Weekly Weigh-In: A WHOLE Year!!!

Um, wow. Hard to believe it's been a whole year since I embarked on this weight loss journey. (If you want to know how it started, click here.) I might have started blogging in January 2008, but really, it was September 2007 that was the beginning of this whole adventure. It's even harder to believe that I lost FORTY FIVE pounds in that year. Woot! It's funny, because when I started, I thought, hmm... I could TOTALLY lose 100 pounds in one year. I didn't realize how hard that would be. Why is it that we're geared towards thinking that weight loss is easy? If it is so easy, why don't more people do it? And what are some things I learned since that has taken me out of that mindset?

1) I really have to treat food like I'm a recovering addict. Seriously. If I bring in a bag of cheese popcorn (mmm) or a tube of Pringles, it's like that commercial, "Betcha can't eat just one." Um, no, I can't. And I realize that now. And, ain't no shame in buying something for one bite of it and throwing the rest out. Sure, a waste, but it satisfies my craving!

2) I'm responsible for my food decisions. I love to go out with my friends for dinner. And growing up, food + people = good time, so socializing and food has always been ingrained in my mind. What I've come to realize is that I'm not going to be a party pooper if I order a salad or if I only eat half of my meal and take the rest home with me or if I only drink one glass of wine while others have three drinks. If people are truly bothered by these things, then they don't deserve my company!

3) Exercise really IS good for you. It's funny (and sometimes hard to believe) that I was a dancer throughout my adolescence. I *loved* dance, and I was at Miss Jeanne's three times a week, doing ballet, tap (my absolute favorite), and jazz. But after high school, I stopped doing all that. I went to college. I knew I wasn't going to be a dancer. So it was time for me to get serious. And serious meant hitting the books, not having fun with tap. And I gained weight, not surprisingly. Now, the cardio I do isn't dancing, but running or challenging myself to a tough hill climb on the elliptical or a 10 minute row on the rowing machine. I love that my body can do these things, just like when I used to be able to a mean time step or a high kick.

4) Just keep going! Sure there are months (like the past three) where I've lost and gained the same five pounds over again. However, I've lost 45 pounds (which includes the .6lb I lost this week)! How on earth could I ever go back to what I was? Just that makes me not want to go back to how I used to eat, but it also makes me realize that, come September 2009, I can be sitting here, less another 45 pounds.

Have a great weekend!