Goal!

I am in shock even yet tonight- I reached my goal weight today as I am sure all of you already know.  It is something that I always wanted, yet never really thought that I could do.

Almost 2 years ago I had come to the end of my rope- I knew that before I had some serious health issues, I had to do something.  My father had died of a variety of things, not least of which was depression aggravated by his inability to move like he wanted to, like he used to.  My mother was in a decline as an Alzheimer's patient in assisted living.  My children had moved on to their own lives and I needed to find a healthier one.  I knew from all the material I have read, because I do like to be informed, that even 10 lbs would be good.  Help my knees, my back, my heart.  I had gotten an iPhone and had this app called LoseIt.  I had used it for a little while, but then stopped.  So I decided to go ahead and really use it.  Use Loseit with a purpose.  I am not one to believe in New Year's resolutions, I like to start before that Jan 1 date, so I began yet again - as I did every few weeks - to lose weight.  It was December 21.  The first few weeks were tough.  I remember being at my brother's house for a Christmas party and was very pleased that I did not eat everything that I could have and that I stayed pretty well in my budget.  Major food obstacle avoided!

VERY soon after that Christmas time- in 2010- I finally got the internet at my house, and that is when I began the website connected to the loseit app.  A whole new world was opened up to me.  My loseit friends have been the best thing that could have ever happened to me when it comes to this goal achieved badge.

They have been around when i need them, they have a unique ability to get this journey better than any one else can.  They are a varied bunch, spread out all over the US and around the world. I have discovered so many things, like running, weightlifting, pushups, and have challenged  me in so many ways!  I have done things I never could have imagined, faced my fears and climbed to heights I could never imagine doing. (There is that tree incident, lol) My whole life has been rearranged with  a little help from my friends.  I am reinventing myself all the time.

It has not been an easy thing to do, but once I got going, and stopped fooling myself and being honest about the food I was eating, I was able to have slow but steady success.  I gradually increased my activity, I gradually decreased my food intake. I changed my food types! I eliminated things a little at a time, I found I could indeed live with less food, with few processed foods and eventually I have learned to thrive with a clean vegetarian diet, very little caffeine, NO SODA, NO DORITOS, and small portions of everything. I think about whatever I am eating- do I want it or do I need it?  I find that I am in the frig when I get home from work and I get out the carrots and hummus.  I don't even think about getting into the cheese, or the bread or the peanut butter- well maybe the peanut butter!  I have an apple on the way home from the grocery store, instead of buying "just one" candy bar.  NONE of these things happened immediately but they did happen.

I also owe a lot to the wonderful people at Triple B Health and Fitness.  The Duba family helped me figure out a weight training and fitness program that has been key to my success.  I owe this transformation to the time I have spent there, along with (according to runkeeper) about 1350 miles since June of 2011!  WOW!

This is the first time in my life I have been a normal weight - probably since I was a child.  I always needed to lose weight, always wanted to.  I can hardly comprehend how to live any other way.  But apparently today was the first day of the rest of my life!

What AM I going to do now?  I am not sure.  I just know that I feel the same inside.  I might look a lot different on the outside, but I am the same person. I still am the same person I was 2 years ago, but maybe I get up a little earlier, might not get tired much any more, and I am still looking for joy every day!

So I have made a couple before and after pictures:

These are some of the most disturbing images I can imagine looking at!  Oy.  But I have so many people assure me that I didn't look like these.  That I didn't seem that heavy as these pictures indicate.  I am sorry to say that it is apparent that I did.

There are a few people who tell me that I was lovely in both pictures and that just makes me tear up-

Because I felt pretty good then.....

So, I am going to finish my first day in maintenance by thanking everyone who has been supportive.  The MA, the mad-children, my lovely daughters-in-law, my sister,  my friends here and to my special buddies on loseit- both past and present: Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I had to decide what to eat and what activity I need to get, but you helped me to the end, and onto the next adventure. And that is the biggest joy of all.