Hallelujah! Half way there!

Today, I saw a number on the scale that has been my mini goal since November. I have lost more than 35 pounds in less than 4 months.

When my surgeon said that I would have to lose 70 pounds in order to qualify for double knee surgery, I thought that number was unattainable. I rejected the idea of gastric bypass surgery out of fear for the risks at my age and the thought of no way to reverse the procedure and the complications that would be for life.

For about 2 weeks, I just thought about the challenge of losing 70 pounds. I hadn't been near the 200 pound mark on the scale in more than 30 years. I still thought that it was impossible, when I finally made up my mind to 'diet'. That 4 letter word has always meant extreme food challenges for me. I remember living on radishes, watermelon and diet cola for a year and a half in my teens just to lose a total of 52 pounds and wind up in the hospital. Another time, I lived on one orange, a can of Slender and diet cola each day. Once per week, I supplemented that ridiculous diet with a meal of barbequed ribs at the local diner. Stupid? Yes, but that how I dieted in my youth.

I'm not in my youth anymore. At 68, I should know better. So, I started by giving up diet soda. That's a big change, and it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I just went to drinking tea...about a gallon of hot tea each day. I like tea, if you hadn't noticed. I then started drinking 3 meal supplement shakes and 1 meal supplement bar each day. It worked for a month, but my doctor recommended that I eat at least one meal of 'regular food' per day. That when I hooked up with MFP to start counting calories.

This hasn't been a perfect 'diet', and I still do a lot of things that most of you might question; but my doctor and nutritionist have kept a close watch on me and feel that I am healthy and pretty much on the right track with my food. The meal supplement shakes and bars are all gone now. I eat 3 meals and snacks of 'real food' each day, along with my gallon of tea.

I know many of you will want to make suggestions for changing my current food plan, but I will probably not change it too much. It is just about perfect for me, and I am content with my slow but steady weight loss.

I just wanted to share my joy at attaining 35 pounds of weight loss and reaching what seemed like an attainable goal.

I am shooting for 50 pounds of weight loss next. Now, I know that it is a very attainable goal.