One year down, 98 pounds lost!!!

Okay everyone... Sorry not sorry for the upcoming long post. My turn to brag on myself a bit.

Today marks the one year anniversary of my health journey. Who better to celebrate with than you all?

This time last year I weighed around 250 pounds. Today I weigh 152!!!!!! It took only 2 months for the first 50 to come off, and it's been a longer 10 months with some ups and downs for the other 48. I still have 7 pounds to go to be in the "healthy" bmi range, and about 22 to go to reach my ultimate goal weight. I am totally a different person now. I can no longer use "I'm too fat and lazy" as a valid excuse. I can call myself a "runner" now (albeit reluctantly). I've gone from not being able to run for more than 10 seconds or so to being able to run 40 minutes at a time! I went from a women's size 18-20 jeans to.... get this.... I just bought a pair of size 6!!! skinny jeans! I went from eating fast food 3-4 times EVERY day to eating "sticks and leaves" (according to my great aunt) now and really enjoy the variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. I now see time off as opportunity to exercise more, and walking doesn't feel like exercise anymore. I've stuck to my food plan so long that those around me know and understand what I'm doing, support me, and have even started making changes in their diets. I have loose skin around my torso (as most other places)... but I still do jumping jacks in the middle of the gym without embarrassment. I feel like I've earned my place at the gym, and no longer stare at the floor to avoid eye contact with those around me. Shopping for clothes is now FUN! ("Maybe a little too much fun," says my wallet.) I sleep better, I'm generally more comfortable doing anything (sitting, standing, walking, bending, etc), I have more energy, a more positive outlook on life, more confidence, more positive self talk, and stronger determination. This is seriously the longest project I've worked on successfully and consistently since school... and it's something I feel like I can continue the rest of my life. And now pictures.









So it's totally not fair to have a seated bathing suit picture as a "before" compared with a standing and clothed "after", but this picture in particular means something to me. One of the breakthroughs that needed to happen in order to start my journey was being able to accept and love myself as I am (was) today (then). When I looked at this picture last Fall, the first thing I saw wasn't my big arms, big tummy, double chins, or laughable use of a shaping undergarment under my suit. The first thing I saw was my smile. I was truly happy the day that picture was taken, and for the first time, that was the most important thing about the picture. My happiness was beautiful to me, and I can still smile at that picture. I was happy then, and I'm happy now. Now I just have different healthy habits and a body that allows me to keep up with them.

Thank you for reading and letting me brag a bit. I'm super proud/shocked/amazed at my success so far, and I wanted to share!