I did it!

   So, I have been working really hard for months now to get in shape. I actually started showing up 2-3 days a week at the gym I have been a member of for over a year! Started paying closer attention to what I was eating and started drinking lots of water. I finally started to see the scales move in the opposite direction than they have been moving in for some time. It was a great feeling. I am officially down almost 20 lbs!!
   I broke out all of my boxed up clothes that I thought I would never wear again and tried them all on. I was so happy to see how close I was to wearing them again. Some fit now, some will hopefully fit by the end of the week. Some are just motivators that I still have a ways to go to be where I want to be. Progress though is hope and keeps me going.
   I have a very dear friend that teamed up with me to be my diet buddy. Just knowing that she is in this with me has made me more determined. We try to talk every few days to give a report of our progress and pep talks as needed.
   Ladies, we have laughed till we cried in one call when we started talking about the things we are sick of when it comes to our weight. For those of you who have "been to the other side", of the scales I mean, you understand what I'm talking about. It was just so funny to hear someone else saying things out loud that I had been feeling myself  and thought for sure no one else would understand. I'll give you some examples of my observations from "the other side": 
   * the friction between my inner thighs was becoming a fire hazard!
   * pretty soon I would have to have my bras specially made
   * you can actually get BACK fat!!
   * tilting your head a little to the side and down just a hair in the 15th retake won't help either, you're face will still look just as fat in that picture too!
   * taking care of business in the bathroom is now a workout, because somewhere along that journey to the other side of the scale my rear end moved way further away and is now almost unreachable!!
   * Finally, my "fat" clothes are now the clothes I am trying to get back into!

   Take it from someone who has been visiting "the other side" for the past year and is just now finding my way back...RUN!!! No matter how uncomfortable you feel exercising or how difficult it is to maintain your will power, it is WAY easier than anything that is going on,  on "the other side"!

   They say it takes three weeks (I think) to create a habit. So, if you can start a good exercise routine and healthy eating plan and maintain it for at least three weeks, it will become a habit. Now that's a habit worth having.
    I have been doing my best to exercise and eat right and am finally getting results that are making me feel much better about myself. I even ran in my first 5K this past weekend. It's important when you first start to set goals that you can actually achieve and will stick with. Once you start to feel better and see improvements you can start upping your goals.
   My goal with the 5K was to not be last! LOL!  I did it!! Out of over 300 runners I came in 259th place! It was one of the hardest things I have ever done. It was also one of the proudest moments for me. I set a goal and accomplished it. Just three months ago I couldn't have run to the mailbox and back. Now here I am running in a 5K.  Even though my shins hurt, and I can feel every muscle in my body screaming at me right now, I feel great!!!

Minutes before running in my first 5K! Wounded Warrior 5K...so proud to be a part of this amazing cause!

Representing a wounded or fallen soldier!