Meeting my goals

I have to say that I love the fact that I can be in a room filled with people that I have known for years and still hide, because they do not recognize the person I have become. My weight loss has been dramatic. I look younger. I feel younger.

I do not know my exact weight at this moment, because I do not have scales where I am staying. I do know that the last time I stepped on the scales I had lost 80 pounds so far. I am now 80 pounds from my goal.

It has taken me a year and a half to reach this point in my life. Sometimes I wish that I had never given up the exercise that I was doing 10 years ago and perhaps I would not be working so hard now. Stopping is the fallacy that many people make.

Why do people reach that goal and then sit back on their laurels? Do they not know that to stay at that point they have to maintain?

I did not realize this. Of course, I was not trying to lose nor did I think that I was dieting. I was merely staying active. When I stopped, the weight came back.

Now I know that in order to stay healthy I have to have a healthy life and lifestyle that supports the new me.

New me…

I can hardly wait to see the new me! I still long for the weight to come off quickly so that I can see my results faster, but I know that is an impossible task. I also know that if it did, I might fall into that “resting on my laurels” category.

No. I think that slow and habit forming is the key.

It will not be long before I will be admiring my hard work for years to come.

Great Expectations

I ventured out into the stores today in search of Christmas gifts. I bought gifts for the boys in my life and while I was at it, I decided to pick up some things for me, too!

The way that I buy clothes lately is to buy them one or two sizes smaller because my weight has been steadily going downward and I know that I will be in them shortly. It is not practical, but it gives me the option of having something to wear in a few weeks when I approach that goal. I need to go through my closet again and discard some clothes, but that is a good thing, right?

I saw a shirt that I just loved! I loved the color and the style. However, it was a button up shirt. I’ve never had luck with button up shirts in the past because a) I was always overweight, b) my boobs, regardless of my weight, are huge, and c) they never fit right.

So… I flipped through the shirts on the rack and the only sizes they had were 2 sizes bigger than what I wear and 2 sizes smaller. So, I bought the one that was 2 sizes smaller.

Week 2 Accountability

This week was a bit harder, but then again, the second week usually is. It’s hard when you are trying to make new habits in your life.

What did I discover this week?

Week 1 Accountability Post

This week has been an emotional wreck for me. If you have read my blog posts you will know that I have been fighting some demons on the home front. I have tried not to let things derail me from achieving my goals and believe me, this has been difficult to achieve.

Day 1, I managed to get up and exercise first thing. I liked exercising early because I managed to get it out of the way and done. However, when you exercise in the morning something odd happens.

Old Habits Die Hard

            I have been out of school for three weeks now and in those three weeks I have managed to gain three pounds. What is wrong with this picture? Have I become so complacent that I have slipped comfortably back into old routines and old habits? I think so.

            It didn’t take long for me to go back to my old eating habits. It didn’t take long for CH to convince me that I could eat ice cream and cake along with him and be fat and happy. It didn’t take me long to accept that food was not my enemy but my friend.

            But why?

            This is a question that I’m struggling hard to find an answer for right now. Perhaps now is a good time to

Dream Big… and Always Bring Friends along for the Ride

When my Mom was diagnosed with cancer and given her “death sentence” by the doctor, I had a burning question that I wanted to ask her. I wanted to ask, “What have you not done that you want to do?”

Little did I know that this question would spill over into my own life as I had been living my life complacently. I had coasted by with no goals, no dreams, and no aspirations. I was one big blah in the middle of society.

When she passed away, I decided to go back to school. Check one for me living my life again.

Yet, I was not feeling as challenged. Sure I was I actually starting to live my dream, but I could feel myself slipping back into that complacent mode. So I challenged myself and resolved this year that I would do something completely out of the norm for me. I wanted to push the boundaries of my comfort zone and climb out of my shell.

So I auditioned for Liberty Idol.

May 1^st came and I was nervous, hoarse from singing so much, and torn.

Hanging out with my best friend, Ann, before my Liberty Idol performance.

Overall, the experience was one that I would never forget. I did not make it through to the next round, but I was proud of myself for doing it! I tried. I went up on the stage and sang. I shared my testimony with so many who said that my story made them rethink their dreams. After all, are we not supposed to inspire others?

So, who inspires me? My children, my CH, and my friends!

You’re so Vain

My husband made the comment on Saturday, as I asked him to take my picture for a progress shot, that I am stuck on myself.  This made me think, “Am I really being that vain?”  I’ve stated before

Dream Big, but Beware of the Nightmares

My dream is to finally be the person I once was in a time that seems so long ago.  To quote Henry David Thoreau, “If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with success unexpected in common hours.”  Without our dreams, we have no goals to reach for and no life to look forward to living.

But what if you are like me- a daydreamer- and you have big dreams.  You know the ones that seem nearly impossible.  Well, let me share with you a few of mine and then, I’ll give you a glimpse into my nightmare (because we sometimes have those, too, don’t we?).