100!

Today was an important milestone for me and the fulfillment of a goal that I've been working towards for a long time: losing 100 pounds.   I have been hovering over that number for months and although I didn't give up moving towards it, sometimes it just plain seemed like it wasn't going to happen.  I had a good feeling though when I stepped on the scale this afternoon that today was going to be the day. Two hours earlier,  when I was registering at 99 pounds, I looked down the digital readout, thought about all those lunches of veggies and brown rice and afternoons in the gym where I could wring out my shirt, and said, "REALLY?!!"   Luckily around that time my trainer Jeff was walking by and promised to write me up a workout that would burn that pound off.  Along with five other awesome girlfriends who have been with me literally through thick and thin, I sweated my way through Jeff's psycho 1,000 rep workout and although my legs and arms literally could take no more, as I stepped onto the scale it was worth it.

I am so excited to clear this first hurdle and move on to the next one but I can't leave this post without giving thanks for the many ways that I have been blessed:

• First and foremost: with God anything is possible.  I can't explain the reason why the motivation stuck this time out of the many times I've attempted this other than that God's hand was at work.  There is no other way that I could have gone from the state I was in to where I am now.   Many times during this journey I have felt His hand at work, lifting me up and keeping me going.  He is as much present in the gym as anywhere else, and believe me, there have  been many times I have called on Him in the middle of a workout!
• My husband has been my cheerleader and wonderful support along the way. He has eaten all my low cal cooking without complaint, cheered me on at my 5K, waited for 2 hours outside a zumba class I was attending, made sure I got up early on Saturdays for workouts, and cheerfully provided "opportunities" for me to burn calories helping him with yard work. 
• My awesome family and friends have had my back since the beginning.  No matter how many times they've seen me start and stop this process, they have always believed in me and the fact that this time it was going to work.  They have cheered every little milestone along the way. 
•  My trainers Jeff and Marisa believed in me before I could believe in myself and have given so much of their time and support in a way I could never repay.  I hope that I can encourage others the way they encouraged me.  
• My friends and coworkers and friends/coworkers have lifted me up, cheered me on, worked out by my side and shown me such overwhelming support that it blows my mind.   Having that daily reassurance helps more than they can ever imagine.   I cannot imagine a better working environment in which to get healthy and make this change.
• And to everyone who reads this blog: thank you.   I started it as a way to keep myself on the straight and narrow and to stay engaged.  I appreciate every time you've taken a minute to read it and hope that in some way it has helped you.  If you ever need encouragement, send me an email and I'll be glad to be there for you. Take it from me: you can start anytime on the path to success.

The journey to a triple digit loss has been at times frustrating and at overwhelming with joy to the point that it takes my breathe away.  I can't wait to travel farther...now on to the next fifty pounds!