Appreciating the Scenery

Today I decided to stop being so hard on myself. Yes, it stinks that the scale is not moving as fast as it was before the New Year. Sure, it's frustrating to be at least 20 pounds heavier than I had aimed for at the moment. It's disappointing that I still can't wear all the clothes that my ultra generous co-worker gave me back toward the beginning of the year. It's not fair, it sucks, and it makes me want to stomp my feet and "throw a wobbly" as I saw someone call it. But, that's life. It's still a journey no matter how long it takes.

I still meet little goals along the way, learn new things about myself, and change and grow in many ways. Plus, my brain is having a really hard time catching up with things, and the slower I lose, the more I notice the little things. Just the other day I was sitting somewhere and looked at my thighs and thought "wow, they really look quite a bit smaller!" Today I decided to stop being so bummed about all of the things that haven't gone my way, and focus on some of the accomplishments I have made:

• 59 pounds lost - almost 24% of my highest weight
• 52 pounds, or 21.75%, since beginning this journey on August 18, 2011
• Under 200 pounds, and not only under 200, but under 190
• Taken off blood pressure meds
• 33" lost 
• Went from a size 24/26 pant to a size 16
• Down from a size 24/26 or 3X top to an 18/20 or XL
• It's summer and I'm wearing sandals that last year hurt because my feet were swelling so bad; this year they feel too big
• My wedding ring has a ring sizer on it and a lot of times it still feels too big
• I started at the gym huffing and puffing doing 2.5 mph at a 5% incline; now I can go 3.5 mph and double the incline
• I could barely walk the short way around the campus I work at, now I'm constantly looking for ways to add more distance
• I jogged half a mile, which wasn't much, but I still did it and proved to myself that I could
• Husband and I walked .3 miles to a restaurant for dinner and I had to have him go get the car and come pick me up; now I can walk over 3 miles and not bat an eye
• I can do planks, and side planks, and boat pose, and lots of other things I thought were "too hard"
• I can feel bones I've not felt in a long time, if ever: collar bones, upper shins, hips
• I've gained muscle, or at least defined them; seeing my biceps makes me proud
• I went without pop for about 9.5 months, drank some, and hated it
• Haven't had "fast food" (aka McDonald's, Taco Bell, Wendy's, etc.) since January; it wasn't my choice and I ate half of a very plain salad

Ultimately, no one but me will care how long it took to get to my final destination. And in the end, even I won't care. It just matters that I get there - and I so will!