Four year Anniversary!

This month marks four years since I hit goal weight. It's hard to believe it's been that long. I never believed I could do it. We all hear the statistics, and they can trip you up before you even begin. Like so many others my weight dropped below my original goal. While it hasn't stayed quite that low, it's well below what I originally only dreamed of.

It's interesting how differently I eat now than when I started losing. On every weight loss attempt I had ever made, the diets I chose were so complicated that I just couldn't stick to them. I was totally overwhelmed! Grocery carts full of things I didn't recognize, and so many ingredients. This time I went simple. I only focused on calories and walking on the treadmill. Gradually I've totally overhauled my diet to mostly whole foods. Recently I've gone gluten-free. I really fought this, I thought the gluten thing was a fad unless one had celiac disease. I was definitely wrong about that.

I was a couch potato for years. I never enjoyed exercise, as far back as I can remember. Now I walk/run four miles, five days a week. I love how it makes me feel! Every time I climb stairs I marvel at how effortless it is now. Getting up from the floor without struggling and moaning is awesome!

I think it's really good to stop and look back at how far we've come. I hope I never take it for granted!
After being well over two hundred pounds for more than twenty years, it seemed impossible that I would ever get the weight off. I wish I would have done it sooner. I finally reached the point where I was becoming very ill before I got desperate enough to get serious about losing the weight. That and seeing my mom die from side effects of diabetes motivated me.

I don't think maintenance will ever come easily for me. I struggle with my sweet tooth. My job certainly doesn't help me there. Being surrounded by frosting is very hard. I used to think "I deserve this sweet, I work really hard". Now I remind myself - I deserve to take care of myself, it's okay to take an hour a day for some exercise and its okay to spend a little more for food that will make me healthy.

Nothing feels better than putting your feet up after a good run, my dog thinks so too!