Party for One

Many persons have the wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose ~ Helen Keller

(psssttt.....check out my ticker at the bottom of the page :)

Interesting (to me) facts :)

Catherine over at Chronicles from Band Land posted about her rate of weight loss yesterday. Since getting banded she has lost 1.43 pounds per week. I was impressed! I started thinking about how much I have lost on my own so far and then pulled out the calendar. I think I've been at this for 26 ish weeks. Since I have now lost 26 pounds that was easy math. So my rate of weight loss is 1 pound per week.

Honestly I was shocked. With the number of times I fell off the wagon and bounced back up to a higher weight I can't believe it was still that good. So I'm giving myself a pat on the back and looking forward to when I am banded and it's harder to fall off the wagon. While we are on the subject I'm guessing that this is the longest I've ever stayed committed to losing and kept at it. I'm pretty proud of that.

Lighter

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rY0WxgSXdEE

Inspiration

I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that I have inspired other people with my weight loss journey. I've had several people write to me and tell me that they are now pursuing a healthier lifestyle because of what I am doing. I think it's great that people are wanting to be healthier and are making steps towards that but I just cannot get it through my head that it's because of me. I think part of why it's so hard is because I am still so far from where I want to be. I look at the numbers and in the mirror and I am not even close to my goal. The other thing that makes it hard is that this journey has been such a struggle and I have fallen off the wagon so many times I should probably get a CT scan. Today a friend told me I had inspired her. It was super hard to believe today because today was one of those days that Oreo's and naps won over apples and exercise. I'm proud of my friend though, she's lost 30 pounds! (OK, I'm jealous too :)

I'm going to leave you with a few of my favorite inspirational weight loss quotes;

The tragedy in life doesn't lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach. ~ Benjamin Mays

You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there. ~ Unknown

You have failed only when you quit trying. Until then, you're still in the act of progression. So, never quit trying and you'll never be a failure. ~ Tommy Kelley

If you want what you do not have, you must do what you have not done. ~ Unknown

Screeching Halt

I lost a pound a day last week. Fantastic! The problem? It sets me up for disappointment. The past two days there has been no movement on the scale. Believe me, I am beyond thankful it hasn't gone up but even just a quarter of a pound down would be good. I certainly did not expect to keep losing a pound a day but standstills are tough. I'm going to keep at it though and you will be the first to know if there are any changes.

PS-I know, I know....DON'T weigh myself everyday. I've heard it before, trust me! For me, weighing every day is helpful, it gives me feedback and encouragement especially when I am losing.

Head Games

Losing weight seems, to many, to be such a physical thing. Eat less + exercise more = weight loss. For those of us who have done it/are doing it we know that it is so much more. There's physical hunger, when your stomach growls and you need to it. Then there's mental hunger. Mental hunger is the toughest, for me. I'll be driving down the road and all of a sudden a little voice inside my head says "cake" or "Big Mac". I may or may not be physically hungry at the time but that little voice remembers how good cake and Big Mac's are and wants them....NOW. To be successful at weight loss you have to learn how to manage that little voice. I've found that it takes a healthy balance of saying no to the things I crave and giving in once in a while. What does your little voice ask for? How do you handle it?

Ta-da!!

I did it, I lost 25 pounds!!! 2-3 more pounds and I will have lost the equivalent of Little Guy. HUH? I've almost lost a whole 2 year old???????????????????? How bizarre is that? Wow.