A Merry Life

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Epiphanies and Goal Chasing

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Yesterday I had a little epiphany.

I AM 11 POUNDS AWAY FROM 200.

Yep, that was the epiphany.  It might seem obvious, since I’ve been at 212/211 for about two weeks now, but it wasn’t.  Realizing that rocked my world because I realized I’m close.

I’m close to 200.  I’m close to being UNDER 200.  I’m close to the weight I was originally told when I restarted this whole process almost a year ago.  I’m close to getting health insurance (well, not really).  I’m close to the thing a lot of obese people dream about.  I’m close. Only about 10 pounds away.  I know it normally takes me a couple months to lose 10 pounds, but that still sounds so close.  And I could even do it sooner, with some real hard work.

And that is what fired me up yesterday to do what I did and spend two hours in the gym.  That is what convinced me to do extra ab exercises.  That is what spurred me on to keep walking at an incline despite being tired.  Realizing I’m close to that first MAJOR goal has completely re-energized me.

I want it.  I want it to happen.  It might have taken me a year of slow progress but I know it’s going to happen soon.  I’m excited.  I’m ready.  I’m going to work hard to make it happen.  I know my ultimate goal is still far, far away from this particular mark, but it’s an important milestone for me to get past.  I can honestly say that I’ve probably not seen under 200 on a scale since …. well,  I might only be 23 now, but I can’t remember ever seeing it.  Not as an adult.  And once I hit a certain weight at the doctor’s office they never felt the need to tell me what it was – just that I should lose some of it. So anything with a 1 in front of it will be a major accomplishment for me.

I love how being so close to this goal has got me excited and ready to work hard.  Unlike my other goals like running a 5k (boo, my knees!) this one seems incredibly achievable now.  It didn’t always, but it does right now.  So I’m going to make it happen with super awesome food and lots of gym time while I can.

How far are you away from your next goal (weight or non weight related)?  What are you doing to make it happen?

Comments

  1. Awesome, Mary!!! Isn’t it interesting how we can make *so much* progress, and not fully realize it, and then one day the light bulb just goes off and it’s clear how far we’ve come? Anyhow, congrats, and keep up the good work!
    .-= Chad´s last blog ..Sometimes I Miss My Fat… =-.

    • It’s hard to see progress being made when it’s slow, when you are losing .5 – 1 lb a week and can’t tell the difference. But small changes add up and eventually the light bulb goes off and it’s like “Hey! I’m doing it!” Thanks for the encouragement. :)

  2. It’s awesome that you are fired up! You are so close to that goal! Keep going. You can definitely hit that within two months with some hard work – eating and working out. Good job – you are inspiring loads of people!
    .-= Seth´s last blog ..Home Workout Photos and a Sad Day =-.

  3. I used to think, “Agh, I have THIS MUCH to lose,” talking about the total amount. Then a blog tipped me off to just thinking in 10% increments that will get smaller and smaller each time I reach a smaller goal. That was so helpful.

    Good for you!!
    .-= Gina Fit by 41 Maybe 42´s last blog ..A Torrid Affair =-.

    • Yeah, I actually use 5 pound goals because those generally take me several weeks to reach but then I can celebrate every 5 pounds. But this is the first MAJOR goal I had and I’m approaching it and I’m getting excited. I still have another two mini goals until I reach it, but all the sudden that doesn’t seem like much at all.

  5. That is awesome!!!!! :)

    My next weight loss goal is 215, b/c thats what I was maintaining in early 2008, about 15ish pounds away.

  6. I can FEEL your excitement girl! I have no doubt you will reach it sooner than you think. It kinda got me excited too so I got on the floor and did 10 minutes of leg lifts, kickbacks and crunches so thanks for the infectious enthusiasm!! :-)

    As far as numbers, I’m 2 lbs away from being able to move my ticker to the next 20 lb increments. (This set of 20 has come off PAINFULLY slow!) I’m 19 lbs from my “halfway” point which I hope will give me back some fire instead steady embers. BUT my man is 2 lbs from his halfway mark and I’m hoping he reaches it Saturday!!! WOO HOO!

    • Sweet! I should get excited more often if it convinces everyone to do something good! :)

      I hope your boy reaches it this weekend! I’ll do a little celebration happy dance for him, haha. And for you! SSometimes the weight does come off super slow, and it’s terribly frustrating, but once you hit the big mark (20 or whatever) you hardly remember that. You just know you did something awesome, which is what you are doing!

  7. That is so exciting! I can just tell how excited and motivated you are, you will be there before you know it :-)

    My goal is to eat healthier foods while I work on my running. A lot of times I use running as an excuse to eat junk, but not anymore! Or not as much at least…..;-)
    .-= Lauren @ Eater not a runner´s last blog ..Another Beautiful Day =-.

    • Thanks!

      That’s a great goal. It’s good that you are focusing on the food part and not using exercise as an excuse! (Making mental note to learn from you…)

  8. I am now about 4 pounds away from being in the 100’s!! But I’ve been hovering around this weight for a few months now ;)

    My real goal is 8 pounds, to be at my “old” weight of 195. That’s my weight I maintained at for years (posts on that subject coming…)

    My ultimate goal of the 170s is probably years away, but it’s out there.

    Of course, all of this doesn’t matter b/c I don’t REALLY care what I weigh, I just want back in my old clothes from 2 years ago, lol. and who knows what weight that will be at :)
    .-= Craig´s last blog ..Posting Idea…but unsure… =-.

  9. Firstly, I disagree with your assertion that I always find something to object to with your posts. That couldn’t be more wrong!

    Secondly, it’s fun to be near a big milestone like Onederland. Draw energy from it and use it to propel yourself past that barrier. Weather’s turning nice again, and it’s the perfect time to shift this journey into a whole ‘nother gear.
    .-= Jack Sh*t´s last blog ..Drink Your Water Like You Oughter =-.

    • You are always disagreeing. Why must you be so disagreeable?

      I am. Your comment a while back about getting more energy around 200 partly made me realize, hey, I can get more energy! I’m close! I’m doing it.

      The weather today is awesome.. I’m staring out my window just wishing I was playing tennis or swimming or something fun.

    • Thanks Lauren. I was at 245 before and I know it seems a long way from 200, but it’s doable. I believe you will definitely hit your first goal.

      Yay for energy transfers!! ;)

  11. My next goal, although it’s not listed on my blog, but is definitely always in my head is to get below 176.5. That was my low weight the last time I attempted to lose weight in the summer of ’08. I was doing great until a family issue came up and I allowed it to ruin all the progress I had made and let it affect me emotionally to the point where I ended up a few pounds over where I had begun. I feel like I’ve got a much better handle on myself and my emotions (thanks to my blog), so even if something happens again I don’t think I will ever let it derail me like it did. Anyway, I’m less than 15 pounds away from this goal. I can’t wait to beat that and have a new low weight. Then my goal will be to get down to 165 or so. That’s around the weight I was when I met my boyfriend 4 1/2 years ago. So I guess my two big milestones will be 176.5, which is about 15 pounds from now, and 165, which is about 10 pounds from that goal.
    .-= Tania´s last blog ..Grrr…I hate the scale =-.

    • You can do it Tania! Getting past your previous low weight will be a huge accomplishment, I think. I’m looking forward to that myself. ;)

    • 200 is a bit of a hard thing on the mind, isn’t it? I think something breaking 200 is more mental than physical. You can do it. I can do it. We both can. :)

  13. Mary, after reading all about your short life’s adventures and I say short life since you are so young compared to me, :-), in my eyes, you can achieve anything! YOU WILL MAKE IT HAPPEN! GO MARY!

    Me, not sure how far away I am. Unlike others, the gym for me is an easy goal.. outside the gym is always tougher for me…. I will try!
    .-= Jody – Fit at 52´s last blog ..Dr. J and PLAY! =-.

  14. 200 was a battle I fought for quite awhile before my various health-related issues took it out of the picture for awhile. I loved and loathed that number equally. LOL

    As at my most recent weigh in, Feb 15th 2010, I’m 6.2 lbs away from getting back to my pre-pregnancy weight of 238lbs.

    I’m feeling kinda bittersweet about that at the moment. At two weeks postpartum I weighed 237lbs. I did all the right things while pregnant and was lucky enough the 18lbs I gained was necessary weight ie blood volume, placenta, baby etc. (Considering I had plenty o’ fat as a buffer I guess my body figured it didn’t need to gain any more.) And then came the post-surgery recovery and I gained back all that 18lbs. {sigh}

    At least I’m heading in the right direction again though. Slowly and steadily. I’d rather lose a pound and a bit per month and keep it off than go through all that yo-yoing I did while dieting.

    • LOL. 200 is kinda evil, but it feels so good to get close to it and I bet even better to pass it.

      Slow and steady is really the way to go. It’s sustainable and healthy and you KNOW you can keep it up long term. You are doing it!

  16. I’ve seen improvements in what I’m looking to do. I gave up trying to get lots down in a short time and then giving up on my goal. I found its better to start small and stay focused on those small things and doing them again and again every day.

    It might be slow going but like a small snowball it now picking up speed and size.

    Best of luck with your goal, I know you’ll get there!

  18. YAY that’s great mary! :) im sure you can do it!
    Hmm my goals? To get out of working in a cubicle..guess I’m VERY far away from achieving that since I have no idea how to do it. I have been doing well at my goal of writing more often, which isnt a goal you finish or not, since its happening every day, and I have been writing a lot and making it a priority over work lol. :) I’m really not a goal-oriented person.
    .-= merri´s last blog ..Zumba =-.

    • You can totally get of the cubicle! Hehe, not everyone is goal oriented. I think some people flourish more when they set goals, but that is not everyone.

  19. YAY! Congrats on almost being out of the 200s! I am too! I want to be back int he 190s so badly. So close.

    Non-weight related: I can almost run 4 miles straight at a 12 minute pace. Fitting back into my smallest size 10 jeans? Not even close. But I’ll get there eventually!

    Keep up the good work! As for running, take it slow :) Push yourself but don’t kill yourself.
    .-= Jess´s last blog ..When Routine Becomes Boredom =-.

    • That is amazing. You’ve done such a good job with the running. I want to be like you!!

      Yeah… I just learned to take it slow because I tried to do too much to quick and ended up with my shins killing me. Ouch! So thanks for the good advice… I wish I had read it sooner!

  22. I am only 14lbs away from my goal of getting under 300 lbs- right now it feels a bit unattainable but I know that if I keep moving forward I will achieve it. And so will you!

    • Tiffany that is so attainable! You will be under 300. You will be. You are one person that I know is going to be successful with this.

    • MILES! Ah, you half marathon runner! That’s inspiring if anything ever was.

      Life reevaluation can always be good.

      Can’t wait to see you at Fitbloggin.

  25. My goal is to be 200 pounds on my 22nd birthday, March 23. Right now I’m 205 so I’m certain I’ll be able to make my goal! It’s so very exciting, Mary, so I understand your epiphany because after my birthday I’ll be in the 100s. I haven’t seen numbers like that in over 4 years! In my teenage years!

    Congrats to you!
    .-= Alexia´s last blog ..Simply Breakfast =-.

    • hurray Alexia! You are even closer than me! You can totally get there by March 23. And I will join you soon after. :)

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