150 Pounds Down!

Today I met the goal I had set for myself for the end of the year. Negative 150 pounds. I still can't believe it.

I've gone from a 54" waistline to a 38" waistline. I've gone from 4XL shirts down a Large. I'm down to one chin. I have collar bones, and wrist bones again. The floorboards in my house no longer squeak when i walk. I have muscles for probably the first time ever. I'm Zumba'ing 4 nights a week. I'm running on the weekends. I've done a 10k, and I'm registered for a half marathon in May. I'm eating vegetables all the time, constantly looking for ways to eat healthier. I can't remember the last time I had a cheeseburger ...

It's been such a transformative year. I see people that I haven't seen in awhile, and they are blown away because they've just never seen me like this. My weight hasn't been this low in probably 15 years. The successes have been so great, that it's hard to get a handle on sometimes. My friends and family and coworkers still can't really comprehend it. It's literally as if I woke up one day and became a different person.

MFP has been such a huge part of my success. Admittedly, I've gone through different levels of enthusiasm over the last year with regards to logging and whatnot. But MFP was the starting point. In the beginning, I logged religiously. Now, one year later, I have learned what to eat, and what not to eat. I can estimate the caloric intake of my food much better, and logging has become less of a priority.

Aside from the calorie tracking functions of the site, the community has also played a huge role. These forums are so supportive, and all my friends on here (my MFPeeps, if you will) have really kept me focused and on track. It was hard to come to terms with the fact that I could be an inspiration to others, and yet .. it seems that with every pound I've lost ... somebody has told me just that. It still seems crazy. All this support and encouragement has really kept me going. For this, I am eternally grateful.

There are still a few weeks left to the year, and my actually MFP anniversary isn't until Jan, 5th, 2011. I'll keep pushing to see just how much I can lose between now and then. Despite all my success, I'm still technically "obese", a label I wont be free of for another 11 pounds. I've already lowered my overall goal from 180 to 165. I never thought I'd even get this far ... now I'm starting to think I can go all the way.

I keep telling myself ... I'm not special ... anybody can do this. Perhaps I'm half-right.

I think the real truth is that we are ALL special, and we can ALL do this.