A friendly wager

So now that I'm getting closer to goal, things have slowed down. I've been having a much harder time staying on track. Sweets and carbs have been calling my name. I admit...I ate whatever I wanted over my birthday weekend. I'm still exercising regularly, and it makes me hungrier. I'm very happy with my body size now - if I never lose another pound, I'd be good. Still, I would like to reach my goal and see what that feels like. But I just couldn't get motivated. Until Angela.

My very good friend Angela, whom I've known for 10 years now (wow!), has challenged me to lose the final pounds with her. We both had 14 pounds to go till we reach a goal (mine will end with me at 160 - my surgeon's suggestion for a goal). Game on! Loser treats the winner to an item from a boutique in Missoula when I visit her there in May. So far I'm ahead - I'm already down 4 pounds. But Angela has just been released to start running again, after months of being unable to. She's going to give me a run for my money, I know it. 

One year

One year ago today I had my initial consultation with the surgeon, and I weighed 309 pounds. This morning I weighed 170 pounds. A year ago I was size 28-30 or 3x-4x. Now I'm size 12 or medium. A year ago I was truly unhappy and felt like I was going to die. Now I love life and I feel 20 years younger. I can't believe how much has happened in a year. I can't believe how quickly the year has gone by. Still...this journey was one of the best decisions of my life. 

6 months

It has been 6 months since I had my surgery. I weigh 178 pounds, which means I've lost 89 pounds since the surgery and 131 pounds overall. I'm wearing size 12-14 pants, and generally large shirts. I've been tracking my measurements since close to the beginning, and I've lost a total of 71 inches from my waist, hips, neck, chest, neck, thigh, knee, calf, bicep, and forearm. I'm able to run about 3 miles and look forward to longer runs in the future. I feel really good and very healthy. If I never lost any more weight, I would be happy. However, I'm still trying to lose a bit more. I saw my surgeon a week ago and she recommended a goal weight of 160, which seems so close. Personally, I've adjusted my goal to be 154 pounds, because at that weight I would have lost half of myself (155 pounds). Today I went through my closet and took out a ton of clothes that no longer fit. This is the second big clothes purge since this journey began. In fact, I don't have a lot of clothes that DO fit. I am now roughly the size I was when I got married, which is the smallest I've been in my adult life. Here are some pictures from this morning.

 

And for comparison, these are the pictures my surgeon's office took on the day of my initial consult in late January of last year. This day was my high day - 309 pounds. It is painful for me to look at these pictures. 

I will say though, looking at these pictures does remind me of how difficult it was to be so large. The physical difficulties were not something to laugh at, and I really don't ever want to forget them. Remembering this makes me even more thankful that I chose the path I did. This surgery was a tool that has catapulted me into a healthier life. With it I was able to make so many more changes and stick with them. It is hard for me to imagine what my life would be like now if I had not chosen to go forward on this journey. Simply, I am so so so glad that I did.