Five Monumental Moments in a Year of Weight Loss

Tomorrow marks the one year anniversary of me starting to lose weight (again). The picture accompanying this post was taken sometime in October, when I had already lost perhaps 10 pounds. While I have dropped 8 sizes over that singular calendar, have carted away and donated nearly my entire wardrobe and reaped innumerable health benefits, there have been other, perhaps more subtle milestones along the way.

1. When I went to Las Vegas with my friend, who is a teacher over her spring break for a second annual girl’s trip I was six months into this and down about 60 pounds. She was the one who took note that I did not ask the flight attendant for a seatbelt extender, as I had needed to the previous year.
2. When I go to the doctor now, the nurse doesn’t have to scramble to locate the BIG blood pressure cuff. My thighs are now pretty close to the size my upper arms were a year ago.
3. When I hit the ninety pound weight loss mark, I actually weighed 50 pounds less than the weight on my drivers license. Currently I’m 79.8 pounds less than that “fudged” number.
4. A high point for me was picking my son up the evening before his college graduation to go to dinner. He had last seen me over Christmas break when I was down 40 pounds and then spent his spring break visiting a friend on her East coast campus, followed by a long Easter weekend spent visiting another friend in Utah. When he came down to the lobby, he shook his father’s hand and then looked at me with a pleased expression. I was down 80 pounds from when we had watched him deliver the convocation address in September of 2016.
5. Though this final one should likely not be a pride point for a five foot, seven inch tall woman, those who know me will affirm that I find the humor in everything. Those who don’t know me but have tipped the scales with shocking numbers should be able to relate. I currently weigh less than any of the men on the NFL roster!

I am different than many people who struggle with their weight, I think that other than my physical appearance that I am pretty much the same person I was when I was 18. My weight has never defined me or left me feeling depressed. Perhaps that is because I have surrounded myself with people who have always seen me as the person that I am, not one defined by a number on a scale. In looking at the photograph this week my daughter said “I never realized you were that big.”. I know that many don’t have that luxury and feel judged by others for their appearance or some perceived weakness. That’s not what the scale tells us, that’s something we tell ourselves. So no matter what your struggle is in life, I would simply suggest to be positive, be kind to yourself and whatever changes you want to make should be done with patience and the realization that whatever your struggle is, you didn’t arrive there in a day but if you start today, you will be 365 days away from it a year from now.