I'm such a loser!

So often I write about momentous days in the kids lives but today was a momentous day in mine...I went to my Weight Watchers meeting and I've reached a weight loss of 70 lbs! That's the equivalent of my two youngest children plus a 10 lb bag of potatoes!!! I'm utterly amazed that I've been able to do this. It's something that I've always wanted but have never been able to reach a goal weight and stay there....granted, the entire time we lived in Dayton I was pregnant. But I've been dealing with my weight since I was a child. I was the cute little chubby girl. I remember shopping at Sears for dresses and having to go to the "Pretty Plus" section...I hate the pretty plus section. And my sister and I had these walking dolls. They were like 3 foot tall barbies. My sister's doll had the pretty hour glass shape, rosy cheeks and pink lips but mine had a round face and a tummy to match. I think I realized the difference even then...I chopped all the hair off my doll! I don't know who bought us those dolls but did they think I wouldn't notice the difference between the two??? Hello!
In high school I weighed over 200 lbs but I was on the pom pon squad all four years. I did lose some weight when I went to college but I was still heavier than a doctor would recommend for a person my height. I'm not sure why I've been so successful this time. I think I've finally figured out how to think like a thin person (at least most of the time). And yet there's still this part of me that looks in the mirror and I think, "That can't be me...can it?" I still battle mindless eating and it's a tough battle to win because my greatest time of temptation is at night after the kids go to bed and there's no one to talk to and I'm bored...so I eat.

I have found that I really enjoy exercise. Maybe because it gets me out of the house by myself (Thanks Katie!). I can just go and do my thing. I'm proud to say I can run 4 miles now. I don't know how people do marathons...or why they would want to??? But I find shorter distances invigorating! Exercise is key to keeping the weight off! I was able to lose a good deal of the weight without regular exercise but towards the end I had to get moving and I know that if I don't keep it up now, the pounds will sneak back on. I'm addicted to the scale too. Have you ever seen that oatmeal commercial with the people chained to their scale...that's me. I have to know what the scale says, sometimes several times a day. But really I don't think it's a bad thing because it helps me keep on track. If I see it creeping I know I need to buckle down and drop a few pounds again. The thing is that now I know what it feels like to be a thinner person and I like it...better even than the taste of chocolate and peanut butter! :)

Below I've included a little walk down memory lane, just so you can see where I'm coming from.

8 years old


8th grade (it was still the 80's!)


senior picture


fast forward 9 years