State of the Susan Address
 

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?

:cheer3::carrot::broc::carrot::cheer3:

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

:carrot::broc::broc::carrot:

Love this post, congrats on your success!

Thanks, you two :)

I'm feeling motivated and looking forward to spring!

This is awesome!!!

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

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!! :carrot::carrot:

Congrats! Amazing job!

Congrats !

Lovely and inspiring! Whoo hooo! Congratulations!

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

See you all next February (lol)

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.

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.

:carrot::cb::broc:

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. :carrot: I find that the actual weight loss is not nearly as important as my decision to be kind to myself.

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.

Yes, I see what you mean. Good luck sticking with it. We're here if you need us.

Susan, thanks so much for that inspiring post! Especially this part: I think that's the magic key that opens the "fat prison" cell. I'm new here, and I needed to hear that.

Congratulations on your amazing year! Next February, I hope to be writing a similar post.

Thanks, Dana. I hope so too, and we'll all be here to help :)

Happy anniversary Susan, congratulations on your success. Sounds like you are in a wonderful place. Continue to be inspired and inspiring, that's what makes 3FC great in my opinion.

Best to you :sunny:

AGREED! I found that in being kind to myself and liking myself has been key. It's a journey and a lifestyle change. Instead of looking in the mirror feeling disgusted and hating my body, I look in the mirror and point out the good things and appreciate my body and myself. My body took a lot of abuse over the years but gave me two great kids, stretchmarks are just battle scars LOL. I really bellieve that it's so important to look in the mirror and tell yourself you are beautiful (at any weight) because your mind really believes whatever you tell it! And everyone of us has something we can look in the mirror and LIKE, its just that we see what we don't like first, then we focus on that and think that it completely defines us. Finally when you like yourself you take better care of yourself! I too feel like a person again, which almost makes me sad because I WAS a person before I just never realized it. Congratulations on your successes and the journey! :carrot:

Thanks, Kelijpa! Honestly, what I feel I have hit is "solid." Like, my attitude has really, truly changed this time which is probably why I'm not thaaaaat fussed about the actual weight loss numbers. It's a new life of taking care of myself, eating well, running, inspecting the mushrooms and the moss (and the local frogpond) regularly... I am loving it :D

Well done, Sassyblonde! It is mad how difficult it is to like yourself, isn't it? I guess in some ways, it's a social thing. Women seem much more conditioned to look for validation externally... Not to say that no men ever have this problem. How are you doing? How's your journey going? :hug:

What a great post, and very inspiring especially to those of us who are still in the beginning stages of our journey to better health and to caring about ourselves again! Thank you.. and congratulations! :)

Thanks Bindi, and nice to hear from you! How're you getting on?