[Magicsusan]

Hi everyone.

It's my one year anniversary here at 3FC so I no longer qualify as "Shiny and New." I also thought I'd take this opportunity to assess my progress.

In the past year, you have all helped me:

1) lose 40 pounds of fat
2) lose 22cm (about 8 1/2") from my waist
3) lower my BMI from 47 to 39 (according to my wii board)

Those are the numbers. In addition, I have (re)gained the ability to:

1) do a normal day's work without feeling deceased
2) go for a walk and enjoy it rather than spending the whole time being self conscious that people I might pass will notice how I'm panting just to get up the hill behind my house
3) scratch my own back between my shoulder blades!
4) bend over and put the palms of my hands flat on the floor

So! I just wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone here for the support- I know I'm not the most prolific poster, but it has meant a lot to me to have a place to come and people who understand when the going gets tough.

To the newbies: do it. Do it, do it, do it! Although I've "only" lost 40someodd pounds, (I need to lose about 100 more) I feel like a human again. For me, this started the day I decided I was worth taking care of, not the day I hit a particular number. When I catch my reflection, my first thought is no longer "ugh," it's "Wow, I'm looking good!"

Now, I think we've all earned some dancing veggies, don't you?

[newleaf123]

Congratulations, Susan - what a great year!! Here's to many more... Dancing veggies, indeed!

[elvislover324]

Love this post, congrats on your success!

[Magicsusan]

Thanks, you two

I'm feeling motivated and looking forward to spring!

[Zumbachica]

This is awesome!!!

[Magicsusan]

Thanks, Zumba. I'm satisfied and in it for the long haul.

[seagirl]

What a great post! It reminds me of the saying "a year from now you will wish you had started today." You started "today" a year ago and look at you now!!

[Sum38]

Congrats! Amazing job!

[guacamole]

Congrats !

[Mrs Snark]

Lovely and inspiring! Whoo hooo! Congratulations!

[Magicsusan]

Thanks again, everyone. And Seagirl, you are exactly right.

See you all next February (lol)

[Pattience]

I think just staying with the program, is a major feat in itself. I' haven't been able to do that.

Congratulations and may you have a skinnier, happier and even healthier future.

I love seagirl's saying too.

[wantochange]

Magicsusan that is awesome. I'm so happy for you. Hopefully I will be there one day also. Only 3 lbs kept off since joining, but it's a start.

The support of the group is heart warming and more important it works.

[Magicsusan]

Pattience, Wanttochange, just a bit of background-

I'm not on a diet. I consciously quit dieting about 15 years ago after a life of dieting. My mother put me on my first diet when I was about eight. What she didn't realize then was that no diet in the world was going to be successful if we didn't change our lives. We starved the weight off, then put it back on with cake in front of the TV, again and again. (I'm not saying this is what's going wrong with you, btw! I just realised it sounded like I might be implying that, so thought I'd better just make that clear!)

It's not a *diet* I'm sticking with, it's liking myself. (oddly difficult, isn't it?)
Jogging/running in public, jiggly as I am, eating my bleeping birthday cake(s) and thoroughly enjoy them, even though I'm "fat."
Eating salad for dinner- or nothing at all, if I'm truly not hungry, because I can have lasagna tomorrow or whenever I want, if that's what I really want.
I'm happy with losing weight- it makes everything easier, both physically and emotionally, but what I'm really trying to say is that this new "life" is one I can and will stick to forever, even if I stopped losing any weight. I feel like a person again. I find that the actual weight loss is not nearly as important as my decision to be kind to myself.

[Pattience]

Magicansusan, I would call that a program. A program of your making. My diet is not of anyone else's devising. Its mine tailored to me that i have come up with and it includes a lot of psychological stuff.