Esox
At the moment I am not enthusiastic about being demonstrative in terms of material items.

I do tell her frequently how much I respect the progress she has made, how impressed I am with her commitment, and how good she looks. I compliment her in front of friends. Last night I complimented her openly in front of some of our best friends and their family. I tell the kids she is "melting away" and "shrinking before our eyes". I ask her every day about her exercise class. Which one she took. Who lead the class. How it went for her. I encourage her to take the long view and imagine how she will feel in the fall at D12's party if she continues to lose weight slowly but steadily.

At this point, I am not making enough progress in my "stuff" to expend more energy trying to improve our marriage or rebuild my romantic love for her. I have to stay focused on my stuff. Just wanted to pass along the good news about Mrs. Hold. Lord knows I complain about her enough around here. So when she deserves praise, I want to praise her here too.


Thank you for asking. Yes, D12 is doing better. The new food choices help. The kids tend to eat for dinner whatever Mrs. Hold makes and these days she cooks healthier. Also, D12 has hit puberty and the resculpting of her body helps. She weighs the same as 6 months ago but she is taller and shaped differently. Less in her belly and more other places. We didn't want to jinx ourselves by hoping for this, but we knew it was possible and are gratified it has occurred.

D12 does not exercise more than before, because Mrs. Hold tends to exercise when the kids are in school. But this is peak competition time for D12's synchro team so she is in the pool alot.