My biggest surprise - I can hardly believe it myself...

I actually (gasp!) kind of like running

I never thought I would ever be able to run. I would try, and run out of breath after 20 yards, even though I could do the elliptical and other more strenuous cardio. But I decided to jog on a treadmill, and I increased my speed and distance until I could do five miles under an hour. Then I put the incline on 1 and started working on building endurance.

Now that the weather is cooler, I decided to try to run outside. It was slow going, but to my surprise, I could do it for five minutes without stopping - something I couldn't do last year. Then I did ten minutes, then walked. Last week, I did 50 minutes without stopping!

I was sore but proud. I'm very slow at it, but that is ok because it gives me a goal to increase my speed.

I am just so shocked, and proud, that I can do this. I'm seriously considering entering a 5k. I never thought I would be able to do this, and to actually look forward to it. Well, most of the time

What has surprised you, physically or emotionally, during your weight loss journey?

i like a LOT of vegetables. meals just dont seem right without them any more. before i began with weight loss i picked them out of everything and hadnt even tried most of them.

i feel like when i changed my eating habits it made certain things taste different. i taste a lot more in vegetables than i used to. i thought mushrooms tasted like nothing before i changed my eating.

i dont know if that makes any logical sense, but ive noticed it a lot

im surprised that i can run...and run regularly and at a good distance..and that my asthma has not caused a big challenge with that

im surprised that i stuck with my one-year gym membership...ive gone nearly every workday for almost an entire year and every single one of those visits involved running

i'm surprised that i havent changed personality-wise or gone through huge life changes as i've lost the weight....i've always feared that would happen

throughout my journey, finding new bones has always surprised me LOL

and frankly, i'm surprised that i've somehow managed to stick with this weight loss journey for as long as i have (year and a half now) without any re-gains, slacking or backsliding

Besides my endurance and desire for workouts it is that...

I LOVE red grapes. I love them MORE than M&Ms. I totally did not see that one coming!!!

I'm surprised that I stuck with it for this long. I'm surprised with how much regular excercise has changed my body. I'm surprised that I can actually run 10k without stopping. I'm surprised that I can have treats in the house and not over-indulge. I'm surprised that I can lose weight at a decent pace without being obsessive with food. There's a lot that has surprised me to be honest.

I'm surprised that my appetite isn't as big or unmanageable as I once thought it was- it just turns out I was eating things that stimulated my appetite!

I'm surprised that I can actually like exercise when I'm the least outdoorsy, hates-to-sweat-or-be-out-of-breath person I know!

I'm surprised that I've stuck to this for over 3 years because I tend to be really flaky about these kinds of self-improvement resolutions.

I'm surprised that there ARE vegetables I like.

But I think the biggest surprise is that I actually made it to Onederland (and goal too, although Onederland felt bigger to me). This has been my first real attempt and whilst I didn't exactly plan to fail, I somehow never expected I'd actually be able to do it. I've NEVER not been obese in my life (except maybe as a baby), I've NEVER been fit or athletic, I've NEVER fit into regular-sized clothes for my age, so I had no basis of expectation. So yeah the biggest surprise has been that success is actually possible!

I've always lost my weight and gotten down to high school after the kids, but about age 35 for various reasons weight control was a hard thing. So when I made the decision PERMANENTLY I think that my will power or resolve or whatever surprised me. I don't use words like "I can't" have whatever I say "I don't eat" whatever.

The newest thing is I had a major break through this past month. A few times I have gotten a regular Coke instead of diet. I can't drink them. I don't mean I won't, I mean I physically get ill with that amount of sugar. Usually I cut my soda intake down to one a day, but that was with baby weight loss. This was originally a 60+ pound weight loss journey and so I decided NO more than a 12 ounce soda once a week (sugar) and you know...I don't even have the inclination? It's bizarre. I decided at the beginning getting healthy was what counted and I guess it's sunk in.

I can live happily without pasta/rice/potatoes/bread at every meal!

That I could feel un-deprived. That it would be possible to eat without craving the sugars.

That I would actually prefer weight training over aerorbics.

I found out I kinda like running too! And when I'm trained enough, I can easily run for over 1 hour. (I used to hate running when I was still in school—primary, middle, high school alike. I could barely manage 10 minutes, and that was at snail's pace.)

Also, I'm a veggie-lover. I used to believe I didn't like them, and so never ate any. When I seriously decided to lose weight, I psychologically white-knuckled myself into eating vegetables... and realized I just loved them. To the point of now planning my meals around a veggie (meaning, I'll pick the rest of the meal according to said veggie) and not according to pasta or potatoes anymore.

And I'm not so 'big-boned' I thought. My writsts are tiny, my fingers slim and tapered, and my arms are actually thinner (while also more defined in terms of muscles) than those of my 'has-always-been-skinny' sister. I do have large hips—I bet I was born to birth a dozen of babies —but they're sure not as heavy as I thought they were!

I'm surprised at the emotional healing that has been part of my weight loss efforts.

My endurance and my self control. Those are the things that have surprised me most.

What has really surprised me in this journey is after the first 2 weeks of hardcore food changes, I don't feel deprived at all! I'm barely ever truly hungry because of the types of food I'm eating that keep me full longer. If there's a treat I have been desperate to have, I don't cave and gorge myself on it. I find ways to make the recipe work for my diet plan and I get the same happy/full feeling even though it's fat-free and sugar-free!

My relationships with people are healthier too. My body isn't the only part getting into shape, my mental health and relationships are getting fit too! It's wonderful!

I enjoy exercise now and I am actively searching for a new sport to try. Definitely a huge surprise!

I'm with AmyAmy--I'm surprised that I could do this for so long!