4 years on - conventions, costumes and the roller coaster that is keeping the weight off

So, after being miserable and overweight throughout my 20s, I started to come out of my shell after I turned 30. Got out and did things, met new people, started to enjoy life. In 2013, I went to my first ChicagoTARDIS, a 3 day Doctor Who convention in Chicago the weekend after thanksgiving. I was so psyched to meet doctor who actors, run around in costume and make new friends. And I had a blast. But then, the pictures. Ugh, so many happy memories and the pictures smacked me in the face. I knew I was fat. But dang, no, not happy.



The pictures made me so unhappy BUT they were also the final straw. I was finally awake and finally motivated to lose weight. After trying so hard and failing for my entire adult life, it all finally clicked and I did it. I moved more. I ate less. I started biking to work. I went to the gym. I weighed my food, logged it all. I worked hard over the next year and hit my goal a year later in time for ChicagoTARDIS 2014.




But losing weight isn't a race - it's a lifelong journey. You don't hit your goal and then live happily ever after. It takes continued dedication and work. If you start to slack, that weight can creep back on. Since hitting my goal I've yo yo-ed a bit. A few pounds up, take a few pounds off, a few more pounds up, take a few more pounds off. Honestly, I'm about 20 lbs heavier than I'd like to be. But, I'm not too terribly worried about it. I know what it takes to lose the weight. I make myself look back at those pictures from 2013 and then to what I accomplished by 2014. I've got this. Log back into myfitnesspal and log everything I eat. Need to tighten up my portion control and drink a little bit less. I've integrated physical activity into my every day life. I'm training for a half ironman. And I still love my conventions and my costumes. Just got back from ChicagoTARDIS 2017 and this year, as it has for the past several years, the pictures make me smile.