Success doesn't always look the same

I finally reached my goal. Not my goal weight, but my goal. I reached goal weight (or thereabouts) in October 2014 when I lost 70 lbs (1/3rd of my body weight), but that was just one step in the total journey.

But my reasons for losing the weight weren't to do with reaching a number. I only lost it for health reasons. My cholesterol had been creeping up, I got winded, didn't want to run around and just didn't feel great. I felt that if I didn't do something radical then I would find myself old before my time and functionally incapable of doing what I wanted to do well into old age. I was facing my own mortality, I suppose.

I started losing on MFP January 22, 2014 and reached my goal about 9 months later (give or take). I've managed to maintain my weight pretty well since then, and even lost the few pounds that had crept on. I worked out regularly and honestly felt great.

When I had my annual physical last May though, I had a real shocker. Even after losing all the weight, my cholesterol had shot up. My "bad" LDL cholesterol was 202, total was 301. My triglycerides and "good" HDL cholesterol were really good, but my doc was concerned and reaching for the prescription pad...

So, I did what I did to lose the weight. I figured out using research, googling studies and reading a lot, what might work for me to get my cholesterol under control without drugs. I put together a plan, gave myself 4 weeks to execute it, and then got retested. Numbers were better, I was off the hook for drugs, but the real test was whether I could stick with my plan longer term.

Well, I've done it. Not only done it, but exceeded my own goal. For my annual physical this year, LDL was 88 (I'd set a goal of 100), total was 173, triglycerides and HDL were still really good, doc was really pleased, congratulated me on an improvement he said couldn't be achieved using drugs and that I should be on a documentary.

I guess my point here is that it's really important to understand WHY you want to lose weight and to always keep that in the back of your mind. It makes it easier to cope with the small disappointments along the way and focus on the ultimate prize. It also makes the unexpected bonuses feel so much sweeter - not only am I healthier, but I look much better, I love what my body can do, I love that I have muscles in my arms, I love that I can lift my 10 year-old daughter (who is nearly as tall as me), I love that my skin glows from health, and that I can run, I love that I can get great bargains in the small sizes on the sale rail, and that I feel ALIVE. But they're all small bonuses that I wasn't planning or expecting.

Good luck everyone!