My weight loss over time

Some people have asked about my weight loss over time.

To the side I have posted the dates and my weights so people can see how fast I lost the 50 or so pounds over time.

I guess you can see that the weight was up and down. This has definately been a journey for me. I've learned some very good things along the way.

1) I can't get comfortable.
2) Calorie counting has become a way of life for me.
3) Once I reach my goal I cannot get comfortable.
4) I can gain weight easily/quickly if I stop counting and stop exercising.

5) Although life gets stressful I cannot say that I will worry about weight later. That only leads to a bigger problem to fix later (see the jump from 142 to 161 only 4 months later. It looks like a lot of weight but it is only 5 pounds a month aka 583 calories over maintenance per day). I have to stay present and I have to remain vigilent about my health and especially about my weight. For me my health is tied to my weight. I have a family history of diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. I don't currently have any of these problems thanks to God and my exercise and my eating habits. However I cannot let that allow me to become comfortable with my weight. Yes I can still run at my current weight but I know that I could run a lot faster, a lot farther, and a lot easier if I was 30 pounds lighter.

Yesterday I went to my doctor for my monthly checkup and she actually told me that my cholesterol and blood pressure levels are something that you just don't see with people of African desent. I can only attribute that to running a lot and really pushing myself. That is something that cannot stop once I reach 130. Although I will be at goal the only way to keep these health problems at bay is to continue the cardiovascular exercise.

6) I will never stop pushing until I reach 130 so I might as well focus and get there.

7) For me I cannot say I won't eat this or eat that. That only leads me to binge. Calorie counting allows me to eat anything I want within a specified caloric number per day. This freedom allows me to feel like I can have anything that I want and that makes it a lot easier to continue a weight loss regiment. I also don't mandate my exercise I simply know that I get a higher burn rate and lose more weight if I exercise more. For me this is the motivation that gets me to the gym when I'd rather just watch TV.

What lessons have you learned as you've lost weight?

Mandy