Cheerleaders

I have passed the 75 pounds lost milestone!  I should have posted a few days ago to celebrate, but have been so busy, I haven’t had a chance.  I am currently at a total loss of 77.8 pounds, as of this morning.  That 100 pound mark will be here before I know it!

As I continue to lose weight, I’m finding people’s reactions to be interesting.  A few snippets:

Back when I was at the 63 pounds lost mark, I went to new doctor, and as he was reviewing the nurses notes and doing his intake assessment, he looked at the notes, then up at me, then back to his notes, then looked at me and asked, “You’ve LOST 63 pounds???” The tone in his voice and the look on his face said he thought the nurse had written it down wrong and that it was more likely that I had GAINED the weight, instead of losing it.  I responded saying, “YES!  I have LOST the weight…”  He replied, “Oh, okay.  I wasn’t sure if I had read that right…”

On the flip side…

I went for a visit to my regular primary care physician’s office right around the 70 pounds lost mark, and the nurse was so excited when she read the number on the scale.  She then asked me how in the world I was doing it, and proceeded to write down everything I told her, saying that I looked wonderful and that she needed to do whatever I was doing!

On another occasion…

I attended an event recently, and a good friend came by my table and asked me how much I had lost.  At that point, it was 74 pounds.  She was very encouraging to me about it, and as she walked away, I felt great about myself!  Another person at the table, however, looked me up and down, raised an eyebrow, and said, “74 pounds?  Really???” With a look that clearly stated that she didn’t believe I had lost weight.

I guess I share all of that, to say, that the realization I’ve had is this…

Not everyone is going to be my cheerleader…and I’m okay with that!

Weight loss is something very personal.  And, while some people may notice the changes I’m experiencing and comment positively, others may not.  In the end, it doesn’t really matter what others may think, because I’m doing this, first and foremost, to be obedient to the things I believe God has spoken to me.  I’m also doing this to become healthier and to beat the odds that my extended family has established and experienced in the past.  I’ve been blessed to be very healthy to this point, and that’s the way I want to keep it as I get older.  I want to be able to be active with my family, and in the ministry, and I don’t want to be hindered by illness or mobility issues.  Those are just a few of the reasons for me to lose weight and live a healthy lifestyle.

Even though everyone I encounter certainly won’t care about my journey, I’ve been blessed with a handful of close friends who are such an encouragement to me, and those are the voices I have chosen to allow to speak into my life.  To each of you, I say a huge THANK YOU!!!