Day 363,
We're almost at the finish line of what started out at the OneYearToOneHundredPounds blog. Notice that it has since changed names to The Angry Princess Diaries.
This year has not been a total failure. But, it has not been a raging success either. I take ownership for my part in both my successes and failures. I'm dusting myself off to begin a new adventure that is perhaps a little more realistic and a little less doomed to failure than my last endeavor.
I'll close the year weighing in around 235. My beginning weight was 259 ish... So, all in all, not too shabby. My lowest weight this year was 229. My lack of focus allowed about 10 of those pounds to come back and I've successfully managed to get three of those off in the last three weeks.
But, I think it's more important for this post to be about what I've learned and the triumphs I've made because many would look at my stats and say "FAIL"! Dare I say that Jillian from The Biggest Loser would look at me with a mild disdain. I've got a few words for her, but this is a family friendly site, so I will refrain.
Top 10 Things I learned in 2010 (not necessarily in order of importance)
1. I CAN lose weight.
2. It's HARDER for me to lose weight than the average person. I do have medical issues that make it hard. That's not just an "excuse". (The funny thing is, if I lost the weight, I would no longer have those medical issues. Talk about a Catch 22.) Sometimes that harsh reality weakens my resolve and I "give up" for a while. I must work on that in 2011
3. I'm addicted to food. I admit it. I use food to deal with emotional issues (i.e. anger, stress, sadness)
4. I'm stronger than I give myself credit for.
5. I lowered my cholesterol, maintained healthy thyroid levels, and reduced my glucose levels with my lifestyle changes. (I need another 30 points off my cholesterol to make me happy. It's better. But, I'm not finished)
6. Lack of sleep will kill your weight loss efforts. Sleep, water, quality food and exercise are the four pillars for good health in my book.
7. It's more important to focus on overall health (mind, body and spirit) than just the weight. Weight is a symptom of the problem, not the actual problem.
8. I have an amazing support system
9. Results are directly impacted by my level of effort.
10. Exercise is a requirement, not an option.
I'm going back to where it all began this weekend. We are visiting our friends in Ohio for their annual New Years Eve party. Last year I wrote (what I thought were) all of my grievances on a piece of paper and burned it. I let go of a lot of issues that had been holding me back. I discovered a few more issues along the way. I'm a work in progress. I look at myself as a restoration project. And, with any complete overhaul, you're going to run into unforseen costs such as moldy drywall, roots in your plumbing, a bad roof, leaky faucets, poor insulation, bad wiring... you get my metaphor.
I'm working on my goals for next year. I won't be having an airing of grievances this year. I don't think it's necessary. I took care of that a few weeks back. I'm also going to break my goals down into more manageable chunks. Looking at that big number on the horizon can be paralyzing at times.
I'll be back on New Year's Eve or New Years Day with my new set of goals. Until then, I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Kwanza, Fesitivus or whatever you chose to celebrate in December. Enjoy your New Years Eve and let's make 2011 our best year yet.
Cheers!
Margaret
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