Did It!!!!!!

Tenor

After several years – two years of conscious effort – and another year of being here in Thailand – I am FINALLY at my weight goal. I am 5’4″ (and shrinking) and I now weigh 50 kgs, or 110 lbs. I will try to maintain or hover around this level the rest of my life.

This lady on the right shows you how I used to look in May of 2013. At my worst, I weighed 205 lbs.

This is the latest full picture of me. I’ve lost more weight since this photo, but no appreciable difference shows.

It feels good to have FINALLY reached a goal. Now I have wrinkles on my wrinkles and this is my twin – except that I’M smiling much of the time.

The reason I wanted to write this post is not to crow about the weight loss (though I AM tooting my horn a bit), but to tell you –

• I’m relieved that I am so much healthier now than I have been for years. I FEEL better (except for the cold I have now); having more energy, more enthusiasm about moving more, trying new things, bringing joy into my life.
• It feels good to be able to shop somewhere other than Walmart for my clothes. Granted, I was grateful they exisit. It just feels GOOD to be able to go to a clothes store here now and know that I should be able to find something that will fit me. I still like loose fitting clothes. I am at the age where the more covered up I can be with as much style as possible, the better. The only shorts I wear are to the gym. I don’t wear short sleeves. This is an age and wrinkles thing, though, not a weight thing anymore. I feel comfortable, and CAN CROSS MY LEGS now and sit comfortably!!!!
• I am enjoying getting rid of things that are too large now. (I had been taking in some cut off jean shorts to wear to the gym and the long jeans I was wearing out. It got to the point where there wasn’t any way I could take them in any more, so we went out and bought new gym shorts and some new jeans.)
• I want to emphasize the FREEDOM I feel now, being able to splurge when Brian brings us to-die-for desserts. I can also eat bread and pastas again, plus other carbs. I will continue to monitor my weight, staying in a 3-lb range of the 110 mark, and continue to measure to see if I’m making any progress on my measurements, but basically I can eat like a regular, disciplined person for the first time in YEARS. What a treat!
• Instead of having a whole sackful of prescription meds, I’m am down to two – one for my radiated thryoid replacement hormone, and 1/2 of one pill daily for my blood pressure. We’ll check with the doctor next appointment to see what she recommends on that. Otherwise, I take supplements.
• I’m am concentrating on continuing to repair the damage I sustained when I was in the hospital a year ago. After dying twice, I had hearing damage and my balance was impaired. I now wear hearing aids, and I walk on the treadmill a mile every morning concentrating on maintaining my balance without holding on to the handlebars. I’m playing with the speed and the incline levels to continue to push myself. I still have trouble walking and turning my head to look at something without having a problem. I’m teaching myself to check behind me, then stop and THEN take as long a look as I would like without impeding foot traffic, then start walking again.
• I’m trying to build my strength, stamina, and flexibility with old lady yoga stretches, leg lifts, exercises with water bottles, dancing to some really fun music, doing some exercising to various videos, and doing more walking in general, but also walking up and down the stairs in the building as much as I can.

SO – I’ve met my goal and will change my concentration to maintenance and exercise now. FREEDOM to cram as much joy into each day remains my priority. I love adding new activities, such as re-learning to play my guitar and sing, to my day. JOY – FUN – LEARNING – RESTING are the watchwords I live by now.