just a small announcement...

nothing too major... 

but.... a few days ago... 

last week in fact...

I REACHED MY WEIGHT LOSS GOAL!!!

Yup. 20 pounds. Gone. I started back in June, really counting the calories and concentrating on taking in less than I was putting out in the form of exercise.It took committment. Time. Effort.  It paid off.

20 lbs lighter than last year at this time. It may not be greatly noticed by some but I certainly FEEL it!!

Maybe 20 pounds doesn't sound like a lot but trying lugging a couple 10 pound sacks of sugar around all day and you suddenly realize the stress you are putting on your body! I am going to stick with my eating plan and exercise for a few more weeks because I really want to get myself on 'that side of' the magic number on my scale. Well, actually I intend to stay with my exercise indefinitely!! And since I'm not really 'dieting' but rather eating sensibly, I will be sticking with that too!

oh darn, I'm gonna have to go shopping for clothes that fit me better!! ha ha ha.

So how does it feel? It feels good to be back at the weight recommended for my age, height and body frame. It feels good to slip into jeans that have been hidden in the back of my closet, just hoping for this day. It feels good to be comfortable in my clothes. It feels good to set a goal and REACH IT. I think for awhile there I was starting to believe I was not ever going to lose the weight. I was stuck at that overweight number for a few years. I would try to 'diet' and just yo-yo'd 2-3 pounds over and over again. It was frustrating. Especially when I went through the hard work of doing this so many years ago only to slip away from smart eating and let myself slowly gain the weight back.

the picture that motivated me to get the weight off. 

About 12 years ago I had reached a new high in my weight and I was really feeling unhappy about it. I saw a picture of myself that shocked me into doing something about it. I joined Weight Watchers and gave myself a year to take the weight off. I was successful.

I lost 45 pounds by following the program and walking daily. I kept that weight off for a year and then... yah, you guessed it. I got lazy and careless and gained some of it back. When I opened Curves in 2004, I was feeling fat and frumpy. I had gained about 20 lbs back. Working out on a regular basis and teaching other women about fitness was motivation for me and though I did not lose much weight, (about 10 lbs) my body got in shape and as I gained muscle the inches started sliding off.

that jacket kinda hangs on me now, as does the t-shirt. I no longer have the jeans because they are 2 sizes too big!

After I sold the club I started the yo-yo thing with my weight again.... and  the scale numbers slowly began climbing upwards and the clothes feeling snugger. I was 15 lbs heavier than I should be but at least it seemed to plateau there and I stayed steady at that weight for a couple of years. Then this summer when I injured my foot and could do nothing but sit, another 5 lbs leaped on me and I started feeling desperate!

I used to say I would rather tell people how old I was then tell them how much I weighed and I guess I still feel that way. Because this December I will turn 55. (that freaked me out a little to write that!) I reasoned that I did not want to be overweight in addition to reaching another milestone birthday. So I got serious.

Couple of things that I used this time that really helped were some apps for my smart phone. I downloaded the free "lose it" app which I use to track everything I eat. It counts my calories, and tells me how much fat, carbs and protein I had so I can keep a healthy balance to my eating. It also let me choose how quickly I wanted to lose the weight. Did I want to lose 1/2 a pound a week or did I want to lose 2 lbs a week? I chose to go for 1 lb a week and it then calculated how many calories I got each day and it told me I should obtain my goal by such and such date. Very cool. I love techy gizmo things so this was a great motivating tool for me to use.

things fit so much better! this was me going to my high school reunion last year and how those clothes fit now. awesome!!

The other free app I downloaded is the MapMyWalk.It tracks my route and how fast I am walking and tells me how many calories I burned. Love seeing that!  I have been walking every day since my foot healed and gaining in speed and distance. I am now averaging about 3 miles a day but sometimes I feel the need to take an extra walk in the evenings (I walk every morning) and I rack up another mile or two. It feels GREAT!!

The third thing, and really the most important one, isn't an app but an attitude. Realizing that my body is a temple where the Holy Spirit dwells and that I am called to a life of discipline made me even more determined to get back into shape. Just as God gave us the earth to take care of and be good stewards of all we are given, so am I to take care of the body He has given me. What a blessing to see this truth and work on living it out.

So, yep! I feel GOOD. And happy. But most of all I just feel proud of what I accomplished. Like I said, setting a goal and reaching it, is SO empowering!

Yah, so I'm feeling a little cheeky. I think I earned it. ;)