Today is a good day!  I am happy to announce that my BMI is down to 25.6.  I am down to 140 pounds and this inspires me so much because the next stop is in the “130’s”.  A healthy BMI for my height can be obtained at 136 pounds.  That is only four pounds away!  This is quite thrilling, I cannot quite articulate it, but let me try.

  I have not weighed in the 130’s since I was sixteen and I had some major self-image issues which culminated into a phase of anorexic tenancies.  I starved myself- I abused my body and sadly swallowed diet pills by the handfuls.  I did not respect my body or health at all.  It is really sad, but the truth is my story can be echoed by most women who were once teenagers. 

This is the first time, I have nourished my body and maintained happiness throughout weight loss.  What else should there be?!  I deserve to be healthy and happy.  I deserve to not sabotage myself and then be disappointed with my actions.  Am I going to do that though ever again??? YES…absolutely!  I can guarantee I am going to eat something and then be either disappointed with my portion or timing because it was not the healthy choice. 

The key to my success has been consistency!  I have been to birthday parties and of course had cake.  I  went camping and indulged for a week!  Overall, though I continue to eat the right foods, watch my portions, and exercise.  I walk to the dinner table with a ½ cup measuring cup for my rice because rice can almost always get me every time.   I am getting better about just dishing up a sensible portion without the measuring cup, which is ideal.  I don’t need to get too technical- that is not healthy either. 

On another note, this morning my husband and I were talking and he told me his weight.  My guy is big.  Think offensive lineman through college big.  It gives me peace to know my man outweighs me by a significant amount J.  The point is, this morning he told me what his weight is and I have weighed more than that…years ago…more than a decade ago before my husband and I met.  I weighed 217 pounds.  I went through a really hard time in my life and what can I say?  I was in survival mode.  I remember the pride I received when I got below 200.  It was a thrill to me; like getting my life back after being out of control.

Even though being in survival mode, having real life situational stressors, not taking care of myself, all seems like a life time ago, I value this reflection of mine.  I can see this journey with my weight has been quite a ride and basically an overall status of health and happiness in every facet of my life.  I find it is no coincidence that I am at a peak of spiritual, physical, and mental health in my adult life.  Our bodies and minds are interconnected and each of us should be striving to do our best in each department in order to obtain our best possible overall health condition.  I hope each of you find encouragement, inspiration, or at least enjoy reading about my journey, as I’m sure many can relate to.  Best of health to each of you!