The Big Reveal - My Starting and Current Weight

You may have noticed that I've never actually posted my weight on this blog. Oh sure, I've posted how much I've lost over the last twenty months, but my starting weight never made it onto the blog. Why? Well, at first it was because I couldn't believe that I weighed as much as I did. I mean, we were talking linebacker heavy. Bigger than most men. More than twice as much as my mother. So yeah, it was a little hard to face. Truth hurts, ya know what I mean? That day in my doctor's office, when I actually looked at the scale instead of closing my eyes (yes, I literally did this for years - I just didn't want to know) was shocking. And when I faced that number and realized that even if I lost 100 pounds, I would still be overweight - well, I almost quit my diet right then and there, before I even started. But somehow I managed to put that number in the back of my head and concentrate on moving forward and NEVER seeing it on the scale again.

And I haven't. It's been a long process, but I've seen pretty steady movement down the scale...I am definitely the epitome of "slow and steady" to be sure! As the months went by and my weight dropped, I had some issues (that is putting it lightly) weighing in. Sometimes I would be exactly on plan and my weight wouldn't change. Talk about frustration, especially when I would have passed up eating a special meal or dessert! Other times, I would not have been particularly strict with my diet and would get a loss on the scale. And knowing how much it affected me, I tried, with the advice of many experienced losers out there in blogland, to NOT let the number on the scale matter so much. To measure my success in inches lost rather than pounds. To know that even when the scale doesn't move very much, I can fit into smaller clothes, so obviously my body is changing, even though the scale hasn't caught up.

This is why the focus of my blog has not been on a particular number. Heck, even my goal weight is a random number that I pulled from thin air - well, almost...I think it's the highest number that is recommended for someone of my height to weigh. Why did I choose the high number? Easy...I want to not have to starve myself to maintain it. I really have no idea if it will be the right number for me - I'll have to see how I feel once I get there.

One thing that has shocked me is seeing how much I weigh now, combined with what size I fit into. That is directly related to working out - I know that if I had simply lost this weight without all of the exercise, I would be wearing much bigger sizes. I cannot stress the importance of combining exercise - both cardio and strength-training, along with diet. And believe me, this was a hard pill to swallow in the beginning, as I was the couch potato queen! But as I lost the weight, I gained more energy and truly, through reading about other bloggers who were working out, I was inspired to finally get active.

Why reveal the numbers now? Well, I was going to wait until I hit my goal weight, but my blog has been receiving more attention lately and I've done a couple of interview-type things...and I finally listed the numbers on one that should be posted tomorrow. So I felt that it was only fair to let my readers know first. OK, here are the numbers:

Starting weight on May 14, 2008: 256
Today's weight: 152
Goal weight: 138

I started this journey just before my 45th birthday. Today I'm 46 1/2 and in the best shape of my life. But I'm not done yet - I'm still overweight. If I can lose over one hundred pounds, you can lose the weight you need to as well. Join me, won't you?