swim after 10 o'clock at night,)

No cosmic tumblers have clicked into place, no planets aligned themselves, no lightening bolts, no voices in the night, no inspiration, except from your good self. But little by little I've lost weight, almost imperceptibly. I feel better about myself and it's now been 16 days since I achieved less than 10,000 steps.

I am hesitant to even write about success as if it would tempt the Gods to cancel out my gains with an injury or sickness. But I've lost 10 lbs., Dr. Collis, and I really don't believe in Gods, but I'm just beginning to believe in myself.

      Sincerely, Sigma