Lost a Person

When I first set out to lose weight, I knew it would take some time to reach my final goal of losing 225 pounds.  After all, a person doesn’t gain that much weight overnight, and I didn’t expect it to disappear that fast either.  I have always been very realistic about my approach, and planned from the onset for it to take around 2-and-a-half years.  My projections have been right on target so far, as I am 17 months in and am about 64% of the way there (okay, yes, I’m a numbers geek, I admit it!).  When you’ve got that much weight to lose, and know it’s going to take a while, finding creative ways to evaluate your progress helps keep things interesting.  For instance, you could say that I have lost the equivalent of:

- 28 (almost 29) 5-lbs bags of sugar

- 32,535 M&Ms

- 16 (almost 17) gallons of whole milk

- 6 cases of 24 bottles of water

- 12 bowling balls (12 pounds each)

Once I had lost around 120 pounds or so, when people found out how much I had lost, I often heard comments like, “Wow!  You’ve lost an entire person!”  This remark has never felt more appropriate to me than it does today…As of this morning, I have now lost 144.6 pounds, which is more than my husband, who comes in at 143.3 pounds, weighs! 

When I put it into this perspective, before I started losing weight, it was like I had my husband taking a piggyback ride on my shoulders all day, every day!  It’s no wonder I was tired all the time and didn’t have much energy!  Although I love my husband dearly, I’m not altogether sure that’s what the vow, “to have and to hold” was really talking about!

Only 80.4 pounds left until I reach my goal…hmmm, that’s about the equivalent of one of my kids plus my dog’s weights! 

(Just a reminder/disclosure…I am not a medical professional or certified trainer, so anything I write in this blog is not intended to be taken as advice, guidance, or recommendations.  It is simply a journal of my own personal experiences.  Thanks!)