My Son's Backpack and BLTS

You probably know the whole hoopla over our school kids hurting their backs because they carry such heavy backpacks. No kidding! Those things are heavy!

I had the privilege of bringing my 14 year old's backpack in from the car. I felt I was getting a work-out simply from carrying it. Why was it sooo heavy? Being the intrepid investigator I am, (aka Nosy Mom), I set out to figure out WHY it was such an incredible weight.
 
It was PAPER! Yes, just a bunch of dog-eared, beat up, "useless looking" stack of old assignments! The brick of paper probably measured 4 inches high. Needless to say, I took the offending weight out of his pack and left it on his desk to be reviewed.
 
This got me thinking about weight control and weighty issues. A sheet of paper seems to weigh nothing. How does a stack of papers weigh so much? ONE BITE of a food really has hardly any calories. One bite here, one bite there, here a bite, there a bite, everywhere a bite, bite....
 

That's what happens. It starts out harmlessly, just a taste here, a quick little bite of something while you're cooking, a few of your kids' French fries...before you know it, those BLTS (Bites, Licks, Tastes and Sips) add up to unwanted pounds or a plateau in your weight loss. 
 
I knew a 100 pound loser that kept a Ziploc taped to the fridge. Every time she took a bite while cooking, she put an equal amount into her baggy. At the end of the day, she figured out how many BLTS she had indulged and she counted them in with her Daily Target!
 
Start being AWARE and COUNTING every nibble. Your back will thank you- your feet will thank you- your progress at the scale will thank you, You will thank YOU!  You will see progress. Indeed, every bite counts; just like every piece of paper can add up to some heavy weight, so does every bite.
 
My son is going to keep his backpack clean THIS TIME. (I'm not sure I believe that either.) BUT, Will THIS TIME be the time that you realize how every bite really adds up?
 
Perhaps this is a lesson on how every LITTLE thing can make a really BIG difference. Come on, Weight Watchers! You can do it- just watch for those unaccounted BLTS everyday!