April 2006

Weaning time! On Colson's 1st birthday I sat down with him for a final feeding, and he bit me for the first time! Ouch! Kind of appropriate, considering. It was a bittersweet day, knowing he was moving out of babyhood and we wouldn't share those intimate moments anymore.

At the same time, I was raring to go, ready to work on my weight again. I felt healthier than I had 5 years before with the first pregnancy, and I'd even managed to shave off a few pounds while in my First Place program. Still, at 205 pounds, I had a way to go.

I've worked on losing weight many times in my life. This time felt different, however. It felt like I was reaching the end of my rope-- just being so sick of being overweight for so long. I'd put off buying attractive clothes for almost 5 years, and I was determined to get back into my old wardrobe. I was constantly avoiding cameras and was ashamed of myself. It was time for this to end. As I told some relatives at a family reunion, "Just you wait-- a year from now I'm going to be 50 pounds lighter. I'm sick of this. I'm done. It's over!" I was at the breaking point, which I now think is a big key in finally committing to living a healthy life.

I decided to start taking "progress photos" at every 10 pound loss. This provided a little reward, and it helped me see progress on those days when I was feeling discouraged. Here's my photo for 205 pounds: