Because I love this song...

Blaque - 808 - Watch more Videos at Vodpod.

Sometimes, I need a reminder...

The 6 stages of Change...

For longer than I care to admit, I've been stuck in a valley of uncertainty. Sure, over the past 9 months, I've made great strides in my personal goals. I wanted a home, so I bought one. I wanted to lose weight, so I embarked on a healthy lifestyle and have been successful to date.

However, as satisfying as these achievements have been, I've not been able to shake the feeling that something is missing. I routinely feel a small, yet pervasive longing for "more", for "new", for "different". I bore easily! I always have and I suspect I always will. I have vague pieces of the puzzle floating in my head of what I think "more" is, but not enough pieces to see a clear image.

Over the past year or so, I've been perched firmly on the "ledge" of indecision. According to the chart above, what I've really been doing is teetering between precontemplation and contemplation, afraid to take a step forward, until this past Saturday.

On Saturday, I took one small step forward and put myself out there. I was tired of being tired. Well, yesterday, I received an email that instantly catapulted from contemplation to preparation. I'm not claiming anything yet, other than I'm glad to have stepped off the ledge. Even if this one doesn't work out, the door opened and I walked through it. There's no turning back for me, not now.

Radical change awaits me. More to come...

I'm proud to be woman!

Catching up...

It's been months since I blogged. I hate when I backslide on doing something I actually enjoy...writing about the ups and downs of my life. There's not much to report, other than I'm still happily on the healthy lifestyle kick.

Over the past couple of months, I've had more ups than downs with my diet and exercise and have been trucking along with great consistency. I'm happy with myself. I wish my progress was moving a little faster, but it's moving. I'm so grateful for all that I've been learning about weight loss, my personal journey and much needed lessons about patience. I love that I feel myself growing closer to the goal line each day. I know when I reach it, it's going to be the sweetest victory.

Two things have sustained me over the past couple of months. First, I've inundated myself with fitness information, websites, blogs, magazines, pictures, etc. I've even made twitter acquaintances with fitness experts. By educating myself, I stay motivated to keep on track. I make smarter decisions about exercise and definitely wiser choices about my food.

Second, I've set a range of mini goals that lets me celebrate victories more often. I no longer have to "weight" for 5 or 10 lbs losses to celebrate. Now, I can pat myself on the back every pound or two, because those losses have other significant meanings for me. More than anything, these layered goals have forced me to really challenge myself and push harder.

Since May, I've lost 8 lbs. I still have a ways to go, but with my layered goals, I'm constantly celebrate a new achievement. To date:

I'm only 1.2 lbs away celebrating losing 20 lbs.
I'm only 2.8 lbs away from being the weight I was the day I graduated from college.
I'm only 6 lbs away from being the weight I was when I started college.
I'm only 9 lbs away from being the weight I was when I graduated from high school.

I know this may all sound a bit silly, but just a year and half ago, weight loss seemed impossible. I was miserably overweight, bumbling around in the gym without a clue. I never thought I'd see my college weight again and I could not have imagined that I'd be less than 10 lbs away from my high school graduation weight. As someone who has eaten aimlessly and shamelessly most of my life, this is a tremendous feat.

As I reach these goals, others just like it, and even still having a great distance ahead of me, weight loss no longer feels like the unreachable reach! It's no longer some elusive tango between my brain and my actions. It's finally real! I'm looking forward to a better life. I'm pushing myself harder with every workout. I'm focused...not only on the destination, but also on the journey.

My weight may not define me, but I can define my weight. I have something to prove...TO MYSELF!