D Day

Today's the day -- my four year anniversary of reaching my initial weight loss goal. After an 18-month journey, on March 11, 2008, I stepped on the scale for my weekly weigh in and realized that I had finally reached the number that I had been striving for -- a number that was 75 pounds from the one I had started with. Needless to say, it was a proud moment in my life. To this day, I still count losing weight as one of the best things I've ever done for myself.

What I didn't fully realize then, however, was that the real adventure was just beginning. It's one thing to lose weight; it's another to keep it off. For the past four years, that's been the reality of my life. Whether I like or not, I have to think about my food choices every day. Sometimes I don't mind, but sometimes I hate it. It's tough to keep up the motivation to consistently make wise choices, and I fail just like everyone else.

Six weeks ago, I mentioned that I had a goal to slim down and tone up a little by today. In the spirit of full disclosure, I have to tell you that I didn't make it. I weigh exactly what I did six weeks ago and my measurements are essentially the same as well.

Doom and gloom aside, however, I'm still proud of where I've been and where I am today. Although I'm heavier today than I have been on my previous maintenance anniversaries, I'm still within three pounds of the goal weight that I reached four years ago. As for my short-term goal, the past two weeks have been considerably better than the first four were, so I'm hoping to build on that momentum in moving forward. My goals are still my goals (hey, bathing suit season is coming!), despite a change in time frame.