Friday, September 19, 2008

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!

10 comments:

Chrissie said...

Happy 1 year anniversary. Good job on the loss.

Hazel said...

Happy Weight-Loss Anniversary! I've loved reading your blog for the past 9 months and am so proud of you!

Lynn said...

Sounds like you've had a really good year...

I know what you mean about just avoiding some foods, or buying some and throwing it out. I'm having a serious cheese problem, but it's so expensive... and then I eat too much, or too often... Grrrr.

Love/hate relationship with food.

Maybe you could find time to get tap-dancing back into your schedule? Or jazzercise?

Erin said...

happy anniversary! Its amazing how much can change in a year

K @ Running Through Life said...

Woohoo on sticking with your lifestyle change for the past year!!! Great job and congrats on the loss this week!! You are amazing!

Anonymous said...

Congrats on your success. Your blog is fantastic. What kind of scale are you using?

...to Lose 55 Pounds said...

Happy Anniversary, Kiki! You've done great and will continue to do so. =)

Anonymous said...

happy 'versary!!!

Miss Jeannes :)
My Toddler just started at her version (Miss. Alyssa's) so that made me smile.
hope you have a great weekend.

M.

Anonymous said...

Way to go! Simon says woo hoo!

RooBabs said...

What a milestone! You have come so far, and your progress is inspirational!!

You know, I've always thought tap dancing was so cool (and clogging, too- I just love the sound it makes). I keep telling myself that some day I'm going to take an adult class. I even bought a pair of tap shoes a few years back at a second-hand store (they look like brand new!).

And AMEN on the "just keep going". I figure every day that I can do that, is a victory. Congrats again!