Meeting Vickie

Hi!

Well, first for the stats from last week: as of last Friday, I was officially down 9.8 lbs. However, I have not done well this week with food. I'm not exactly losing my mojo, but I think last week's headaches were so rough that this week I haven't been as strict. And guess what happened. I gained 2 pounds by Sunday. I've managed to get 1 of them off, so now I only have 1 to go, but who knows if I'll make it by Friday? I guess the point here is that I'm aware of it, and I know what I need to do to get myself back on a really steady track next week.

A couple of weeks ago, Maddie shared with me that she had a surprise for me. She had met a lady at the gym who had lost 150 pounds, and you'd never know it to look at her. (My biggest fear is that, once I get this weight off, people will look at me and be able to tell from the loose skin that I've lost a lot of weight.) Well, the surprise was that Vickie was going to work out with me for one session. That session was Monday at 1.

Oh, Danielle, what an inspiration she was! She's had a lifelong battle with her weight, just like me, and she said she maxed out at 315 when she finally decided she couldn't live like this anymore. She told me her 'aha' moment: she was visiting her daughter and stayed in a hotel where the elevator was broken, and her room was on the 3rd floor. She said she could barely get up the stairs, and that it made her miserable to know she'd gotten to that point. When she and her husband left, she said she cried the whole way home (and it was about a 6- or 8-hour drive). That was a Sunday. On Monday, she went out and bought a composition book, and dated each page. Then every day afterward, she wrote down what she ate so she could understand exactly where her calories come from. It was eye-opening, and after two weeks, she started cutting back. She cut sodas out of her diet altogether, added more fruits and vegetables, and she started walking. She said at first she carried 1-lb weights, and then graduated to 2-lb ones, and now carries 3-lb weights whenever she walks. After she lost the first 75 lbs, she decided to add Spinning to her workouts, and then after a while she also started swimming. It has taken her 3 years, but she's gotten everything she wanted to get rid of off. She looks great--and she DOES NOT have the loose arm skin!

And here's the kicker--she just retired, so I'm guessing she's early- to mid-sixties.

So, seriously, if she can do this, there is no reason I can't. It was a great session (plus I actually worked out pretty hard), and I'm so, so glad Maddie introduced us! She took my email address so she could include me on a recipe exchange, so if I get anything good, I'll send it your way.

Well...as you are all too aware (because I can't stop complaining about it), I need to study for my Marketing final. I hope you're having a great week, and I can't wait to see how you do on Friday!

Mxx