This is the first day on my way to maintenance; so, it is a new “Day One” It’s kind of exciting to be starting off on a new path. One day after reaching GOAL (sorry, I still have to shout it, I almost told a stranger in the store about it until my frontal lobe kicked in and stopped me) and this is what it looks like:

I had an amazing time at spin class and ate a really delicious breakfast that kept me satisfied for a long time. Then I worked for a long time (truth is I have to get back to work so this post will be short).

After that a little shopping because I think I earned something fantastic.

Plus, guess what I got back… Yes! My coat!

Yesterday, my coach, Bonnie posed a question that I became too emotional to answer. Now that I’ve had some time to let it sink in I think I can put my feelings into words. She asked,

“How does it feel being 93 pounds lighter?” 

Yesterday, all I kept saying was “It feels really different.”  Today, I can tell you that I feel like someone turned the light on in my own life.  Getting to goal has given me this very special feeling of joy and personal satisfaction because I had to work so hard to get here. Although, it wasn’t an unpleasant journey. As a matter of fact, I’d say 90% of it was very empowering, 10% was daunting. Now, everything is different, I feel like I’m not just living inside my head, I feel more fully present in my body too.  It feels like it used to, like when I was a kid, free to just be present in the world without feeling uncomfortable.

Please understand, these are my reflections on how I am feeling. This is not to say, that 93 pounds ago another person would have felt differently.  Throughout my journey, the one constant was that I always spoke to myself with a kind voice, my mother’s voice, or my sister’s voice. I don’t think I could have made it without that one thing, self-love, and acceptance at every step.

A special thank you to everyone for all the good wishes, encouragement, and congratulations.  Your words mean more to me than I can express. I send all that back to you as you read this post. I send you love, encouragement, and hope for the future. Love yourself as you are, and keep taking steps to get you to where you want to go.