My Introduction to Blog World

In January 2007, I decided it was time for a change. And not just a small change...but a HUGE one! We were in the process of dealing with the horrible downhill path of my grandfather's battle with cancer and it was just a very emotional time. To witness firsthand the horror of what he was going thru and the pain his poor body was in was beyond words. Finally it struck me, what the heck am I doing? Do I want to one day be in that position with my family tearfully watching me struggle to the end of my life in so much pain? It could so easily be me...being overweight is a major contributing factor to the odds to getting cancer. In a world where so many healthy people are diagnosed with cancer every single day, do I really want to keep living a life that will increase those already scary odds? Heck no! Add to this the fact that being overweight is the obvious contributing factor to diabetes, high blood pressure, heart problems...all issues that are prevalent in my family. It was certainly time to wake up! And aside from the health issues I was quickly heading for (by the grace of God I was healthy and showed no signs of medical problems in spite of my weight), there were other things to consider. I was tired of not being able to be the type of wife and mother I wanted to be, the type my family deserved. At 276.6 pounds, I obviously couldn't join my kids on the amusement park rides they asked me to do. I didn't have th energy to play with them at the playground or go on long walks with them. I was exhausted alot of the time too. On weekends when I could be spending time with the family, I could easily sleep until 1 or 2 in the afternoon. And then with my marriage. I have always been blessed to have a husband who loved me and told me how gorgeous I was no matter how much I weighed, but I certainly couldn't look in the mirror and see that same beauty. I was also tired of seeing all those cute clothes in the stores and buying them certainly wasn't an option because the biggest they sold was an XL when I needed a size 24 or so. I had a lot of reasons to lose weight, and it was time to get off my butt and do it. I started a low calorie diet and began charting everything that I ate. I cut out all sodas which I loved because obviously they would use up a huge allotment of my calories each day. Water became one of my best friends and I drank tons of it. I began walking every day during my lunch time at work and I also joined Curves. 18 months later, I am so proud to say that I am at my goal weight...a range that I set between 125 and 135 pounds. I have lost MORE than HALF OF ME!!! That is just unreal! I try to make sure to stay below 130 but on vacations I do sometimes creep above that...but quickly get myself back on track to make sure I do not go above 135 pounds. I am one of those daily weighers and have decided that I always will be. This helps keep me motivated and lets me know if I'm low in my range...I can splurge a little today. If I'm higher for some reason, I focus on what I eat and make sure I'm within my calories, because yep...I STILL monitor what I eat each day. So thats me in a nutshell...while I have reached my goal weight, my journey is far from over. Weight issues run in my family and I have come to realize this is something that I will have to be mindful of for the rest of my life. Since I am at goal, I do allow splurges now, but I always stay focused on remaining within my range. I am also proud to say that as a result of the healthy changes in my life, my husband has also lost over 70 pounds and is only about 30 pounds from his goal. My mother has also lost about 70 pounds and is only about 10 pounds from her goal. Awesome job family!!! I had to laugh over the weekend when we had a little getaway to Biloxi. While my 13 year old daughter was putting her contacts in the next morning at the hotel, I put her jeans on...AND THEY FIT!! Now mind you, she has a gorgeous figure....I couldn't believe it. Of course she didn't appreciate it a bit and said "please take my pants off". lol Then my 11 year old asked me to put hers on...and they fit too. lol Granted they had a little stretch in them, but it felt amazing! Is there something you have done lately that made you feel amazing? I hope so...we all need that!