Houston, we have a problem. 

I am running into a difficulty that plagues many people traveling the weight loss road: no time to get to the gym.

Let's take the last week as a for instance.

As editor of this august local news site, my time really is not my own. My day can begin as early as 5:00 a.m. and continue until early the next morning. Sleep, for me, is a luxury. And now that I am eschewing all even remotely junklike foods, so is mealtime. 

That's just reality.

In the last week, swamped with work and with dealing with my teenage son's football practices, doctor visit and travel plans (he spent a delightful long shore weekend at Long Beach Island), there literally was no time to get to Anytime Fitness.

Now, that will be rectified today or tomorrow, schedule depending (and it's been a monster of a day so far). But does a busy schedule get me off the hook from taking it off?

 No. It doesn't.

With my whirlwind schedule of last week, I made a number of adjustments to ensure that my weight loss plan would not veer too far off track. 

For one thing, I looked for ways to replicate the exercises my trainer Justin Melendez gave me.

For example, he taught me one exercise involving light weights. Since I don't own dumbbells, I used cans of vegetables as substitutes for the weights. 

1. Now, in this exercise, one sits on the edge of a weight bench. I sat on the edge of a chair, holding a 28-ounce can in each hand (canned spaghetti sauce, if you're keeping score). 
2. Seated, I extended my arms toward the floor, then brought them upward, bending the arms at the elbows. 
3. Then, I stood  and straightened out my arms, lifting the cans overhead. Next, the arms came down, returning to the bent-elbow position.
4. Finally, I sat again and brought the arms down and horizontal.

Justin had me do two rounds of eight repetitions of this. I made sure to do four rounds of 10 every day. 

I also did variations of push-ups to work lower abdominals and sides (obliques).

Additionally, I did a lot of walking wherever I went. (Next week, I hope to have a pedometer to keep track of how many steps I walk.)

I've been trekking around Parsippany to beat the band. Elevators are used now only rarely.

Over the weekend, I had the only three hours to myself I had all week. Now, it could be argued that that was time to hit the gym, but I live under 24/7 pressure eased only by time in my hometown and favorite place in the world, New York City. There, I feel comfortable and sane. So I went to the island of Manhattan and walked from 39th and Broadway downtown to Canal Street, back up to 66th Street and back to 39th, where my car was parked. 

Trust me, I worked up quite a sweat.

The diet continued too. I probably still am not eating enough, but the search for a local nutritionist is underway.

So, how did the weigh-in go? I lost two pounds, for a total of 19 lost so far. Sounds like victory to me.

So did this: Yesterday, dashing to the car to head to the supermarket, a neighbor from across the street called my name.

"Natalie! Are you losing weight? You look great!"

And my mother-in-law, who heard the exchange, called me "skinny."

That's the ticket.

Still, there are miles to go before I sleep, run a 5K or wear a swimsuit in public. So I will get to the gym three times this week. But if the schedule forces me—or you, my fellow Take-It-Offers—to miss structured gym time, don't beat yourself up. Use your imagination, improvise and get yourself moving anyway. It works.