Goal Weight

three weeks ago, i hit my goal weight.  it took me almost two years. i wanted to share what things worked for me to lose the 54 pounds... to maybe help others out, but also for me to look back at my blog and remember what i had in place to be successful.

• FitBit- i love my FitBit. i love how it tracks everything from sleep to heart rate. i love how it keeps track of my exercise. i love how it lets me connect with friends and join challenges every week to hold me accountable and stay on track. i also love reading the FitBit community newsfeed to learn about others and their struggles and successes. i love getting badges. (silly, i know... but it totally motivates me!) i love all the data it has collected since i started wearing it in June 2017. it has been amazing watching my stats and seeing how my lifestyle affects my health. if you don't own one, i strongly recommend putting it in on your christmas list. and then i can add you to the workweek hustles!

• Instagram- i joined instagram in may thanks to a great friend. i didn't know much about it, but i decided to use it more as a fitness tool than social one. i follow marathon runners, running pages, and moms who run! i follow jillian michaels and health pages. my newsfeed is all about fitness and being healthy with of course pictures of my friends' adorable children in there too!

• Exercise Buddy-my brother was my running buddy all summer. he would meet me every saturday morning for a long run. i loved having him meet me and it held me accountable to get out of bed and get moving. but... my brother is a busy man. he owns a pizza place and has a wife and three children of his own. i knew he couldn't keep meeting me every weekend. luckily my best friend from high school stepped in! she has been meeting up with me on the weekends and running. we do tend to get busy sometimes with our families, but we text each other and keep each other in the loop with our exercise if we can't get together. 

• Moving on-i am a binge eater. i have been one my whole life. especially at social events. i eat even when i am full. i can't get away from the appetizer table or dessert table. back in the day, if i binged during a weekend, i would then binge again on monday, tuesday, and then forget the "diet." i have been working really hard at moving on from tough eating days. it's okay to have a rough day of eating or two... i have been working really hard at bouncing back after a junk fest. i try to always have healthy breakfasts, lunches, and dinners ready to go on Mondays to help get me focused on being healthy for the week. 

• Stepping on the Scale-i've been trying to step on the scale a couple times a week to keep myself in check. i would dodge the scale if i knew i was eating terrible. i didn't want to admit to the damage i was doing and then i would be shocked after a month of ignoring it. it would always be up 20 pounds. i especially make sure i step on that sucker after a rough eating weekend. knowing that number helps guide me to healthier choices on a monday. i also step on it after a good workout to keep me working out as well. 

• Taking Pictures-definitely the hardest thing because i hate myself in photos. there are not many pictures of me around and i am okay with this. but, taking pictures really can show progress when the number on the scale isn't moving. this definitely helped keep me motivated when i got frustrated.

                                       (197 pounds)                                                   

(143 pounds)

so here i am. i am at my goal weight. my wedding day weight. now i have to maintain. this is so much harder to me than losing. hoping all the things i have in place can help me maintain this weight. i am happy here. i no longer am trying to lose. my only goal is to not gain... especially that dreaded 20 pounds.