I feel like my weight loss is old news. Oh yeah, I lost weight... A WHOLE YEAR AGO! It is amazing how much my life has changed within this year, too. After I lost the weight, I was feeling slightly bittersweet. See, I somehow (irrationally!) thought my weight loss would end all the other problems in my life. Once I was rid of those 50 pounds, I looked better, had more clothing options with a full closet of things I could actually wear (I was thin before and refused to part ways with all those stylish clothes), was healthier, and in considerably better shape, but... I was still afraid I didn't look good. I thought that once I lost weight, I'd go attend casting calls, start modeling again, and live life fearlessly as a thin person!
Then, I realized I was STILL putting my life on hold (just like I did when I was fat) and told myself I had to STOP THAT! I was no longer overweight --in fact, I had reached my GOAL/previously THIN weight, SO I had NO EXCUSES not to do the things I wanted! After coming to that conclusion, I did the following:
-Became a certified personal trainer and nutritional consultant
-Did a fitness-related photo shoot (and there are MORE to COME!)
-Got into bodybuilding (I am entering my first official contest in October!)
-Instructed at a weekend health retreat in St. Augustine
-Got a six pack... you know, the abs kind... not the "I drank it last night so here's my keg" kind
-Started writing songs and playing guitar again
-Made a TON of new friends
...and most recently, I ended a relationship after being in it for 3.5 years. I felt it was anchoring me almost as much as my weight once was, and I don't need that.
I PLAN to do so much more, like form a band that gets further than my porch, WIN a few bodybuilding competitions, become successful as a fitness model, and continue to do as much social networking as possible. Some of these things may SOUND unrelated to my weight loss, but before my weight loss, I did not have the confidence to chat strangers up or play guitar at open mic night, and obviously, I didn't have any idea that so much of my life would revolve around physical fitness.
I'm the sort of person who believes that to succeed at something, you have to put your entire being into it. If I don't have COMPLETE
passion and dedication, I will end up failing because I will lose focus. I told everyone I knew that I was going to get back to my thin weight. I had to live up to those expectations, because I didn't want to get laughed at for not following through. I started to look at everything from a weight loss perspective. I stopped hating things like household chores, carrying the groceries up the stairs, moving furniture, and washing my car because I knew those were calorie-burning activities. My now ex was really LOVING my compliant nature, as I even
volunteered to scrub the tub and clean the toilet!
My advice to everyone still trying to lose weight is to remember you are PASSIONATE about your weight loss; you want this and you want it with FIERCE determination. And if you want it bad enough, you will not make excuses. Instead, you will find out how you are going to achieve your goals. Think of how good you will look when you lose your weight. If you fall off plan, don't mope about how you screwed up, just dust yourself off and remember that tomorrow is the first day of the rest of your life. You have plenty of time to mend whatever damage you may have done.
And if I -- someone who had no real focus in life prior to losing weight (believe it or not, I was truly very lost and felt stuck in many ways), someone who was quite financially challenged (I know it can be harder to eat healthy things when you're broke but it is not impossible), someone with an annoying chronic illness that really can interfere with weight loss progress (type 1 diabetes; when I first started getting into working out, my blood sugar would get way, wayyy low... it felt so wrong slamming a can of Coke after busting my butt for an hour
stuff like that can put a total crimp in your progress), and someone who initially HATED all forms of exercise (I thought to myself, "it's TORTURE! WHY would anyone VOLUNTARILY TORTURE themselves?!") -- can do it, so can you.
Here are some very recent pictures that were taken over my Christmas vacation up to Virginia to see my family:
(My sister and I)
(My dad and I)
Here is me pre-weight-loss (if you haven't seen already):
Here is me with my size 12-14 fat pants (taken about a year ago, but it still fits!):
And here is the current status on my abs - I have a photo shoot next month and figured I'd take some practice shots:
I hope all of you meet your goals in 2009, whether they are related to weight loss, maintenance, or neither. May 2009 bring you good health, good fortune, and good... well... whatever else you want
NightengaleShane - one year of maintenance!
You look so good, so healthy! I love how you described your determination. Thanks for sharing.
Being persistent pays in the end, cha-ching! 
Keep positive people in your life, they help keep you upbeat and happy! 
Ummmm, I felt I had to post a nice reply or you'd come kick my @ss if I didn't, and I'm not gonna take that chance! 
I have an eight spot table reserved at one of my favorite places to eat and I can't even fill it!
