Week 20: Simple Celebrations - Strong Beginning

We are entering the 20th week of the 80 Pounds in 80 Weeks challenge; at the end of this week, we will be a quarter of the way through. I find it both exciting and hard to believe at the same time.

I think this is the first time I have committed to the goal of losing weight for this long. It is likely because I made myself accountable to you by publishing my goal, so thank you for keeping me on track! As of today, I have lost 19 pounds and 18 inches.

I have three celebrations I would like to share with you today.

1. HAVING THE ENERGY TO KEEP UP

My nephew called earlier this week and wanted to get together. We met at Multnomah Falls. (If you are ever in the Portland area, this is definitely worth a visit.) It was sunny and 70 degrees and a great day for hiking around all the neighboring water falls.

Climbing the hills was challenging before, leaving me very winded and lagging behind everyone else. However, having exercised 6-7 days a week for the past five months gave me the energy to climb with my nephew (a good 20 years younger than me) along with his wife and kids. I could not only keep up, but I never found myself even breathing heavy!

2. SHOPPING CAN ACTUALLY BE FUN

If you have ever been overweight, you know that shopping for clothes is rarely fun. Too many times I have found myself depressed while shopping because nothing fits all my bulges, and the things I could squeeze into didn’t make me feel good about myself.

When friends would invite me shopping, I found myself looking solely for shoes and accessories for two reasons. First, I wouldn’t have to reveal just how large the sizes were that I could fit into, and second, I could pretend to be having fun if I only looked at things that didn’t depend on my body size.

However, there is good news. I went shopping with my husband recently, and the clothes I took into the dressing room were one size smaller than I used to try on…and they were too big! I ended up buying a few items that were two sizes smaller than I used to buy.

Shopping is fun again!!! (OK, I didn’t try on any pants, just tops, but that is still exciting.)

3. A REAL EATING PLAN…THAT I CAN FOLLOW LONG-TERM

I have been working to make healthier food choices, but I started to crave some of the foods I had been avoiding. I finally decided that I am creating a new lifestyle, not just going on a diet, so I would need to deal with these cravings.

Some people might disagree with me, but I believe if I deprived myself totally, I would end up giving in and binging. So I made the decision to not strictly adhere to my eating plan. I figure if I want to continue this for the rest of my life, I need to allow myself some splurges here and there.

In the past this has caused me some problems. After splurging even just a little, I would berate myself for not following my diet. This usually ended with me telling myself I blew my diet, I would never be able to stick with it, and I might as well quit trying. When it came to food, it was either all or nothing.

But now, I am in a better place. I am able to make some exceptions in my food plan without totally giving up. I am still hopeful that, as I continue to choose healthy foods, my cravings for unhealthy foods will wane. However, I can still indulge at times and then make better choices the next day to help balance things out.

This is a “real” eating plan that helps me to follow my goals but still allows me to be human. That is a plan I can stick to.

Thank you for letting me share these simple celebrations with you. I appreciate your support throughout my journey.

What accomplishments would you like to celebrate? Even if you have not yet reached your final destination (hey, I still have 61 pounds to go), you should still feel good about where you are. Every step in the right direction is an achievement.