Ok, I know it has been a long time since I have written. I have just been so busy! It is great, because I have all sorts of energy. As of this morning, I have lost 45 pounds! It seems almost unreal to say that. This week has been a little bit of a challenge, because I have been sick, so I have not gone to the gym. Last week I went to California and ate some things that weren't the best, but did so much walking that it was ok. I spent 14 hours at Disneyland. Trust me, my legs and feet hurt, but I was able to do it. I find that I am starting to find courage to do things I have been afraid to do. For many years, I have thought of myself as a confident woman, but am finding more and more confidence as I continue on this journey. I love that I have so many people that can understand this journey and are willing to share it with me. Over the weekend, a woman that I know from work proudly told me she has now lost 50 pounds. She is doing it the same way as I am, lifestyle changes. It is so great to be encouraged by and to encourage others. I think about the changes I have seen in my energy level and confidence, and am excited to think of the additional positive impacts others are getting with their weight loss. Living a long and healthy life is what we all want, isn't it?

Until next time.........

Just thought I would write a quick note today. Not too much to say. Still working hard, but not too much change lately. It is a little frustrating, but I know that if I keep it up, I will see the pounds start to fall again. I wanted to just say to everyone who is on their own journey, keep it up, you can do it!

Until next time..........

Today was a great day! I spent the morning with 275 union stewards and leaders. My friends and I had a class during the meeting where we talked about becoming healthier. It was a little hard, but an amazing thing to be able to share a little about my journey in front of 80 plus of those people. We talked about nutrition, exercise, and stress. We had a lot of fun. We danced! I am glad I got the opportunity to share with others, and hopefully inspired some of them to start on the journey to improve their own health. We have a huge problem in this country with obesity. It is frightening to know how young children are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and that this generation of children is the first to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents if we don't do something. That thought just breaks my heart. On top of that, the healthcare cost due to this epidemic is out of control. I am committed to doing what I can to solve this problem. Are you? In mid-May a four part HBO special will air on this very subject. I hope you will tune in. It will be a powerful four hours. More information to come on this, but you can find out more about the special by googling Weight of the Nation.

Well, I am tired after a long day, so I will sign off for now. Until next time............

I am so super excited! I have now passed the 30 pounds lost mark!!! I looked up yesterday how much I weighed when I last went to the doctor's. I am actually 45 pounds lighter than I was in 2010! I just cannot believe it. I won't say that it has been easy, as you all know, but I am happy to say that honestly I thought it would be much tougher. No, I thought it was impossible. It is possible and I am seeing the results. I am loving it! I can't wait to see how this journey continues. I know that I can do this. I have the drive, and an amazing group of people supporting me. I thank you all!

Until next time........

Life has been super busy lately. I spent 6 days in Hollywood last week. It was a great training and fun times as well. We did a flash mob in front of the Chinese Theater. It was to the song Move Your Body by Beyonce. It is not the easiest dance in the world. I was very happy I have been doing all this working out! I spent two hours one day practicing the dance. Boy were we sweating! The next night we had a dance. I danced for several hours. The following night, some of us went to a couple of Hollywood clubs. We danced for a few hours then too. I would not have been able to do that four months ago! It was great to have the stamina to do it. I didn't do too bad with my eating while I was there, but not as good as when I am at home. I am happy to say, that I did not gain any weight back while out of town!

After I got home, I tried to work out the next day, but I was too sore from all the dancing. I had to take a night off. The next night was much better at the gym.

All total as of this morning, I have lost 29.2 pounds! I am so excited! It is great to be able to walk into any store and buy a pair of pants. I am looking forward to the class that Moe and I are putting on for our stewards on April 13th. We have found lots of great information to share. I hope that we are able to inspire others to start to take better care of themselves.

Until next time.....

Today is a fabulous day! Currently down about 27 pounds. But that isn't the best thing by far! I am leaving to go to Hollywood on Tuesday and I have very few clothes that fit me right. I have been out shopping, trying to find some cheap clothes. I decided to go into Old Navy today. To my surprise, I can now buy jeans at Old Navy! Not their plus sized jeans either. They weren't on sale, so I didn't buy any. I mean really, why would I pay $40 for jeans I will not be able to wear all that long? It is great just knowing I can shop there if I want. I then wandered down to Sears. I did buy some jeans there. In the Misses department!! I don't even know how long it has been since I was able to do that! It is an amazing feeling knowing that I can walk into basically any store to buy pants!

There are a couple of things that are frustrating me. It is hard to have my lower body shrinking faster than my upper. It is just kind of odd. I tried on some dresses, and they just didn't work out very well, lol. I know that in time it will all work out. The other thing is that as I am getting thinner and getting toned, I have some areas where I have extra skin. I am hoping that over time that will tighten up too. I just have to wait and see.

To all my friends that are on this journey with me, keep doing what you need to be doing. We are in this together! Until next time........

I know it has been a little while since I have written. Things are going very well for me. I am now down 24.8 pounds since I started my journey less than three months ago. I am heading to Hollywood, CA in 11 days. I will have to do some shopping before then. I bought jeans two weeks ago, and it is almost time to buy some new ones. Although I have only lost a few pounds the last couple of weeks, I have been losing inches pretty rapidly. That is a great feeling too! I found a top in my closet today that actually showed off my new shape. So many of my tops are starting to feel like a tent. It was great to put on this one and see how great it looked! It was such a great feeling. Several people commented on how good I looked, but more about how happy I look.  I am happy. I never thought I could lose nearly 25 pounds!

I am also excited about an upcoming work event. A co-worker and I are putting together a class for staff with tips and tools to improve their health, their families health, and that of the community. We are planning a fun and interactive class. The part that I find the most exciting is that it is another way to share what I am learning along the way, and hopefully show people who feel like I did, (that I couldn't do it) that it is possible. I hope that others can find the joy that I have with getting healthy and losing all this extra weight.

I have always felt like I am a skinny woman stuck in a fat woman's body. I can't wait until I fully escape from this body. I know that there will be days ahead that will be rough, but I know that I can get through it. Until next time.........