one step at a time each day, we will be at the top of that mountain before we realize it, and the view is wonderful. On this climb, we will fall down. We will trip. We will lose our balance and tumble sometimes. This is not a reason to run all the way down the moun- tain to the bottom and say that the climb did not work. This is time to get back up, keep our eye on the top, and start stepping again. Many things will come to the edge of the path and tempt you to veer off in another direction or take a break for a week, or year, to catch your breath. You just put up your hand, say, “Your opinion is noted.” And keep climbing. No matter what the scale says. No matter what your mother says. No matter what mistakes you have made or how slow your progress is, just keep moving forward. If you keep moving, you will get closer every day. It is not necessarily a bad thing when you have a slip- up in your plan. I actually like it when a client screws up their plan. I always see it as an opportunity to learn something and create a new tool for them. If they missed a day of walking, I ask them what was going on. I do not scold them, nor do I allow them to scold themselves. We evaluate what might have caused it. When they try to say, “I just didn’t feel like it,” I always probe—”Well why not? What, specifically, were you feeling? What was going on?” Many times, we find 210 • If IAm So Smart, Why Can’t I Lose Weight?