2014 End of Year Wrap-Up

167 lbs.  (Head hanging low - but keeping perspective - what a year!)

What A Difference A Year Makes

Today I went in for my post-Optifast body assessment.  I weighed in and started out very disappointed in my weight gain (14 lbs. since stopping the full fast), but my mood changed considerably as I reviewed the year with my counselor.

Here is how much things have changed since 12/17/13, when I had my initial body assessment:

                            12/17/13     12/23/14
Upper Arms:          16"              11.5"
Chest:                     46.5"           37.5"
Waist:                     46.5"           34.75"
Hips:                       55"              42.5"
BMI:                       45                29
Body Fat%            No Tst.          34.8%


Here are my pre and post Optifast body assessment photos;

It's very motivating for me to see this right now.  Looking at the two photos, taken in the same room exactly one year apart, really gives me the fire to keep going on this journey.  I have about 15-20 pounds to lose, and most importantly, I need to learn to bounce back from special occasion eating and weight gain.  I'm a work in progress for sure, and I'll continue to reach out for help and do what it takes to stay healthy and live joyfully.

Here I am at the beginning of 2013

In 2013 I was tired and felt hopeless about my chances for getting healthy.  I traveled a lot, very uncomfortably.  That year I went to several countries in Europe and Asia and across the US for both work and pleasure.  It was a great adventure and I wished that I could have have felt like I do now!  But I can't focus on the past.  I just have to look forward to more memories with a healthier me.

Hello, new fancier, sportier me!

I'm back on track today with my eating, and I'm going to resist going into a shame spiral about my recent holiday splurges.  Today I'm going to have a beautiful, long run.  Here are some shots of a nice morning run that I had over the weekend.

This is a lovely trail near my home.  The pic on the right is of a herd of grazing deer. 

It has been an amazing year, and I couldn't have done it without the support of family, friends and virtual friends.  Thank you for your continued support.   I'm off on a cruise starting Friday, so I'll be out of communication for a couple of weeks.  I'm going to try to eat protein and veggies 90% of the time, with a couple of indulgences along the way.  I'll be walking, snorkeling and hiking, and of course, running on the shipboard treadmill to stay on track for the half marathon!

Here's to a Happy and Healthy 2015!

Progress updates!

I've been feeling really light lately.  Light in my spirit, and physically lighter.  I've lost almost 50 pounds so far, and there are a couple of really nice new experiences that I thought I'd share.

• When I put on my older shirts, they feel heavier, and I notice how they drape loosely on me.  I love it :-)
• I have happily retired several items of clothing and I look forward to donating them.
• I am officially in a size where I can buy clothes in most stores!  I don't have to look in the plus size section anymore, and shopping has become a completely new experience.  I used to only shop when one of my standard clothing items wore out.  I had some basic professional clothing that I had been wearing for the past 7 years.  Now I am starting to LOVE venturing into clothing stores just to see what clothes look like on my newly shaped body.
• I can stretch farther and in new ways when I'm in my water aerobics class.  The "junk in my trunk" prevented me from reaching behind my back to stretch, and this week I was able to do it for the first time.  
• People are noticing, especially my hubby :-)  I have inspired him to focus on his diet and exercise so we are changing together.  I hadn't posted a picture on Facebook in a while, and when I posted this one, someone commented on my weight loss.  It was really wonderful!

My great-nephew and I are comfy in our chair.

• In the picture above, I was sitting on one of those resin Adirondack chairs.  Normally, it would be quite wobbley and a tight fit.  I felt very comfortable in this chair and it was such a relief not to feel that stress about fitting or causing it to collapse.  Freedom!

I've updated my Progress in Pictures, though I think it shows only gradual progress, and I have to admit, that I'm terrible at adding slides to this post.  I'm trying not to distort the original picture, but they aren't perfect - as I try to make all the mug shots look similar. I will probably opt for more "real" shots in the future.

I hope all of you are feeling the lightness of Spring (or energy of Fall in the case of those readers south of the equator) wherever you are on your weight loss journey.  Thanks for stopping by!

Progress in Pictures

I'm not the most talented with these tools, but I'll do my best to add pictures to this slide to show progress over time.  I should mention that the first one is a "picture of a picture" and is the shot taken at the Optifast clinic.