One Hundred Pounds Lost & One Year Anniversary of Maintaining! Hallelujah!

I've done it!!!
Through the emotional ups and downs of a crazy year, I've maintained my 100 lb. weight loss and have made it to the one year anniversary!  I'm fist bumping myself!!

I thought last year was a milestone when I hit the one hundred pound mark, but this year, in many ways, proved to be more difficult and so - for me - the celebration is sweeter. 

At New Year's I was down a total of 122 pounds and felt incredible... I remember working out at the YMCA the week between Christmas and New Year's and thinking "I have this... this is habit now... this is so cool!" Little did I know that with the new year would come emotional personal drama and with that all my new healthy habits would be challenged.  And little did I know that I would fail miserably in some of those challenges and begin to let weight creep back onto my body.

By mid-March I had stopped exercising regularly and began to back pedal dramatically 'til I took contol of things and kicked the drama out of my life, reclaiming me again.  The lessons I'd learned about portion control and walking and exercising were back front and center in my life and I began to drop the excess weight I'd put on, turning my own emotions back to "positive" from having slipped to feeling negative.

While in January I was only 15 pounds from my goal weight, tonight I am 28 lbs. away.  But I feel good again, feel healthy once more and have been exercising regularly and eating healthy without thinking about it.  That habit has been learned and not broken.  I eat remarkably good foods and continue to lose weight when I keep my walking up.  What I'm concentrating on now is getting myself backed to how toned I was in January.  Let me tell you something - when you're working out and getting into shape - don't take a break because you're going to very quickly lose that momentum!  That is a valuable lesson I learned this spring!

So, I'm still on the journey, friends.  I still am concentrating on 5 lbs. at a time... still celebrating the small and the large victories as they come along to reward myself in non-food related ways.  And this week is a big victory... I've kept 112 lbs off for a year.  I'm no longer morbidly obese.  I'm no longer obese.  I'm overweight and only about 10 lbs away from normal weight for my height and age.  *fist bump*pow*  I'll take it! : )

What's my new goal? I have a special event coming up in October that I'd like to be 15 lbs. lighter for. I'm setting my first 5 lb. goal for September 10th. I believe in my own abilities and what I've learned over these last two years and know I'll be able to make that goal. What I hope you know is that if *I* can lose this weight and get healthy after having been morbidly obese and having NO fitness in my life whatsoever, YOU can do this, too! If you need some help... just ask me and I'll do what I can to get you on the right path!


Dream. Believe. (Work Hard!) Achieve!
Jan / HealthyLoser(AndMaintainer! lol)Gal

First for Women photo shoot

Today I looked in the full length mirror, dressed to the nines in a hot pink tight wrap dress, hiiiigh heels and hose, my hair and makeup done by professionals and I had to smile because I thought to myself "I've got my figure back!".  If I do say so myself, I looked damn good! : )

After 110+ pounds lost, First for Women Magazine contacted me to interview me about my weightloss and how I did it... how I overcame my bad habits and replaced them with healthy ones.  I pretty much answered, "Vtrim!".  I am so thankful to the folks at Vtrim for teaching me new behavior techniques that have led me to the fun day I had today: a photo shoot for the First for Women January or February issue!

The photographer took nearly 1000 photos today... and I only have a few iPhone photos to share, but here they are... one from 7:30am this morning in my kitchen with the hair & makeup gal, Laura, starting my "makeover" and then one of the outfits I wore for the photo session.  The stylist, Alicia, is pinning the pant legs tighter as... get this!... the size 12 slacks she brought with her were too big!  Woohooo!

I dreamed of a day like today... when I would feel like myself again... feel comfortable in my own skin and happy.  Today was a great, fun day.  I'm proud of myself.  Proud of who I am again.  Thank you for sharing this journey with me, friends.  If I can do this - change my life by dreaming, believing, and achieving my goals - you can, too!

Here's to our health!
Jan / Healthy Loser Gal

One year later! Making Strides : )

I was so happy to participate in yesterday's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer in my hometown of Salem, NY... and really happy to show up this year some 60+ lbs. lighter than I was last year when walking! :)

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer 5k

I just need to take a minute to slow down this day and breathe and realize how far I've come in a year - both in my weight and in my health!  I will be walking the American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer 5k Walk this weekend on Sunday.  I walked it for the first time last year and it is held in my hometown of Salem, NY.

Last year I was not sure I would be able to walk 3.2 miles for the walk.  I didn't think I was fit enough.  I worried about my asthma kicking in on the hills.  I was trying to be upbeat and confident but I was scared.  And this is what I looked like then:

But I did walk the walk and I ended up raising more money than anyone else there actually.  And I felt so darn great about myself and being able to accomplish a goal.  I was one of the last walkers in but I didn't care.  I'd done it.  I'd achieved something I'd put out there as a goal: walking a 5k.

So on Sunday when I walk with confidence up and down those country hills, I'm going to be smiling.  I'll smile because this year I have no doubt I'll make the 3.2 miles... heck, I walk that much often now.  And I'm going to be saying a prayer of thanks to God that I'm able to raise funds for those with cancer... and of thanks to all of you who support me ALL THE TIME and for those of you who donated last year and this year to my 5k participation.  I'll take lots of pictures and post them and I'll feel soooo much better seeing old friends this year than I did last year - still embarrassed by my weight. 

I feel like me again... and this is what "me" looks like (taken this afternoon)!  LIFE IS GOOD!

Have a great weekend!
Jan / HLG

A MILESTONE on the journey...

"A picture says a thousand words" goes the old adage... in this case, a picture shows ....

100 pounds

LOST!

Woooohooooooo!!!!!

Fifteen months into the journey...

So here I am again.  Now fifteen months into my weightloss & "get healthy" journey! I am proud of how far I've come but not ready, by any means, to say 'this is good enough'.  It  isn't.  I'm getting out of the "overweight" BMI stats and will be able to take whatever my trainer, Parker, throws my way within the next three to four months.  By Columbus Day of this year, I will be at my healthy weight and I will be able to RUN! :)

Today is Father's Day in the U.S. and I cannot help but think of my Dad, whom I loved so very much and was so close to, and how proud he would be of me now.  He died over 25 years ago now and - of course - I miss him, but somehow I think I may not have been on this journey at all were he still around.  He had a way of cutting to the quick of the matter if he thought I was steering off course.  Somewhere along the line I would have heard something like "those pants are kind of tight, don't you think, Jan?  You might want to lay off those Pepsi-Colas!" and he would lift his eye brow and give me that 'all knowing nod' as if to say "You hear what I'm saying to you, right?"  *grin*  And because his approval meant so much to me, I probably would have 'laid off the soda'!   So, I can't help but think today that he may be smiling down from above, knowing I've worked damn hard at this and would be proud of me.

Many of you who I yack with on Twitter or have followed the blog here for awhile know that I have a dream board.  It is a way of keeping your dreams and goals front & center in your mind throughout everyday.  I have made my dream board my laptop's wallpaper as well as the background on my Twitter home page.  One of the pictures I included on the dream board (although you can't see it on Twitter) is a photo of a fit woman on a beach, her shoulders/head on a stability ball, her hips raised, her feet planted square on the sand as she is doing chest presses.  I saw that and included that photo because I thought "when I can do that, I will be FIT!". 

 *beam* 

Please take a look at these two photos.  One is the photo on my dream board.  The other photo is of me and Parker yesterday at the YMCA in Waltham... doing the same exact thing.  I teared up at training this week and told Parker how much his pushing me has meant to me - how much he has helped me and how thankful I am to him that I have gotten to where I can look in a mirror and actually recognize myself again.  He started to say "you've done all the work" and I stopped him mid-sentence to ask him to please accept my thanks.  He grinned & did which made me feel truly happy.  I believe that good things and good people enter our lives when we believe in our dreams.  Beth Casey Gold and the folks at Vtrim are a great example of that.  Anthony at the YMCA changing his mind from who he was originally going to assign to me as a trainer, and pairing me up with Parker, is another example.

Dream. Believe. Achieve. 

I'm no longer the person who couldn't walk a flight of stairs without getting winded.  I'm no longer terrified if my inhaler isn't within sight!  I'm no longer the person ordering a large pizza and - when the delivery guy arrives - pretending someone else is in the house with me to eat it!! I'm no longer the person looking at a photo of a fit woman on a beach doing something that was out of reach.

The reality is if we believe in ourselves, nothing is truly out of our reach. 

With hard work, patience and persistence... we CAN do this!  And guess what?  I *am*! :)

Fit & Fab & Fifty Two!

Today is my 52nd birthday! I am so incredibly grateful to be celebrating my birthday and feeling FABULOUS!  I mean it.  I feel so healthy and on my way to being really fit!

This week was a major milestone for me:  I dropped from the BMI rating of "OBESE" to "Overweight".  That may not sound like much if you've never been morbidly obese or simply obese, but let me tell you... this is a health goal I have worked on for 15 months.  I'm teared up just blogging about this because being overweight still isn't ideal for my health, but it is a far cry from when I was morbidly (as in DEATH!) obese.  I expect to be out of "overweight" BMI ranges this summer, so - friends - my life is, indeed, blessed & good! : )

I want to share the comparison photos with you below.  The one on the right was of me celebrating my birthday while visiting my son in Austin, TX last year.  I had lost 20 lbs. then and thought I was looking pretty good! I was definitely healthier than I had been the year before.  The photo on the left was taken on Memorial Day (two days ago).  I've given myself a huge birthday present... I am *me* again.  I'm not at my goal, but I can look in the mirror and be happy with who I see looking back at me. 

I'm thrilled to be celebrating my birthday with all of you.  You're my support system and a darn good one! Thank you for all the great birthday wishes - I appreciate every single one of them!

Here's to a great, healthy, fantabulous year ahead for us all!

Your 52 year old fit & faboo friend,
Healthy Loser Gal / Jan

Gratitude!

I am so thankful to all of you for helping me, encouraging me, supporting me on those days when I slip up and feel rotten...

if I can lose this weight & get healthy & fit...

so can you!

My birthday is 10 days away and I see ONE-derland in my sites!!

I wouldn't be here without your help:

THANK YOU!

Facing the Music and Measuring for Success: Inches Equal Miles!

On March 22nd of last year, I bit the proverbial bullet at the beginning of this weight loss journey I was embarking upon and posted my measurements in all of their "glory" on the Healthy Loser Gal blog. At that time they were:

 46" Breasts (no pulling in... just 'as they hang'...good heavens!)

44" Waist

48" Backside (this one surprised me, somehow thought it was going to be smaller #)

17" Neck (at base)
28" Upper Thigh (pfft... cottage cheese thighs... just gross! but I'm working on it...)
19 1/2" Calf

This morning, encouraged by feeling better and knowing I'm fitting into smaller and smaller sizes of clothing, I grabbed the dreaded measuring tape and faced the music again!  And while the music is certainly no symphony yet, it does have an overture of success! : )

Today's measurements:

40" Chest vs 46"

38" Waist vs 44"

40" Hips/Backside vs 48"

15 1/2" Neck vs 17"

24" Upper Thigh vs 28"

17 1/2" Calf  vs. 19 1/2"

7 1/4" wrist vs 8"

= 28 total inches lost here 'n there in one year!


Hey! I know I'm no Gil Elvgren pin-up beauty yet... but I'm heading in the right direction! : )

One year later... look at the difference!

One year ago I blogged that it was time for me to 'become accountable to myself'! Exactly a year ago I wrote:

"I am worth the effort" I say to myself over and over inside my mind. "I am worth it... I can do this... I *WILL* do this...", I repeat in mantra-like reply. But I haven't been 'doing this' and I continue to start and then stop... self-sabotaging. I mean, what the heck AM I doing? I am closer to 300 lbs. than 200 lbs. And I should not even be near to 200 lbs. But here I am. That's the reality.

That's no longer my reality.  I've gone through a full year of working toward being the Healthy Loser Gal I want to become... and I'm soooo much healthier now than I was a year ago when even walking up a flight of stairs would have winded me.  I'll write much more later tonight but - for now - I wanted to post a few photos of "Then" and "Now" (not Before and After... kind of Before and Half-way There...). 

Thank you, my friends, for all your encouragement!  I am so grateful for your friendly tweets - your honesty in your own ups & downs so I could be honest in return when I felt awful and fell off my plan in a big, bad, dramatic way. lol I *know* I would not be 60+ pounds lighter today if I hadn't connected with all of you here while I've poured out my heart (along with pouring the Pepsi down the drain!) and accomplished what I have.  Thank you!!

And... you know what?  Damn, I'm proud of myself today! *grin* And here's the really cool thing - if *I* can do this... YOU can do this!

Dream.

Believe.

Work.

Achieve.

Big hugs from me to you~
HealthyLoserGal / Jan

Watch Out World! I'm BACK!

I am back... no, not little quiet "i'm back"... I am B A C K!!! With a vengeance... with a goal... with determination... with COMMITMENT!

I have been oh-so-sick for the last four weeks so the month of January really "went to hell in a handbasket" (have no idea what that saying means but my Dad used to say it and it makes me grin to reference it here!) as far as being on my Weight Watchers plan or getting any exercise.  I didn't get to the YMCA once... I didn't figure out my new WiiFit Plus at all!
Seems I had this bacterial infection called "cellulitis" which meant that my foot and toe hurt so badly I couldn't put any weight on it or even lay a bed sheet across my toe without really horrid pain. Pretty serious stuff. Long story short - my doctor thought, at first, it was gout... treated me for gout (old man's disease, hello?!?) and it wasn't getting better so he sent me to a specialist. Between the time my doctor saw me and the specialist saw me my whole foot and up to my knee was enflamed swollen and full of yucky stuff (HLG medical term! *grin*). Off to the Emergency Room... more antibiotics by IV in three days than most people could survive, then onto oral doses of antibiotics and then I come down with thee worst sinus infection known to man.  (Well, known to Jan, in my particular case!)  Could not breathe thru my nose... so clogged up that I could only hear in one of my ears... so onto steroids/prednisone for this.  Ahhhh the joys of everything hitting at once!  FINALLY... now a month later, I'm still on the antibiotics and the prednisone but I can step 95% onto my foot and wear regular shoes and heels again. Okay, the heels are painful but then they always kind of are! 

I had been feeling 'down in the dumps'.  That's not like me!  I'm usually a really upbeat, optimistic person but this got me grumpy.  I was exhausted. 

And then - suddenly - over the weekend... I was much better.  I cleaned house.  I did laundry.  I cooked and went to the grocery store... I went out to eat with my son.  All of the sudden... I was BACK!  Big letters - bold type - B A C K!  And I was "me" again! :)

So last night I decided to rededicate myself to this journey I'm on as I've lost a full month. I'd done amazingly well over the holidays but this past month was just gone forever.  Now I am going to make up for it.

On March 19th, 2009 I started - commited to - this weight loss journey I am on.  I took measurements, I prayed about it, I made a commitment to myself to not back down and - once and for all - get to my healthy weight, get fit and start living life with no regrets!  I've lost over 60 lbs. to date.  And with March 19th only FIVE and A HALF WEEKS AWAY... I am on a NO EXCUSES for 5 1/2 weeks mission!  I am writing down every bite, lick, sip and taste of food that passes my lips!  I am drinking water.  I am exercising AT LEAST four times every week these next five weeks even if for only 30 minutes of exercise a day.  And NO darn excuses.  Yes, I'll probably have some asthma issues... yes, it will probably be "ToM" in there a few times... yes, it may be inconvenient or I may oversleep or I may want to go out or I may .... fill in the blank... but I HAVE COMMITED TO THIS... so

I'm going to be using #hlgWoW on Twitter to report my progress.  I would LOVE for you guys to join me these next weeks and report how you're doing with:

1. Decide on a food plan that is right for you and stick to it completely. I like Weight Watchers 'cause it is flexible enough for my non-concrete schedule. Journal if you can... it always helps me to write everything down.

2. Exercise.  Up to you how many times a day or a week.  But move.  It is the middle of the winter here and we need to move our booties when the temps outside tempt us not to.  I'm commiting to 4x of exercise a week.  I'll be doing WiiFit and Leslie Sansone's Walk Away the Pounds dvds at home and - this is not a commitment but a 'hope' - I hope to get out to the YMCA and use the membership I pay good money for.

3. Be positive!  This is key.  Know in your mind you can do this... know that 5 1/2 weeks will go by in the blink of an eye and you'll be so darn proud of yourself on March 19th you will KNOW you can do it all over again if you want to.

4. No excuses!  This is key, too!  I am the very best of excuse givers, or I used to be. A year ago I sure was a great excuse giver.  But guess who I was letting down?  Myself. I refuse to let myself down any longer.  No excuses!

Between today and March 19th I am invincible... I am commited... I am dedicated!  And my friends, I would LOVE LOVE LOVE for you to come along on this short little 5 1/2 week journey with me. 

I know we can rock this... Watch out World!!!

Seeing Goals Realized

Over this past weekend I hiked to the top of a lookout tower in New Hampshire.  Now that may not seem too big an accomplishment to many of you but it was a 'touch stone' moment for me.  The picture is of me on Sunday, October 25th.  I hiked up there again (with my ex-fiance) and this time - rather than stopping breathlessly along the way - we stopped once, took a short break and then hiked up the rest of the way to the Tower triumphantly!

The photo of me in the coral sweater is a photo of me THEN and part of my post of my trip there on April 19th - six months ago:

When this photo was taken on Sunday, April 19th, I could barely make it up the hill to the lookout tower. DF and I were up at Lake Winnipesaukee for the weekend and he had promised me that on weekends we could walk to get my "activity points" in for the week. The back-story here is that last summer, on a hot and humid day, we'd stopped by the same trail and I couldn't get even 1/2 of the way up before I had to turn around and head back to the a/c of the car.



I was determined NOT to let my asthma, poor breathing get in the way this time. DF was so good about it - he stopped with me along the path - encouraged me to take it slow - even said "look, my heart is beating fast too, it isn't just you that needs to go slow", so slowly but surely we made it up there and the lookout tower steps looked impossible to me as I leaned against the base, breathing hard.

But then I thought to myself, "I can do this. I can catch my breath and go up to the top." And so, flight after flight of stairs, I climbed, rested a second, climbed the next set of stairs. Up and up 'til we made it to the top. The photo is me realizing that I'd overcome my fear... it was a true smile of accomplishment. Not only had I given myself the time to get up there and not backed down from the challenge, I overcome the occasional fear I have experienced since my asthma worsened of "oh my God, what if I get (wherever seems remote) and I have a problem and I can't get (fill in the blank... "down" or "out" or "into")?" So it was two victories in one climb and the view was soooooo worth it!

This past Sunday, I felt none of the panic - none of the 'can I do this?!' feeling.  I felt great.  Was I winded? Yes - I was... my heart was pumping and my asthma has been kicked up this week anyway, but I did it... and it was an accomplishment to WANT to climb up to the top - to know I could and would do it without hesitation.

And look at the photos to see the difference that six months makes in the beautiful views of Lake Winnipesaukee.  The April colors of spring - just ready to bud and bloom - versus now and the vibrant colors of Fall in New England - echo my journey.  Six months in this journey I am so much more fully awakened with joy and hope and life again! : )

In six months I have accomplished so many of the things I said I wanted to lose weight for... I just reviewed my old list and it brought tears to my eyes to realize the things I have done already.  I am proud of myself! I have made it 1/2 way... my cup is half full... my heart is completely full of gratitude! : )

(From April '09)
The reasons I want to lose weight:

• To be healthier
• So I won't wheeze when I walk somewhere **Check**
• To feel comfortable when bending over to pick up something**Check**
• So I can see old friends and not be totally embarrassed by how much weight I have gained (this is a MAJOR one!)
• To be more social and enjoy going out more often in public**Check**
• To not feel self-conscious of whether something I am wearing is too tight, about to rip, etc.**Check**
• So I can go into a restaurant and not worry whether or not I can fit in the booth : (**Check**
• Because I know my asthma will improve considerably**Check**
• So I can do things with DS like we used to do all the time, i.e., riding bikes, playing frisbee, going golfing, tossing the baseball, walking around and exploring
• So I won't have like four chins and when I look down my chin doesn't receed into my neck fat**Check**
• So I can pull my knees up into my chest to paint my toenails! : )
• So I can touch my toes without a problem**Check**
• Because I want to not be self-conscious all the time when in public**Check**
• To be able to say "sure, I'll try that" and not panic "what if" about my weight keeping me from something**Check**
• To feel sexy again
• To wear whatever funky clothes I want to like I used to and not have it look like it may be the only thing I can fit into!
• TO HAVE PHOTOS OF MYSELF AT SPECIAL OCCASIONS!!!!
• So I don't have this voice of my Dad in my head saying "What's happened to you?" : (
• So I can casually fit into a conversation "well, I lost 100 lbs. once" and see people's jaws drop because they won't have ever imagined I could weigh anything more than 150 lbs.
• To be a Weight Watchers success story and inspire others that if I can do it, they can do it
• To play tennis again
• To wear a bathing suit that wasn't the only one in the store that quasi-fit so I settled on it
• To go back to Ireland and not think twice about whether or not I feel good enough to do things
• So airplane seatbelts won't be a source of fear!**Check**
• So my doctor will be damn proud of being right that I can do anything I put my mind to
• So I can dress up for DF and feel great by the look I see in his eyes when I am out with him**Check**
• So I never again have to worry that something I eat may trigger me to eat 'til I feel like I need to sleep from being so full**Check**

Thanks for following me on this journey, friends!  I'm six months in and thrilled with the results! Onward and upward! : )

Goal ACCOMPLISHED! 5K Making Strides Breast Cancer Walk a SUCCESS!

I'll blog more later tonight after work but quickly wanted to say THANK YOU to you guys for your wonderful support and enthusiastic response to my walking the 5k yesterday.  I had SUCH a great time - and had a wonderful surprise when my life-long best friend showing up unexpectedly (3 hour drive for her, too!) to walk with me! The photo up top is of me, my friend, and her Mom (who is in amazing shape at 72 years old!) : )

The 5k was much less difficult than I'd let my mind lead me to think it was going to be! The hills were, indeed, hilly and a little rougher than walking on a track but I climbed them without problem. I only stopped once on the walk and that was for maybe a minute to drink water and admire the view from halfway up one of the hills! : )

Quick photos below but - truly - thank you all! I feel so awesome to have accomplished this goal I set for myself six months ago when I could barely get up a flight of stairs without being winded!!!

Hot and happy crossing the finish line of my first 5k! : )

I received a special plaque in recognition of the

Most Funds Raised by an Individual Walker

- over $1200!

Pictured w/my Mom who is nearly 83 years old and

celebrating 5 years as a breast cancer survivor!

THIS JUST IN: October 4th Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk! I'm IN!

You know - - I have been thinking about this walk since I was last home to visit my Mom a few weeks ago and on Monday I committed to walking 5K in Washington County, NY's "Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk".

eep! Now I have to DO IT!

It is all good though! : ) I'm on this great weight loss journey to get healthy and change my life and this will be a great short-term goal that will raise funds for cancer awareness and prevention! I lost my Dad to cancer and my Mom is celebrating 5 years of being a breast cancer survivor. My boss and friend, Mj, fought thee most valiant fight against breast cancer this past year. She was amazing and I was fortunate (sounds odd to say that, but it was a blessing really) to be allowed to know what she was going through day in and out as she is a testament to what willpower can truly do! She would not let up... she continued to do all she could as long and as hard as she could. To look at her now, you'd never know she was bald as 2009 began! All good, like I said.

But CAN I do it? Walk 3+ miles at once on back roads of my home town? Hmmm... I'm a little concerned honestly. But I know I'll make it. It will, indeed, be *good for me*. I walked after work on Monday night (that is a pic of me before heading out the door to walk Monday) and last night walked with WiiFit while I was watching Biggest Loser on television. I think I logged in 800+ steps last night... tonight I'll go for a walk or do the WiiFit again... and gradually I want to get up to 1 mile around the h.s. track by end of the week without having to stop. Mind over matter. I *will* do this!

If you would consider sponsoring me, I would be extremely grateful! The link to my American Cancer Society "Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk" is: http://main.acsevents.org/goto/hlgjan If you can't make a monetary donation (and believe me, I understand that many cannot!!), sending some good thoughts my way at noontime EST on Sunday, October 4th would sure be appreciated, too! : )

A year ago I could barely walk from the parking lot into my office without being out of breath... now I'm signing up for 5K walks! *beam*

LIFE IS GOOD!

Ten percent of me is history!! : )

The Ten Percent Keychain I was given during the meeting tonight:

And the frig magnet for losing 25 lbs.+ total to date... which is proudly on my frig already! : )

FINALLY I hit both 25 lbs. and 10 percent at Weight Watchers. In twelve weeks, so that is not too shabby! At this rate I could lose another 50 before years end! That would be sweet to be in "one-derland" at the holidays! : )

Last Night at the Meeting

I was wary going to weigh in last night because 1) I'd been on vacation in Austin and had been eating less carefully than I do at home and... 2) my birthday was Tuesday and as a result I had cobbler with ice cream in Austin with DS and his GF, DF got me a little delicious individual serving cake for my birthday, and a slice of cake with the girls at my office when they surprised me with cake! Sooooo... being that I was on a plane on Tuesday and weighing in Thursday and my ankles still looked like grapefruit, I was "concerned".


NO NEED!


I gained one pound ONLY! Which I consider a Non Scale Victory (NSV)! One little pound which - when I stepped on the scale at home this morning - was already gone and I was done into the 240s (barely, but it had 249.6)! So I was psyched.

While I was on vacation I truly did make conscious choices about my food. I avoided cheese and heavy sauces and opted for the fresh, spicey tex-mex foods. I ate one hot dog at the ballpark and didn't get crazy with any huge food frenzy. I had a few margaritas over the time I was there, a glass of wine. But I also walked alot and swam a couple of times and got exercise when I could. Plus the 90+ degree heat doesn't make you want to eat too much. My big night was a planned night out for bbq and it was soooo delicious! I ate a huge plate full and enjoyed every bite and had cobbler following which we shared. That was the only night I felt uncomfortable in a long time. I noted that feeling and don't want to feel it again.


So one little pound isn't gonna wreck me... quite the opposite, I'm motivated. Also... what I really want to remember is the wonderful woman I met at last night's meeting who has lost 101.6 lbs. AMAZING! She is probably late 50s and is a little slender woman now. Probably about my height at 5'9" or so and so nice. She told her story during the meeting and showed her pants (size 26) and blouse (3x) that would not button on the bottom. She passed around a photo of herself. But what she SAID was what got to me...


She took it slowly and stuck to the plan. She makes a lot of her meals herself and plans everything. It took her over 18 months to lose it all. Now she is a lifetime member. She talked about how she regrets she didn't lose it earlier and all the problems she has had due to the weight - knee replacements, broken bones, etc. Not good! She has photos of herself at family events she cannot look at without crying. I know that feeling. She'd lost 70 lbs. before her daughter's wedding and you could see how proud and relieved she was to be able to say that.


Her name is Donna Parker and she lives in the town next to me. She talked about doing the Avon Breast Cancer walk with her friends for the first time and how great it was. We talked after the meeting in the parking lot for a bit and she was sooooo inspirational. She showed me the packet of Kraft Free dressing she carries in her purse... and encouraged me on keeping the almonds with me for a quick pick-me-up plus told me that it is great for asthmatics who need to counteract the prednisone in their system.


I feel blessed to have gone to the meeting and heard her speak. To have met her... and I told her so. To meet someone who has lost 100+ lbs. was so good for me.


People Magazine 2007 100+ Loser feature


She did it. I can do it, too. We need to be as important to ourselves as other people in our lives are to us. In fact, we need to put ourselves FIRST and lose this weight and get healthy.


We're the ones who can do this. No one else can.


No more excuses/lamenting for me... forward... onward... I can see a beautiful happy healthy woman at the end of this journey and I'm not going to veer from that path!



(This is where you all shout "Amen, sister!" lol)

That would be TWENTY pounds gone... unhuh...unhuh.... : )

Can I just say...

TWENTY POUNDS

GONE

And NEVER Never comin' back...
And 1/5 of my way to 100 lbs. lost!

Next goal is is to get below 240. Somehow that will seem incredible. The difference between saying I weigh 270-something and 230-something just seems light years apart!

But it is only weight - to keep it in perspective - the goal is healthy, long life. Happy healthy long life. Happy healthy damn-I-look-good long life! lol

I'm back on the blog... filling in my missing posts tonight and this weekend!!!

I CAN and WILL and AM doing this!!!

I am a strong, positive women... this weight is not something that should be holding me back... I should face it head on - and overcome it! And I do know - with God, everything is possible! : )