Wow, what a long time it has been since I have been here!

The last time I was here, I had lost twenty pounds total. Just as an update, I have now lost 65 pounds and am more or less in maintenance. The goal I had set for myself as my "final" goal I have surpassed by ten pounds, and my final maintenance range is about five pounds away. My current goal is to maintain for December.

One thing I learned is that Dietbet stressed me out. Not the actual community, but the fact that I could do "everything right" and yet the scale may or may not reflect that. What I learned over time is how my body loses weight, especially after those first couple of months of rapid weight loss at the beginning. I lose a couple of pounds, and then hold for two weeks or so. I might go down a few ounces but more or less hold. And man, was that discouraging when you are under the gun! I found that my competitive side would get very distressed and discouraged. That's why I stopped doing Dietbets. I had to relax into my weight loss and trust that by doing what I knew to do, my body would release the weight in its own time. And so it did.

I did go on the Epic Summer Trip with my sons, and it was incredible. Truly, truly incredible. We went to places I dreamed of going to, did all the adventures I had dreamed of doing. I faced my fears head on, and I was the "Yes Mom".. YES we can go there and do that, because now I physically can! YES please will you take our picture, because I am not hiding from the camera anymore! At the time we left for the trip in June, I had just met my goal of losing 50 pounds. 

My biggest goal, the one I truly didn't know if I would reach, was climbing to the top of Angel's Landing at Zion National Park. I met that goal and I will never, ever forget how it made me feel.

I'm starting to feel at home in this new body of mine. I am beginning to forget how I couldn't comfortably tie my shoes, or clip my toe nails, or shave my legs, without moving my own body aside. I don't think twice about running up and down the stairs, or walking across the parking lot, or even walking into a room of people without comparing how I look to the others in the room. I don't want to forget too much, though, and I never ever want to go back to where I was.

And that is the new, tricky, challenging part.. maintenance. Learning to keep the weight off and stay focused yet LIVE and not make weight a central part of my life. 

I'd love to hear from you!