Completion of Week 14!

Time flies...so they say. It amazes me that 1/4 of the year is almost over. It's the end of March. It's Spring (one of two seasons for us in Florida, not counting Hurricane season) and another season has past.

I can remember being a kid and wondering if time would ever go quick enough to get to the next school vacation or the next trip or the next whatever. These days, I wonder on Thursday, where did this week go?! On Sunday, I wonder where did my weekend go?! Speaking of time, today is day 96 on the program. The completion of 14 weeks of a change in my lifestyle and positive, happy changes in my life. So many things have changed in my life in the past 14 weeks, yet I'm still the same person I was on December 22, 2008.

This week was very successful at weigh-in. Today's weigh-in signified a loss of 4.3 pounds and a total weight loss to date of 55 pounds so far. On my post from December 27th, I posted that the goal was to lose 62.2 pounds. Today, that would mean I'd be 7.2 pounds from my goal. Those of you who have been following this blog, however, know that on March 4th, I added another 15 pounds to the total overall goal. That means, today, I am 22.2 pounds from reaching my ideal goal. I could not be happier than I am right now about the progress that has been made along this journey.

I am still struggling with the fact that I am the same person, yet a different person than I was prior to starting this change. I'm the same girl who I was at a size...yeah, not the size I am today! I still like the same things, do the same things and love my family and friends more than life itself. It's just 'different'. I've never really had a like for myself. I don't necessarily see a thinner me in the mirror when I look. I still see the girl who was hiding from so many things, behind a wall of weight, and a wall it was! Quite honestly, I'm not sure that will ever change. I mean, I see that I buy smaller clothes (and lots of them) and I see that I eat completely different things than I did, and much smaller portions. What I don't see is someone who is a size 8 looking back at me in the mirror. I still, just see me, with the same outlook I had before.

I think I can safely say though, that I am a more positive person today, and I definitely see that. I didn't like the negative, cloudy outlook I had prior to starting all of this. I came home from a vacation in September in a big funk and I hated the person that I was during that time. My friends stood beside me, listened to me whine and cry (lots of crying) and all of the sudden, things changed. I put more faith in God, learned to let go of my past, started to count on my friends more, rather than just being there for them and learned who I truly wanted to be.

I was asked by my best friend this week if I "saw it" (saw what, you ask...keep reading!)...actually I think I was told, I didn't "see it." I don't see how beautiful I am, inside or out. Truth be told, that person was right. I guess I don't see it. I've never been good about seeing the good sides of me. I do what I do for others because it's who I am and it's who I've been for a long time. I used to be pretty selfish, but I no longer want to have a life that revolves around myself. I've changed that. I changed it a long time ago and I'm in a better place for it.

Wow, this blog totally didn't go where I thought it would! I guess we've gone from "time" to "changes". I can certainly say that the feedback I receive on my changes is a positive one. I guess it's time for me to take a dose of my own "positive attitude" medicine and start believing what the special people in my life tell me, every day.

In closing, and I think I say this every week. I am so happy to have the people that I have in my life. My family and friends are such an amazing support network for me. There is nothing in my life today that makes me unhappy and I'm so glad that I can count each of you among the many blessings that I have. I love you all, more than you could ever know.


When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.