An Anniversary...of Sorts

On Saturday as I was running at 5:45 a.m. (because I was up and it was not blazing hot yet), I remembered that it was a day that meant something to me. It was August 1st. Now August is not the best month for me in terms of things to remember. It's the month that a lot of people that I love have died. It's also the month that I moved to Nashville 8 years ago (yes, it's really been 8 years).

But this particular day is an anniversary (kind of) of something good. Two years ago on August 1st, I looked at the American Heart Association's internal wellness web site and said "That doesn't look too hard." I do not know why it happened. It wasn't something that I planned or even thought other than, "I think I can do that." But for some reason, this time it stuck.

Two years ago I started losing weight. And not just a little weight. A lot of weight. In fact, if you add my set backs and big chunks, I have lost more than 100 pounds in two years. Not that I weigh tiny now, but including the times that I've gained and lost again. At my heaviest, I weighed (I cannot believe I'm going to admit this) 221 lbs. More than the majority of defensive players on the Colts. I tried to rationalize that they were built for speed and not punishment, but when you can honestly say you weigh more than a professional defensive football player. . .and you're a woman that's 5'2", it's time to make a change.

Now I'm the type of person that I used to hate. The type of person that gets up at 5:45 on a Saturday morning to go for a jog. Who'd have thunk it?

Now only 3 more pounds to go to be at my lowest weight in my adult life. What a difference a day can make.

Then

Now