I've come so far but SO far to go....

I'm in a grumpy, bad mood today. I shouldn't be. Today was my weigh in day. I lost 1.5 pounds, so my total is up to 54.5 pounds. Today is also exactly 14 months since I started this. I'm doing well. I know that. But I'm still bummed.

I have about 70 more pounds to lose. I'm aiming for 1.5 pounds a week, which means it will take close to a year before I get to my goal weight. It just seems SO LONG. Week in, week out, weighing in, counting calories.

It just seems so daunting. Well, that's not true. I don't doubt that I can do it. Just such a long road. And I know if this is going to work, it needs to be a lifestyle change. Maybe that's the part I'm having a tough time grasping.

Why can't I concentrate on how far I've come, rather than on how far I have to go??

Full disclosure...revealing my weight!

So I've hit a big milestone. As of yesterday, 50 pounds lost since June 2010. But I have a few more big milestones coming up, and they really have to do with the actual number that I weigh. And I want to be able to fully celebrate them, so it's time to talk about how much I weigh.

My weight yesterday was 238. So yes, for those of you quick with math, that means I started at 288. 288. SO close to 300. It's really sad that I let myself get that way. I mean, I didn't even get that high while pregnant with Jenna....close, but not that high.

So 50 pounds is obviously big. But the bigger milestone comes when I get below 232. You see, I had lost weight before, after Jenna was born. And 232 was the lowest I got then. So that's a BIG goal for me right now, to get under 232.

Then the next big goal will be under 223. That means I will be over halfway there.

And the last big goal, before my final goal of 165, will be under 200. I haven't been under 200 since before we got married, almost 11 years ago. That will be something.

So 165 is my final goal weight. Still sounds like a lot, especially for someone who is just 5'4", but I've always carried my weight well. I weigh a lot more than I look, and I know I can be fit and healthy at around 165. Who knows, that final goal may change some, but it's my goal for now.

There you have it. Starting weight, 288. Current weight, 238. Still 73 pounds to go. But doing well so far!

New personal best

Just finished exercising this morning...for 100 minutes! My new personal best for time spent exercising. 80 minutes treadmill, 20 minutes doing the 30 day Shred. Yay for burning more calories!

Proof in the pictures!

I decided that I wanted to compare pictures of myself, to really SEE if I've lost weight. And I definitely like what I'm seeing! The first picture is on May 6, just over 2 months ago at my sister Maggie's bridal shower. The second picture (same outfit for comparison) is tonight, July 16. Yay!

Shape Up Challenge!

Twelve weeks ago at work I started a "shape up" challenge my company was having. They monitored exercise minutes, pedometer steps and weight loss. I didn't count my exercise minutes, because on the days I work I don't exercise. But I did monitor my weight and count my pedometer steps.

The challenge ended July 3. And as of this morning, I have lost 22 pounds and walked over 1.1 million steps. I'm pretty impressed with myself. But more importantly, I'm SO glad this happened when it did. I was just about ready to get back on track with healthy eating and exercising and this has helped so much. And I've gotten so used to wearing a pedometer that it doesn't feel right if I don't have it in my pocket! My company is going to keep the website up through the end of the year and I plan to keep counting my steps every day. My goal is to have at least 15,000 steps a day!

Oh! The best part? As of this morning, my overall weight loss since I started this last year is 41 pounds. Yay! About 1/3 of the way to my goal. :)

One year weigh in

One year ago, I started this. And I've lost 37.2 pounds. Not too shabby. Now to make the next 37 come off faster than a year!

One year ago

One year ago tomorrow I weighed the heaviest I ever have. June 21, 2010, was when I started recording my weight and making a major attempt to lose weight and get healthier. I did well until October, then I got majorly derailed until about April. But I'm back.

I'm excited to weigh myself in the morning to see what the scale says, so I can say, "I lost x number of pounds in the last year." I still have a LONG way to go. But I'm well on my way. Tomorrow morning we'll see just how far.