My journey--Walking and eating healthy

I am 62 years old this year and recently retired. I have always had issues with weight control and I always hated to exercise, except for swimming. I have high blood pressure and high cholesterol and triglycerides. My feet hurt when I walked and I had knee issues and a hip that causes me pain. And I thought enough!!!! So I bought a Fitbit One in December hoping that it would get me moving. I already had MyFitnessPal on my iPad and was using it to log foods. In February we bought iPhones so I could load all these devices to my phone and bought a Withings digital scale too. And I loaded Runtastic for walking sessions.

Since January 1st I have walked 1,918,603 steps with the Fitbit which averages out to around 1000 miles, walk sessions on Runtastic are almost 300 miles(these are included in the Fitbit total) and I swam miles in our pool this summer. I have logged all food consumed with MyFitnessPal which helped make me aware of just how much I was eating and how badly. We garden and I have fresh produce all summer. I have not starved myself, or denied myself the things that I enjoy or going out to dine whenever possible but I have been very consistent in keeping track of how many calories I consume every day.

To date I have lost 55 lbs, that's 192,500 calories!!!!! And reduced my BMI by 12 points. And so many inches that none of my clothes fit. I had kept 2 sz 16 jeans that I have not been able to wear since 1996 and this week I have worn them both!!!! I thought I would never be able to get into them again. I have been replacing my wardrobe slowly, but not with lots yet because I have 20 lbs to go. But I have given the "fat" clothes away, I will not be needing them anymore.

I am looking forward to my yearly doctors visit and my new stats. I feel better than I have in 20 years, I have tons of energy to do the many outdoor activities that I enjoy, and I love walking. I have several friends that have helped keep me motivated and we walk everyday and I look forward to these sessions.

All of these things have helped me reach a goal I thought was impossible. But helped is all they did, they are tools to help you be motivated and determined to change and improve your mind, body and spirit. I am so very grateful for these things because they are easy to use and fun and they have helped me stay on track and moving ahead. Seeing the goals met and the weight come off and feeling healthy again is the best motivation. And if I can do this anyone can!! Thanks for the encouragement on FB, the healthy recipes, and the success stories of others fighting their own battles.

Everyday is a new beginning--do not take it for granted.