Before and in progress picture- 60 pounds down!

We went to our carnival last night and my husband snapped a picture of my daughter and me. It made me think of a very similar picture from last year with both my girls so I pulled it up. I was so happy to look at it and see such a difference! The top is me after I'd lost about fifteen pounds, bottom was yesterday at about sixty pounds down total.



I have at least twenty pounds to go. For now I am in sort of maintenance though. I have some medical issues going on that have changed my workouts as well as physical therapy, so my focus for the moment has shifted to those things, and I'm more than okay with that! The whole point was to get healthy and that's still what I'm doing!

I feel like even though I'd like my number lower I've already reached the goals I was headed towards:

-My children now see exercise as a desirable activity that we get to do, not an obligation we have to do

-I can see actual muscle definition in my arms and back, which makes me feel so strong and capable! My legs are still pretty thick, but I can feel some serious muscle in there. I'll never have slender thighs and I'm good with that, I'm going for strength!

-I truly am in excellent health. I had surgery at the beginning of May and my nurse thought I was an athlete because of my vitals. My resting heart rate is around 48-50 and I really have to push myself to be exerted. I love having no issues with getting tired or not being able to do something because of my weight. We walk whenever we can to get to places and as a result my increased endurance has helped my children become healthier.

-I can shop at most regular stores!

The best part is that I have no doubt that I can maintain and further this weight loss. Exercise is now a part of my life that I look forward to. I don't restrict my food- at the fair I had a corn dog and an ice cream sandwich, and the night before that- fries and funnel cake! Gasp! The difference now is that those fries were split with my husband, the funnel cake with my whole family, and the ice cream and corn dog were washed down with water, not a giant limeade. But only because I didn't really want the limeade that badly. Figuring out that I can still enjoy the taste and social aspect of food without causing issues to my weight loss has been a huge light bulb moment for me. It really is about balance, not restriction. I'm not dieting, I'm figuring out long term lifestyle changes that I can live with in the long term.

Thanks for sticking with this long winded post. It feels good to be on the posting side of a success story picture.