Hey -- I've been away from the blog a bit but that doesn't mean I was on my duff with the bonbons.

Oh no, fitness pals -- I've been chugging away at my Cleveland Clinic Non-Surgical Weight Loss Program and doing smashingly well. I haven't weighed in this week but in the first few weeks I'm down around 6 pounds, averaging an astounding (for me) 2 pounds a week. Just with diet and exercise -- no medical interventions needed.

I've been trying really hard to stick to the 1,200-calorie 30ish-30ish-30ish meal plan but I'm probably averaging closer to 1,300-1,400 calories.

I've been stepping up the exercise and am at at least three days a week of intense (sweaty) exercise but that needs to improve, too. As does my nighttime fridge foraging. Carrot and celery sticks are OK but not when they're enrobed in too much hummus.

But I have a new workout partner -- my 12-year-old son. He's finally old enough to join the gym so last week he had his first training session. I signed him up for three sessions because he might as well start things off on the right foot. I also signed up for three sessions with a trainer so we could work out side by side.

Here's the interesting thing I noticed about his gym experience: While many adults look at exercise as a necessary evil, he still looks at it as a fun activity. After our training session, we cooled down on the recumbent bikes. I set my bike on manual and pedaled along at a comfortable clip. He started that way but said to me "Hey, what's this hill climbing program?" and proceeded to push that button and push his limits.

Different mindset.

While I'm happy to cycle down to 100 bpm, he's cranking away at 135 bpm, bless his fit little heart. And the training room was no different. While he dutifully did his lunges and bicep curls on the resistance ball without a peep or grimace, I was on the other side of the room freaking out my trainer. "Are you OK?" she asked with concern in her voice.

"Yeah, I just make funny faces and squeal when I work out."

Maybe it's because my son still has to answer to baseball coaches and P.E. teachers that he silently and dutifully worked out while I looked and sounded like Biggest Loser week one.

We're heading to the gym this afternoon, and my goal is to be as good an exerciser as my kid.