Weight Loss Update

It is officially 6 months into my weight loss/get healthy/lower my cholesterol endeavor. I have actually done so much better than I had anticipated when I started this venture. To date, I have lost 30 pounds, and I have gone down 3 sizes. I am definitely smaller than I ever was in college and high school. I would like to lose another 10 pounds, but, as I have said throughout this endeavor, I will be happy to maintain the weight I am currently.

While the numbers are great, and I am utterly pleased, I think the lessons I have learned from this are so much more important than what my waistline measures. I have gained a vital understanding of what healthy really is. I have also learned that exercise is crucial - even though I may not like it. The most important lessons are those I've learned about myself - I am a strong person and I can acheive what I set my mind to. I am a huge fan of Biggest Loser, but I always thought it was cheesy when the contestants talked about the emotional impact of their weight loss. Now I really understand it. Something like this (even though I'm not posting the HUGE numbers that they do)really does teach you so much about yourself. There are so many opportunities to quit, but the victory of sticking with it has given me so much confidence that I lacked.

I still am not good at taking compliments, but I am learning. I still have a ways to go at accepting myself physically, but it gets so much easier everytime I look in the mirror. I still have to learn to overcome temptation, but I am learning to compromise. I am learning to enjoy working out, although that is something that I accept may always be a struggle. I am learning not to place such an emphasis on looks - I have replace that with an emphasis on health.

I have another 5 months before I get my cholesterol checked again. My last check showed improvements, but I still had a ways to go. I know that I have two strikes against me - familial hypercholesterolemia and hypothyroidism, but I feel confident in telling my doctors that I have spent this year they gave me doing everything in my power to eliminate the third strike of poor lifestyle. Thank you all for your prayers and support. Please keep praying for me over these next few months that I can stick with it and get my thyroid regulated so that I can get my cholesterol under control. Now more than ever do I understand and appreciate preventative medicine. What keeps me going? I know that quitting could mean a heart attack at an early age, taking medicine for the rest of my life, and passing bad habits onto my future children potentially shortening their lives or setting them up for a struggle like I am going through now. I think the benefits more than outweigh the discomfort.