This time last year, I was *exactly* one week into my weight loss (my first day of calorie recording was November 10, 2009). My first and only succesful weight loss. My fiance had been deployed to Iraq for a year, and I was determined to let him come home to a "better me," but at the same time, I had no idea if I'd be able to stick with it or not.
I was ignorant and uncertain. I bumbled through my first few weeks of calorie counting. I was hungry. I didn't know if it was even possible for me to ever reach my goal (at that time, my goal was 150lbs) or if I was just kidding myself with false hopes...yet again. I was stuffing myself in a size too small pants with a rubberband on the button. On this very day of last year, I was shocked, amazed, thrilled, and encouraged that I had lost 2.4lbs after a week of calorie counting. This time last year, I was hopeful that I juuuust might be able to really do it.
Amazing that a year has passed and I still have the same determination to stick with it. And I'm still just as thrilled with my "new life" as I was the day I stepped on the scale at my first weigh in.
This time last I was down the baby weight but at a stall. I had gone back to the plan that had worked before I had the baby, but it was no longer working. I was thinking it was time for a change and wondering what I would need to do to lose the rest of the weight, but since the holidays were right around the corner I decided to wait to begin my journey until the cliche January 1.
This time last year I was at Disney. I was at my favorite place in the world with family I love dearly, having a great time! BUT (a big BUT), I weighed 350 lbs and by Thursday I was pretty much hobbling. 2 days before I had sat on a high-ish stoop for an hour waiting for the parade at Magic Kingdom, and when I got down my feet were swollen to the point I could hardly walk on them for awhile. PAIN! That night in the hotel they really were just unrecognizable. Did I mention I put a major hurtin' on the free dining plan?
I started changing my lifestyle in May of this year, and this time this year, I am down 69 lbs. Just looked up my BMI again today, and I'm down from 60.1 (ouch!!) to 48.2. Yeah, I have a ways to go, but in my head, I'm already in the place I need to be to keep this going for life. Getting my sleep apnea has helped me tremendously with food cravings, but I've got to give myself credit for doing the work to get a plan together and staying with it. Failure is not an option!
I will hopefully be at Disney again this time NEXT year, and I can't WAIT to see what a difference 2 years can make!
Last year at this time I was hovering around 155 lbs, not watching what I ate, and generally confused about life and what I wanted. I hadn't decided to do anything about my weight or health yet. I was smoking half a pack a day and deleted most pictures of myself that were taken because I hated that they made me look "fat."
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Now I am hovering around 127 lbs. I know I could lose more if I ate just a little better, but I could also stop losing and maintain if I wanted to. I exercise 6 days a week and quit smoking a few months ago. Now I don't care about unflattering pictures because I know I am a work in progress. I feel happy and peaceful and I've done a lot of work on myself and generally am more content with life.
This time last year, I was at just about the exact same weight as I am now - maybe a few pounds heavier. I had no idea just how stressful the upcoming year would be, so at that point, I'm sure I was hoping I'd be at my goal weight by now.
I'm not, but I'm honestly not upset about it. The fact that I'm still at the same weight after everything that's happened this year is a major accomplishment - I've kept that first 20 pounds off, and I've had the opportunity to practice my maintenance lifestyle for when I'm ready to do it for real.
Even if I haven't lost anything, it's been a year of learning about how my body adapts and reacts to certain things on a much deeper level than I've ever been conscious of before. Before I started my journey, I had a basic awareness of nutrition principles, but not necessarily how they apply to my unique body.
Now, thanks in large part to 3FC, I'm aware of what triggers me to overeat, what to do when the scale is up a few pounds, what I need to do to make sure exercise is a priority in my life, and so on. I'm not always 100% on plan, but I'm much more aware of how my actions affect my body - and I'm very thankful for that
This time last year I was probably 305-310 pounds. I was 309 when I started Weight Watchers Online in April of this year. I am now 261.....so close to 50 pounds gone forever!
This time last year, I was eating fast food for lunch and/or dinner at least four times a week, excusing myself by saying I simply didn't have the time to prepare food to bring to school, or trying to convince myself that a footlong from Subway loaded with cheese and sauce was "healthier" than the other choices available. I also frequented Starbucks, which just added tons of calories before the day had even really started. I was sad, depressed, and lonely. I blamed everything on my weight, while at the same time blaming anyone and anything I could for the weight (except myself, of course). On top of that, I'd also convinced myself that I really "wasn't that fat", so I didn't see any reason to change. I was 230lbs and squeezing into a size 18 because I refused to wear a size 20.
It took me until earlier this year to knock all that off and really make an honest effort to lose weight. As of today, I've lost a little over 70lbs and my size 10s are getting too big. I bring my own food to school and can't even remember the last time I paid for fast food. I'm a lot healthier, much happier, and all around way better off than I was last year. I have yet to purchase a new raincoat, and people keep asking if I'm wearing my dad's/brother's/other male's jacket because it's so big on me. But I'm not, this is the same coat I wore and fit into last year!
Last year at this time I was living in a miserable house with a miserable landlady and her bully son and I had 9 more months before I could leave. Now I'm in a beautiful peaceful amazing new space.
Last year at this time I was not exercising, hadn't been on my yoga mat in ages and was a few months away from the worst spell of insomnia ever. Now I spent the summer and fall hiking, biking, swimming and am still walking every day and hiking most weekends. And I sleep like a rock.
Last year at this time I was still hanging on to a boyfriend who was not right for me. Now I'm single.
This time last year I weighed 184#. Down 8# but thinking 160 was the best I could do. It certainly would be within my healthy range, I would be able to attend WW meetings for free (lifetimer), I would fit in my capris. I wasn't exrecising regularly yet. I had just started cc Oct 6, 2009. Getting this habit established.
Today, I am 127.8#, trim, fit & able to handle both the good and bad in my life EASIER than I could ever imagine. I have an atitude of gratitude.
Already, I've hit some roadblocks, and I'm still going...making it happen day to day 
And I sleep like a rock. 
