Weigh-in Week 48

[Rachel]

Do you see that there? That says 124.9. That number means a whole lot of things to me. It means I lost 3.5 pounds this week. It means I have lost 114.4 pounds all by myself, by working my butt off, in just under 11 months. It means 5 donuts must have been exactly what my body needed this week ;) But most of all? It means I reached the weight I have always wanted to be, for many, many years. I have finally done it. I'm just sitting here trying to let it sink in. I honestly think I'm going to cry! You better believe when I was 239 pounds I never thought this day would come. I had no faith I would EVER be able to get to this weight. I told myself I couldn't do it, I told myself because I had a kid I couldn't weigh what I wanted, I told myself it was too late for me and I was too big. But ALL of those things were lies, and you CAN accomplish things that you think you can't. I am so incredibly happy right now. Not because I'm finally 125... but because of the sense of self accomplishment I have. I've never really had anything to be proud of myself for. Now I do.

Honestly, that's why I do this. In my No More Trouble Zones dvd, there's one part where Jillian says "you have to think about the motivation behind why you're doing this". Every time she says that, I get stumped. Because my focus lately hasn't been weight loss. And I've never been able to come up with an answer for why I continue push myself like I do, and why I've been continuing to work so hard even though I was almost to goal. Then I realized it- I do it for the way it makes me feel about myself. That's it. I feel so good about myself, so proud of myself, and my self esteem is getting better for the first time in my life. Exercising makes me feel amazing. Period.

There's something else that absolutely has to be said. I love you all! I really truly do. YOU have supported me through this journey- some of you from the very beginning, some of you more recently. You have supported me more than any other people in my life! This weight loss journey isn't something I have shared much of with anyone except my husband. But knowing I can ALWAYS come here and get kind words, encouragement, and love is such a wonderful feeling. I'm sorry I don't comment back as much as I should, but please know every single comment I've gotten means something. I could not have done this without this amazing community. And so many thanks to Roni for creating it!

So... what's next? That's a hard question. I said earlier that I was going to go into maintenance when I got to 125, even though I was hoping to maybe end up somewhere near 120. Well... I wasn't mentally prepared to go into maintenance this week because I was NOT expecting to hit 125! I'm torn about what to do. The other thing is, I thought when you went into maintenance you added back 2 points per week, but I just looked and it's 4. Can anyone confirm that this is correct? Did anyone continue to lose as you went into maintenance? I wonder if it would be bad if I just added back 2 points a week instead of 4. I just don't know what to do. Any advice would be welcome!

Have a great week!

[turn inside out]

Wow Rachel!!! Congratulations! You are so AMAZING!

[Christine]

I just saw this post! CONGRATS! It has been great to watch your progress over the past months. Definitely need to submit your success story to Roni!!

[Tawnya]

CONGRATS RACHEL!!! Do you have a reward planned for yourself for reaching goal? Because you totally deserve it! You have done an awesome job and are an inspiration to us all!

[Juniper]

Wow I go away for the weekend and come back to wonderful news!!! Congrats Rachel this is such an amazing accomplishment and you have every right to feel good about yourself and all of the hard work that has gotten you here. You have always inspired us with your determination and incredible attitude and I love that we all get to share this with you! Just in time for bathing suit season :D You have really transformed, not only into a thin and trim woman but into a positive influence and example for all of us and for your daughter. You really deserve everything you have made happen for yourself!

[Jen McDonald]

What an awesome moment! You have worked very hard to see that number! Thank-you for sharing your story! Your hard work and determination have really paid off.Very inspiring!

[Arlene]

Congratulations, Rachel. That's fantastic. It's good to know that hard work and dedication really DO pay off.

Now if only I could be a bit more dedicated myself ... You've lost 114 pounds in a little less than a year and it's taking me nearly 2 years to lose about 60 pounds (with 10 - 15 to go to get to goal).

[Hannah]

So proud of you! Such an inspiration!

[Mary]

Rachel, simply put, you rock!

[Katie]

Well it looks like you proved a calorie is a calorie now didn't you? :) And not only that you shattered your hope for the week!! You are just a weight loss machine - now coral all that awesome energy into maintenance and you are going to do just fine. CONGRATULATIONS!! WOW I'm just so happy for you! Thanks for taking all of us on this journey with you!

[Tanie]

You are awesome! And an inspiration to all! Good luck in maintaining!!!