Hi guys !

There´s a lot of difficult things happening in my life right now; no love life whatsoever, it´s getting really hard to loose the weight and I so want to get to my goal weigh, I´ve never been thin in my entire life, I´m 28 and I want to get the weight excuse crossed off of my list, I´m really unmotivated with my job and as a consequence I´m not giving a 100%, and I hate that ... and there are a lot of family issues going on, and with me away it only makes things harder

But as I woke up this morning and things started on the wrong foot (alarm didn´t go off, metro wasn´t working, it was pouring and cold, no taxis), so I decided to walk the 50 min to work and although it was raining, I loved it ! I have to cross through a big park to get to work and because of the rain, I had the park almost to myself, the sound and the smell of the rain on the trees combined with the soft music playing on my Ipod, it all calmed me down and reminded me how great life really is, and it got me thinking about all the good things I have going on...

1) Despite all matters, I do love my family oh so very much, and I know that they love me deeply too, so if we have that, I know that all the other problems are smaller... I just need to learn not to worry so much and let go of the things I can´t control

2) I just had a tummy tuck and a breast lift (46 days ago) and now that the swelling is going down I´m completely in love with my new figure... I´ve never looked that good naked before... I look damn hot .. hehe

3) I´ve come such a long way on the weight loss, I look at pictures and I still can´t believe how I look right now and deep down I do know that I will get to goal, and as hard as it is, I am grateful for the process, I learned so much about me, I´m still learning

4) I was blessed with wonderful friends in Madrid, they are like my second family, and we are all going to Milan and Como soon... I love italy, I love italians, I love italian food (but I´ll try to behave while I´m there, lot´s of walking, lot´s of salads, no pizza, no lasagna, but I´m afraid I´ll have to cave to the gnocchi)

I´m also including some pictures, as a celabration of this journey...

And I apologize for the very long thread, but when you feel overwhelmed with life, take a deep breath, remember this too shall pass, and make note of all the good things you have going on, sadly it´s the bad that catch a larger part of our attention ...

And I also wanted to say thanks to all of you, you are a constant source of inspiration to me, you keep me going !!

What a wonderful post. You have definitely taken on a great attitude. I will remember your words of wisdom, especially about being overwhelmed with life and making note of all the good things.

Those pictures are amazing. You look absolutely STUNNING. Great going on the weight loss. It really is an amazing journey, isn't it? You really do learn so much about yourself.

Italy sounds phenomenal. I would love to visit there. And gnocchi is my absolute favorite. It's just the best. What a great invention. There is no way I could be in Italy AND stay away from it. No way at all.

Congratulations on your weight loss, your surgery and your frame of mind.

Hi,
Madrid I am jealous!!!
You look wonderful, and should be so proud of all that you have lost, almost 100 lbs!!!! congrats on the tummy tuck/breast lift, I am glad you are healing well. Everyone goes through the blahs, but I know you can get over it!!
Can I ask where you are originally from?? You look alot like a friend of mine( she is cuban).
Before long You are going to be posting you are at goal. I believe it!!
cheryl

Wow, what an inspiring transformation! You look great. I agree, that sometimes when things are going bad the best cure is a walk in a rainy park. An inventory of things to be grateful for goes a long, long way, too.

Your post is so positive! How wonderful that you have had such an experience! And your pictures tell such a story--you have such a lot of energy, even in the heavier photos. You are definitely hot! Enjoy!

Jay

Hi Carol,

Its great that you were able to turn your day around and enjoy your morning walk. Life is full of stress and problems, but a great attitude can make a big difference.

You are looking so good! You are an inspiration to us.

Congratulations, Madrid, on so many levels!

~ Congratulations on your weight loss to date, you will make your goal!
~ Congratulations on finding yourself, and realizing this is a journey with lots of life lessons to learn along the way
~ Congratulations for taking the time to understand your family, sometimes we're way harder on our own relations than we would be on anyone else...step back and BREATHE, everything will work out
~ and finally, CONGRATULATIONS on taking what could have been a very crappy morning and turning it into something positive!

What a great post!
It's people like you that give hope and inspiration to others. Thanks for sharing and bringing out the positive in things.
You look absolutely amazing and you should be really proud of yourself.

Thank you for this! You are inspiring!!

What a wonderful post! You look just beautiful, and I'm so happy for you.

Wow! You look very very good! And pretty!

Congrats Carol, you look awesome. It's great to take into account the great things that are going in life!

By the way, I'll be in Madrid in January! I can't wait!

Hi !!
Thank you for all your messages... you´re truly amazing people!!

Hello Kitty, I´m originally from Brazil... just as sunny as Cuba !

Thanks Archy, have you been here before ?

I´ll be glad to tell you about the city, places to visit and etc !

Wow. Congrats on the HUGE loss!! You look absolutely amazing. What an inspiration.