Weightloss Goal Day is Here!

Happy 4th of July to all of you!  When I chose this date as my "goal line", it was just a good day on the calendar, and it seemed so far away.  Now it's here, and I'm so very proud of myself, even though I didn't reach the goal that I set.  I came darn close though, and reaped other benefits that mean far more to me than the numbers on the scale.

I started this journey in the middle of March, weighing 170 pounds.  I had never run, not even a mile.  My clothes were tight, and I was really needing a size larger.  The patterns I was cutting looked enormous to my eyes having never been that large before, and I felt terrible about myself.  I've always been "big boned" or "healthy" as my Mom would say, but I'd never reached weight or size before.

Losing weight before always lasted about 3 weeks, and was never met with any real success, so this 4 month marathon has been very, very different from all the other attempts.  Using the Spark People website, I tracked my food and exercise, staying within the recommended amounts (1200 - 1500 calories) set by my height, weight, and goal.  I used the treadmill in the basement, DH bought me a new bike for Mother's Day, and started running outside (thank God for Spring!).

When the weight started coming off, DH joined me in the journey and it became so much easier as we worked together to find our old, healthier selves.  Support at home is essential to finding success (in any part of life), so we would take turns staying home with the kids so the other could exercise or run.  We kept each other in check on our food, and tried new recipes (turkey burgers are so delicious, who knew?), and started/finished each week with a Sunday morning weigh-in.  Our yellow construction paper list slowly filled with numbers as the weeks went on, and new goals were reached.  Men lose weight so differently than women, that was frustrating at times when he'd consistently lose and my numbers were going up and down with certain times of the month (ahem).  But the baby steps forward added up and we found ourselves changing for the better.

So, here I am today on my goal day.  I didn't lose 25 pounds, but that's okay.  I lost 17 pounds and am down 2 clothing sizes.  I can hardly believe that I can run without feeling like my lungs are going to explode.  I love my new measurements (38-32-41).  I love that I have set a goal and worked toward it, and didn't give up.  My self-confidence is renewed, and I really love how I feel (sexy, tough, determined, healthy, powerful).  If you are one of the people that read my blog and commented that I was "inspiring" thank you so much, that really kept me moving forward in the tough times.  Inspirational is not a word I would choose to describe myself, but it makes me feel wonderful to think that I encouraged you to make some healthy changes for yourself, too.  And, I'm not quite finished.  DH is still working towards his goal, so I will continue to exercise and make healthy food choices right along with him!

Here's the "before" shot.  The last outfit I made myself before this started.  Guess I'll be learning some alteration skills, since I love that skirt too much to scrap it!  The "after" dress is one I've had for some time... I last wore it at my bridal shower, 11 years ago!

Thanks again to all of you for your kindness and friendship along the way.  When I decided to blog about my intended weightloss, it was with the intention of it keeping me honest and accountable to all of my readers.  But, I didn't expect it to be so amazingly supportive and to find so many wonderful "cheerleaders" out there.  The internet sewing community has again exceeded my expectations and made me thankful to have you in my life.