I am feeling so good today...I just had to post it. Sometimes I am so caught up in reaching my goal weight that I forget to enjoy the RIDE!! Truth be told, I am feeling mighty hot today. It's amazing how your confidence level shoots up when you're taking care of your body. Ive caught people checking me out alot over the past couple of days and, shallow as it may sound, it is motivation. It means that even though I'm a long (long, long, long) way from my goal, someone is noticing the changes in me, even when I don't.

It's not that I look so much different. (Although a few shirts are rather loose and there are two pairs of pants that refuse to sit at my waist -- oh yeah!) It's that I am regaining that extraverted personality that adding a ton of weight took away. There's an extra bounce in my step and a smile permanently attached to my face.

I've been planning this great couples night for my husband for months now but I haven't gotten a chance to do it because I got the essential outfit on ebay as a steal but gained so much weight by the time he got out of basic training I couldn't wear it. Guess what?? I can wear it now! Better than I could the day I bought it.

We all have a goal weight. Most of us have mini goals along the way. But I have decided that instead of focusing solely on calories and miles on the treadmill, I am going to enjoy the fact that I have collarbones (COLLARBONES!!!) beginning to show. I am going to enjoy the fact that I haven't made myself sick by O.D.ing on sugar and carbs since January. I am going to enjoy the fact that my muscles feel AWESOME. And I'm going to enjoy the fact that my husband thinks I am one hot mama -- even though I am 40 pounds from goal.

My advice is, don't wait until goal to love your body. If you have more energy, if you can hang longer on the stationary bike, if your next door neighbor stares a little longer than usual as he passes you in the morning...shout it out baby! There is a beauty that comes from healthful living that needs to be celebrated!

Congrats, isn't it great when you can get into something that didn't fit.

So when are you having the big night out? Enjoy.

Isn't it funny? I've only lost about 17 pounds but I *feel* a lot smaller and fitter. I still have a long long long ways to go, too, but I tell ya--I went to Lowe's today to buy weed spray and I'm pretty sure I caught a couple of guys checking me out! Nothing creepy or icky, but it was enough to make me feel good. Like you, I think it's less to do with how "hot" I look and more to do with feeling better, more energetic, more healthy, more happy. Yay, us!

Clydegirl -- My husband has been on an in-field training exercise for two weeks. He gets back on Tuesday so I decided I would make that couples night for us. Can't wait!

Windchime--yay us is right. Sometimes I feel like if I don't celebrate each small victory, the journey just gets harder. I've made a decision to stop beating myself up for letting it get to this point and start patting myself on the back everyday I get my hour and a half of "me" time in no matter how early, how late or how tired.

Keep going, guys! We're worth it!

I'm SO there with ya!! I've just started noticing that myself, it's the WEIRDEST thing, I haven't been checked out for, oh, I'd say a good 5 years anyway, and you're right, it DOES give you a little pep in your step

I love this post, I'm saving it to re-read. It helped motivate me today when I needed it very much. Thank you for posting this.

Stopping beating myself up has been the key. I used to say things to myself that I would never, ever in a million years dream of saying to anyone else. If someone said the things to me that I have said to myself, I would be crushed beyond belief and yet I said them, day after day, time after time. No wonder I was depressed and couldn't move forward--I had a permanent mean girl in my head that was relentless! Once I figured that out and banished her, things got much, much better. Yes, I'm overweight--but I'm less overweight every day and I feel so much better because every day, I am doing small, positive things that make me feel better and better.

Keep going! We can do this together!