Ten 5lb bags of sugar?

January 1, 2006…while eating ham, black-eyed peas, greens (both seasoned with hog jowls) and other traditional southern delicacies I decided it was time to take control of my life. Of course I didn’t get started for a couple days because we had so many leftovers as usual.

So on January 3, 2006 I started making better decisions on what I was going to eat and more importantly how I was going to cook it. I normally cooked veggies with pork fat of some form (being from the south that’s the way I was raised). I decided since it was still winter time I didn’t want to mess with the grill but broiling worked just as well so that’s how I started out. I roasted every thing from meats to veggies. I had salads loaded with an assortment of fresh veggies. I kept lots of fresh fruit on hand too.

My hobbies included cooking, reading romances, reading cookbooks, watching TV and of course my most physical activity was surfing the web. I needed to start moving so I started with a walk aerobics show for people over 40 that lasted all of 20 minutes…after two weeks I was able to do half the show without stopping.

By the middle of February and I had lost 18lbs and I was really surprised at my success so far. After I mastered doing the walk aerobics show twice a day I decided it was time to start Curves (by this time I hoped I worked out enough at home I had enough stamina not to embarrass myself there).

At Curves they weighed and measured me. Then looking at the sheet of all those numbers, asked me what my goal was…to loose more weight. Of course but did I have a goal in mine? Yes, I wanted to be able to shop anywhere for clothes so I guess I want to be a size 12. You can find size 12 most places and since I had been a size 18 for the past twelve years (except for the last few months of 2005 when I went up a size). It seemed like a lofty goal but I was determined even if it took years.

In March I felt better than I had in years and figured with all the wonderful changes taking place in my life it was time for a trip to the doctor’s office…it had only been five or six years so it was time. She was really happy with my outlook on life and the changes I was making. She gave me a goal weight and told me that it would take along time to reach it but slow and steady was the best way to get there.

A few days later I get a call back from her with some blood work results…I needed to come in for more tests cause my liver enzymes were high. After a liver ultrasound they found I had a fatty liver but the second round of blood work came back much better. So she told me to stick with the way I was eating because from what I had told her it was working on the weight issue and was eating a lower fat diet not too…I needed to loose weight and lower my fat intake so keep going.

At that point I was scared to death but I was also thankful that I had already found the eating habits I started not only worked but didn’t leave me feeling like I was missing something. I could live this way and be perfectly happy…which as she said I needed to do.

I did back slide in my self image though. When I weighed in 25lbs less, I decided I had to have a new scale because yes my clothes didn’t fit and yes I have been feeling much better but 25lbs was a lot so the scale must be wrong…*G*. Hubby took me shopping for a new scale and didn’t say a word when we got home and this scale said yes in fact I did loose 25lbs…not convinced I still checked it out at Curves too before I believed I’d lost five 5lbs bags of sugar (I would visualize my weight loss with bags of sugar…*g*).

April came along and I needed to start looking for new clothes for two reasons…nothing I had fit and I had a convention to go to the following month. I cleaned out my closet and took loads of clothes to Goodwill. I started shopping for my trip and I felt like a whole new person. I was excited because the weight was coming off and I felt so much more energetic. I was looking forward to the convention because this year I wouldn’t hold my friends back from doing stuff because I just didn’t have the energy or stamina to keep up.

May was a month of excitement not only because of seeing all my friends at convention but because I wanted them to see me. I had been telling everyone that I was loosing weight but now was the real test…was it really noticeable. I hit my next major goal, losing over 35lbs before my trip. I was all excited and ready to go.

I amazed my Dad…floored him would be more like it. Every week I called him about my weight loss and he say good job. When he picked me up from the airport he was totally surprised at my weight loss. He couldn’t believe what a change 37lbs made on me. When we ate out that night, he was surprised at the way I was able to fit in my eating habits with their lifestyle. No lettuce dinners for me, just sensible choices and amounts…I think that shocked him the most.

At the hotel my friends all commented on the change as well. Like Dad they noticed and cheered me on as well. It felt good to be able to go to the beach and pool and be as active as my best buds. We really had a blast and the best part is I come home not feeling deprived and still loosing 5lbs more while on vacation.

With summer came a whole new set of challenges. The hot weather, irregular schedules and activities that made my regimented style tough to follow. But I persevered and still lost weight…not at much as I did in the beginning but still it was a weight loss and that’s all that matters…better than a weight gain.

So you ask, why this long letter of stuff most of you know about?

Well as of this morning I’ve lost ten 5lb bags of sugar.

I’m not at my size 12 goal but I can shop in most stores because I’m wearing a size 16 regular and they are starting to get baggy on me. Instead of wearing an extra large t-shirt, I’m in a large which means I can get t-shirts most places too.

According to what my doctor recommended in March, I still need to loose 34lbs but I’m thinking another 50lbs will be better. It will still be in my recommended weight numbers for my age, height and body size so it won’t be too much. Whether I make it or not, I don’t know but it gives me a goal. The best part, since I started Curves, my body fat percentage has gone down over 5 percentage points so the doctor will be thrilled. I need to make an appointment for the next round of blood work (she wanted to see me again this month just to check on me).

What can I say, I’m happy and astonished that I’ve lost this much weight. When I started I was hoping to get in better shape and get back into the clothes that had gotten too tight over the holidays. After seeing the progress I was making I decided I need to get healthy instead of settling for what I had been for 12 years. Now I’m excited about the possibility of all the things I’ll be able to do 5, 10, 20 years down the road because I’ll be in much better shape and healthy enough to keep up with everyone around me.

Was it easy…hell no!

Would I go back…gawd I hope not!

Why not…because just like when I quit smoking, I see what it was before and it scares me enough to keep looking ahead.

I’ve been lucky and I hope my luck holds out…I hope to still be dancing well into my 80’s…I know it’s possible cause I see a couple of ladies at Curves that are in their 80’s and one just learned how to use the 3lb hula-hoop…*G*