Halfway up the mountain! Gift of Fitness Challenge: Week 7 Check-in!

Have you ever gone rock or mountain climbing and you get halfway up to the peak and you look down?  And you stop a moment and think to yourself "Oh, I have climbed halfway, that is really great... I didn't think I would get this far.  Look down there at the base... I could climb down now and still be satisfied... and safe because I know I'll get down there without any difficulties."

Or you can keep climbing up!  You can dig in your heels and plant your feet and reach for your goals and CLIMB to the top... go for the finish... especially when the end is in site.  Does it get easier in the second half of a journey?  Not always.  You may have trained yourself and conditioned yourself during the first half to expect certain obstacles and overcome them.  But, in my experience, there is always something new that will pop up to challenge you, to allow you to test yourself and feel that thrill of reaching a once out-of-site goal.

Let's do this!  Let's finish the rest of this challenge strong and on target.  Remember to write down your goals... revise them if you feel that will help you... believe in yourself... journal your activities and food daily... plan your meals and snacks and exercise... don't waiver from your belief in your own abilities and CELEBRATE every single achievement, large or small.  Every ounce of energy you put into this challenge of fitness and health will come back to you in unmeasurable ways.  You may see 'measurable' results on the scale or the tape measure or in besting personal fitness goals, but you can't see the internal pride you'll feel by keeping promises to yourself.

I'm rooting for you, friends.  And I'm rooting for myself, too.  Let's keep supporting each other and hit the second half of this challenge full throttle! : )

Check-in here for WEEK 7 through the comments... I want to hear your accomplishments and challenges and will be rewarding those of you climbing, stretching, challenging yourself to reach your own goals!

Dream.
Believe.
Achieve!

Jan / HealthyLoserGal

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