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Introduction Text I have been overweight since the 6th grade (almost my whole life). One of my goals in life is to someday be at an "ideal" weight. Like many people, I have lost and gained more weight than I care to think about and I have tried just about every diet program that has come down the pike. In 1988 I got as close to my goal as I have been since college (in the late 70's). Then again in 2002, I was on a major roll (for my wedding). Then I let it all get away from me. So, here I am trying again. I know that for me that I HAVE to log every bite I eat to keep control. Once I stop that, my weight goes up (and up, and up)! So that is the plan. And to quote the goofy movie "Galaxy Quest": "NEVER GIVE UP, NEVER SURRENDER" MOTIVATION & REVELATIONS: "I never again want to weigh more than I do today!"(me) From Readers Digest: "People are so worried about what they eat between Christmas and the New Year, but they really should be worried about what they eat between the New Year and Christmas." (Unknown) Learn to accept where I am today! No matter what the scale reads or what size I wear, I still have something to offer the world. As long as we have hope, it’s just a matter of time before we make our dreams come true. (Nancy Howard- SparkPeople Member) "Aim for Progress, not Perfection" (Nancy Howard- SparkPeople Member) Weights & Measures: I don't know why but I can't find any measurements from when I started SP in Nov 2007, but here is what I have: Start weight: 228 Feb 2008 measurements Weight: 216 Neck:15 Bust: 45 1/2 Waist: 41 1/2 Tummy: 51 Hips: 48 Thigh: 29 Calf: 16 3/4 BMI: 34.9 Waist to Hip Ratio: .86 SHORT TERM GOALS: Success rate: ***** 3 out of 6 / 50% ***** 1. Weigh less than 200 by 6/1/08 - missed goal 2. Weigh less than 200 by 6/29/08- missed goal Update: Over the summer I quit using SP.com & gained 13 pounds. Not a great idea. 3. Weigh less than 200 by 2/17/09 when I leave for Hawaii- Yea! I MADE IT with 3 days to spare. 4. This is a tuffy- To stay under 200 pounds while in Hawaii. Well, I didn't quite make this one. I did gain 3.5 lbs. but I really am not upset about this. 2 weeks of eating out and I still controlled it pretty well, and it came back off in less than 1 week. 5. Weigh less than 195 by 5/20/09 when we leave to go to our summer home in Michigan. I MADE IT on 3/39/09 6. Reach my "40 pounds gone" goal by 6/1/09. I MADE IT on 5/24/09 7. Reach my 45 pound- halfway point (183) by 7/5/09 ...Okay, I didn't make it "on time" but I have been having fun and haven't regretted this plateau. I will make it soon. 8. I just read the above and realize that once again I did another yo-yo, went out of control, and by November 2016 I was back up to 230 pounds. It was time to start again. This time around I discovered the SP Seasonal Challenges and eventually became one of the team leaders. I love the camaraderie and support the team gives me and the motivation to keep in control of my weight instead of my weight being in control of me. 9. Here I am near the end of Covid 2020 and I have plateaued again, but this time at 152 pounds, so I am happy. So is my doctor. I still plan to keep to my goals and someday I will get to 138, but if it takes a couple more years, I am good with that.

MY LONG TERM GOALS: Weight: Under 138 (the experts say I should weight between 127.5-143) BMI: Under 25 Waist to Hip Ratio: .7 or less Be a clothing size 10 Measurement: 36-28-38 Get off Blood Pressure meds Reduce gastric reflux Stop snoring -this is for my husband : ) When I dropped below 200 pounds my snoring decreased significantly. Now that I am below 160 it is no longer a problem.

Whether I log what I eat on Spark People or not, I try to keep a written food diary of EVERYTHING I eat EVERY day. I have been a member of Weight Watchers and used their tracking system in the past and I know that I HAVE to weigh & measure & track to be successful. If I stop it doesn't take long before my portion perception goes wonky and I am overeating and then gaining weight. I have comes to terms with the fact that this is my life forever because I don't want to go back to being overweight. I also strive (and usually succeed) in getting 30-45 minutes of exercise 6-7 days a week.

I live in Ocala, Florida most of the year, but we have a summer home in northern Michigan that we live at from mid-May to mid-October. We truly do have the best of both worlds.

Nov 2016- 228 May 2017- 211 (-17) Nov 2017- 195.5 (-15.5) May 2018- 177 (-18.5) Nov 2018- 168.5 (-8.5) May 2019- 162 (-6.5) Nov 2019- 157 (-5) May 2020- 152 (-5) December 2020- 152

Add a Link Debbie/Dilberta Weight Warriors Weight Leader (Seasonal Challenges) Eastern Standard Time (EST) "NEVER Give Up- NEVER Surrender" *** You aren't fat—you HAVE fat *** Remember that any exercise is better than no exercise *** If you're tired of starting over, stop giving up *** No matter how slow you go, you're still lapping everybody on the couch *** You are far too smart to be the only thing standing in your way
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