Year of Loss

It was one year ago today.

I had been watching my weight climb higher and higher for a decade and had failed at a dozen attempts to stop slipping down that hill.  I had finally hit 220 lbs.--not just overweight--on the verge of obesity.  It was a wake-up call.  I gave up treats and began to make progress--for the first time in 10 years.  But after a year of my best efforts, I had still only lost 10 lbs. 

Then, on June 19th of last year, I found LiveStrong.com and it gave me the tools that made my journey possible. 
 
It hasn't always been easy sailing.  As I look at my weight loss chart on LiveStrong.com, I can see a 4-month period of setback-ing--I got sick, school got hectic, I got "holiday-itis" . . . and I gained back half of the weight I had lost.  But early this year, I got back on that treadmill and began making progress again.

I even went from walking to jogging, something I never thought I would be able to do.  Just a few months earlier, I couldn't get through 3 consecutive days of jogging without horrific pain from shin splints.  Suddenly, I could jog again, and I began to dream of training for a race.  In March, I ran my first 5K.  I ran another in April and another in May.  This month, I ran a 10K.  I jog 5-10 kilometers (3-6 miles) six days a week.

And it feels great!  Just over a week ago, I finally reached my goal weight of 170 lbs.--fifty pounds from where I began.  (C thinks I look better at 175, so I've since put a couple of pounds back on.)  It is SUCH a good feeling to have finally accomplished something that felt so impossible for so long. I literally feel better than I have in years--healthier, stronger, younger.  And I have more energy than I've had in a long time.

I can't describe how good it feels to have reached this goal!

Now, my goals are changing.  Rather than trying to lose weight, I now need to maintain my weight.  And while that seems like it should be easier than losing, it's a challenge for me.  Frankly, "just say no" is easier for me than "moderation in all things."  Once I have some of something I love, it's really difficult for me not to overindulge.  (It's already been a struggle--putting back on those pounds C recommended was way too easy--it took me one day!  One!  Do you know how long it takes me to lose 5 pounds???)

So I'm beginning a new adventure: welcoming chocolate back into my life without being dismembered by my inner Treat Hulk.

I'm ready for the challenge.

Bring it.

MOJ

Race #4 (June) -- 10K

Ran my first 10K today--the (first annual) Tour de Gravity sponsored by our stake.  It was grueling!  The race began way down the hills on 2nd Avenue, came all the way up to 18th Avenue, and then returned back down to 2nd Ave--a vertical ascent of 226 yards (678 feet) from bottom to top.  In other words, take a normal 10K and add a climb of more than the length of two football fields!

Brutal...

...but fun.

Very glad I did it.  I was having some back pain earlier in the day, so I debated about whether to run at all, and if I ran, whether I was really up to doing a 10K--maybe just stick with the 5K, since I know I can handle it.  But I decided to run the longer race and, despite a (literal) flash of terror moments before the race began (and a Tic Tac mishap soon thereafter), I survived.  I knew if I could just make it to the top of the course, the 2nd half of the race would be almost entirely downhill.

With the intensity of the climb and the subsequent descent, it was a wild ride.  My legs already feel like jelly.  I'm not looking forward to how sore I'm going to be tomorrow!

MOJ