One Year, 120 Pounds Lost (with pics)

I love your story! I love your sense of humor (my husband has never heard of macaroni and cheese covered hot dogs, but I'll bet he tries them now! haha). Your story means a lot to me, because I have 125.5 lbs to go. I walk now, but not far. I do my strength training, but the weights are kind of pitiful. Sometimes it feels like I'm just a big joke at the gym (though no one at the Y would ever say that to me). I can't wait to wear a storyteller shirt! Hell, I can't wait until I can buy ANY shirt that is a L or smaller!

1) I ate that mac and cheese topped hot dog at Ditch Plains in NY, but they were just what you think: hot dog, in bun, topped with mac and cheese Oooh so good.

2) Pitiful weights are how we all start. You don't walk into the weight room, load a bar, put it on your back, and squat. You start off with wall sits. Then wall sits with weights in your hands. Then squats on the wall with a swiss ball behind your back. Then body weight squats. Then squats with hand weights. It's all a progression! When I look back at what I started out lifting I giggle. You'll do the same. It's all about progressive overload, my friend.

3) You are NOT a joke at the gym. First, no one is really paying attention to you. They are in their own little self-centered world. Second, if they are paying attention to you, they're not laughing at you. They're cheering you on in their head. They're thinking, "if she can do this, I can too." They're thinking, "that used to be me."

You know, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe they do see you more than you think. I go to my gym at pretty much the same time every day and often it's the same people. A lot of people over the last year have talked to me, told me I'm looking great, congratulated me, cheered me on.

So I guess what I'm saying is: you're not a joke. You're an inspiration to them and someday they're going to let you know that.

When I started at the gym, I made a choice to that gym-time is honeybadger time. I refused to give a *kitten* what people thought of me. honeybadger don't care (google for the honeybadger video on youtube if you don't get the reference).

Anyway, sorry for the ramble, I just want you to know that you can do it. Seriously. Just don't give up. You will see the results.