Before and After Stories

I love to hear success stories and see before and after pictures of people who have lost weight.

Today I found many weight loss success stories on
womenshealthmag.com .

I love Jennifer's story (pictured here) because I can relate to her weight. It started in the same range as mine. She was 180 and I was near it. She ended up at 135 and I would LOVE to end up there too! She is much younger than me, but nothing is impossible these days- even for a 50 year old.

Jennifer did not describe her turning point, but I know mine happened when I realized that I never wanted to see 180 lbs.- and I was close. For me, I couldn't keep heading in the direction that led to more unhappiness. I had many things happening in my life, and I wanted some control back.

I like success stories because they demonstrate that we can all achieve our goals, no matter where we are or how impossible the goals seem. When I read success stories, I like finding out what each individual did to stay on track during their journey. Most people have tips from their own experiences about exercise, food, or what kept them going.

I hope to eventually have a kick butt after picture one day too. Maybe somebody else will be motivated by my experience too.

Goin Fishin'

Years ago, I had a fleeting interest in the benefits of fish oil. I even had a bottle in my cabinet when I decided to re-investigate this dietary supplement. I am now more serious about vitamins and supplements that contribute to my diet regimen. Fish oil has beneficial effects that are worth consideration.

Fish oil has many health benefits associated with its Omega-3 fatty acid content. The benefits include reducing the risk of heart attack or coronary heart disease . Not only is fish oil beneficial to physical health, it is also beneficial to mental health. The omega-3 fatty acids are known for combating depression, bipolar disorder , schizophrenia and the debilitating effects of Alzheimer's disease.

Fish oil can lower bad cholesterol (LDL) and raise your healthy cholesterol (HDL) numbers. It has even been shown to help a person lose weight when taken along with a sensible diet and exercise plan.

The ability to reduce inflammation also makes fish oil effective in reducing the symptoms and pain of arthritis. Morning stiffness and joint tenderness has been shown to decrease with regular intake of fish oil supplements.

Omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil provide an anti-aging benefit related to their ability to prolong the life of cells. Fish oil has even been shown to reduce the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration, which is a common cause of blindness in the elderly.

My daily diet regimen now includes a multi-vitamin and fish oil.
Bring on the benefits.

Celebration Day!

Today it happened. I got on the scale and it read 165! My magic number has finally arrived. I have arrived at my first milestone goal and I am very excited.

I feel so motivated to stay on track and work towards my next goal. Having small achievable goals really helps me take things one day at a time. My next goal is 159. I haven't seen the 150's for a long time. I think I can make the trip in less than two weeks if I put the pedal to the metal - or my feet on the treadmill!

I promised myself that I would indulge in a few oatmeal cookies when I arrived at this milestone. Rewarding myself with food seems counter- productive, but I might have just one cookie.

Make small goals and stay on course.
Thinville is just over the horizon!

Rest Stop Ahead!

Today I discovered that I am within 1 pound of my first milestone goal!!

I have lost 12 pounds during these first 65 days of 2011. I had hoped to average a loss of 1-2 pounds a week on my journey and success feels good. I am traveling a little slower than I had hoped. However, as long as I am heading in the right direction- it's all good.

I am hoping that tomorrow I can take an exit to my first rest stop and celebrate the loss of one more pound. Yes, it will be time to celebrate if I lose 13 pounds.

Sooo exciting!!

Failure is Not an Option

There are many successful people in the world who failed on their way to success.

Many wealthy people lost everything they had before gaining their wealth. Some companies, like FedEx, were on the verge of losing everything when circumstances suddenly changed. Fred Smith started FedEx in 1973. The company lost $29 million during the first 26 months of operation. Smith's investors considered removing him from the helm of the fledgling company, but company president Arthur Bass backed the young founder. By late 1976, the company was carrying an average of 19,000 packages a night, and by year's end it was $3.6 million in the black.

Some people became rich and then lost everything before regaining their wealth, like Simon Cowell of American Idol. In his twenties, Cowell had some success in the music business and lived a lavishly rich lifestyle. But by thirty, he lost everything, and was forced to move back to his parents’ home. He didn’t give up. Fame came late and suddenly to Cowell. He was unknown at forty-two, nationally infamous by the time he turned forty-three and internationally famous only a few years later.

Steve Jobs, of Apple, dropped out of college before ever starting his computer company with a friend in his garage. But ten years after starting his company, the board at Apple fired him. He stated in a commencement address to Stanford University in 2005, “I didn’t see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that ever could have happened to me.” Jobs turned a humiliating career loss into an incredible success by changing his attitude and beginning again.

We can’t all be Steve Jobs or Simon Cowell, but we can all turn failure into success with our attitudes. Like Steve Jobs says, “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and your intuition.”

We learn from failure. Every time a batter strikes out, he learns what not to do next time. Such is life. Without failure, we would never be motivated to improve. Without failure, we would never appreciate success.

Failure makes us work harder to avoid mistakes in the future. With my track record, I should be able to avoid lots of mistakes in the future.

Bring it on- cause failure is NOT an option!

Don't Worry, Be Happy!

I am still losing weight AND I am still happy!

I've never stayed on any disciplined eating plan for this long - 62 DAYS! At first, I wasn't even sure I would keep up with a food log. I found a free food and exercise log on Self.com and thought I would give it a try. Since I didn't have to pay for it, I thought, "What the heck?" It occurred to me that since I wasn't paying into my weight loss investment, it might not stick. I was wrong. I have faithfully logged in everything I’ve eaten since January 1st.

The second thing I decided to do was write this blog. Actually, keeping up with this blog has been one of the more difficult challenges I have faced on this journey. I realize that nobody is really reading this blog, but part of me feels like I need to keep it current. Still, keeping this daily journal has helped me discover invaluable facts and tips about food, nutrition and exercise. I believe that without writing this blog, my perseverance would not be as great. Don’t get me wrong- It would be wonderful if I had some feedback and encouragement from others, but I'm satified that this web page is helping me work towards my goal.

I think timing has played a big part in my newfound happiness too. I was finally ready to make a change in my life. I came to a fork in the road and realized it was time to take a different path. I was tired of not being able to wear the clothes I love. I also found that I was embarrassed to take pictures or have old friends see the bigger me. Discouragement CAN BE a great motivator.

And here I am: happy. I feel very comfortable with my eating patterns and the foods I am now choosing to eat. It is still tempting to veer off the road, but I am trying to keep focused on my destination:
Thinville or Bust!

Color me happy!

Bumpy Road

Most long journeys ultimately lead to encounters with roads that are under construction or are in need of repair. My current journey happens to be riddled with bumps, potholes and delays.

Every time I seem to be speeding up, I run into a bump in the road that slows me down. Sometimes it is bad weather that prevents me from getting outside to exercise. Other times it is giving in to a food that I just can't resist. Once in a while, I just get lazy and want to coast down the road. Most of the time it boils down to the fact that I am not staying self-disciplined enough to stay on the smooth part of the road.

I can't seem to avoid the areas that slow my pace.

Still, I am certain that I will not turn back or give up on this journey. I refuse to give up. I need to set my GPS for Thinville and follow the directions that lead me to my destination along the fastest route. It's all about avoiding the bumps that hinder my progress.