I MADE IT!!!!

I am proud to announce I made it to "Onederland"!!!! As of 2/20/08 my weight was 198! It feels so good to have a 1 in front of my weight instead of a 2. I have about 68 pounds left to lose to reach my goal weight. 68 seems like a lot but when you compare that to the 110 I needed to lose in the beginning, it's really not that bad. Just 3 months ago I could have qualified for weight loss surgery and I started this journey thinking that if I didn't see any progress I was definitely doing the surgery. Now, thank God, I no longer qualify for the surgery since I am not 100+ pounds overweight. My next mini goal is to reach 180 which will be a total of 60 pounds lost. I have 18 pounds to go, and I am confident I will reach this goal in no time. I'm aiming for April 10th. There is no doubt in my mind that I can and WILL do this!

12 weeks in......

This week I had another huge weight loss victory! I noticed everything in my closet was getting way too big, so I decided to get a smaller size to see how much more I needed to work to get into it. I have been wearing an 18W with a few 20W here and there, but honestly, I knew I needed to go up to 20W. ALL of my 18W's were getting way too tight. I had so many pairs of pants that were just flat out too small. Anyway, the 18W's have gotten loose, so I decided to buy a couple of 16W's to see how much work I needed to do to get in them. Well I got home and tried on the first pair and they fit AWESOME!!! I was so pleased. I tried on the second pair and they were pretty loose. I look at the tags and realized I accidentally grabbed a regular 16 and a wide. The wide was actually a little big on me. I can't believe I can actually wear a regular 16. It's been YEARS since I have been a comfortable 16. Just to put on something with no "W" behind it is mind blowing to me.

I also officially hit the 40 pound mark this week. Which means I am 1 pound away from "Onederland"! I have not weighed less than 200 pounds in almost 6 years. It feels so good to actually be getting back into shape. I have lost a total of 25 inches since January 5th, thats just 6 weeks. Even my shoes fit better. No more squeezing into all of my cute shoes that I refused to get rid of when I gained weight. This feeling is amazing. It should be bottled and sold to every over weight person worldwide. It is more motivating than anything I have ever experienced. I am only 70 pounds away from my goal weight of 130. Years ago I thought it was impossible for me to get down to 130, but today I am convinced that this is not only possible, but that I am well on my way. Every time I get dressed I am reminded of how much weight I have lost, and I get excited all over again. The gym has become one of my favorite places. I feel empowered when I reach a new cardio goal, or when I can press a little more weight a few more times. My arms are shaping up so well. My triceps still need alot of work, but my biceps look awesome. My legs also need lots of work since thats where my body stores most of the extra fat, but here recently I have noticed they are slimming down alot. At first I was loosing most of the inches from around my waist, but now my hips and thighs are shedding inches like crazy. Measuring is an awesome tool to help me focus on the area that is already slimming and toning. Needless to say, I am thrilled, and I can't wait to reach my next mini goal of 190.....I'm almost there!

Still on this journey

Well, so far so good. I've been successfully eating healthy for a little over 2 months now. I have lost a total of 32 pounds and tons of inches. I'm still waiting to be able to fit into a smaller size, but if I remember correctly I still need to lose about 18 pounds before that will happen. I'm hoping to lose another 28 in the next 10 weeks, which averages out at 2.8 pounds per week which is not much at all. If I can get these 28 pounds off I will be soooooo happy. I'll definitely treat myself to a new outfit or two. Hubby will definitely appreciate the new look too. With weight loss comes a confidence that has been missing in my life for a long time. The confidence is what he'll appreciate most. I know he'd love me at 300 pounds or 150 pounds, but I don't know how much I'd love me at 300, so it's best I keep working to get to my ideal weight and stay there.