It's working!!!

This morning, I saw a number on the scale that I haven't seen since before my second child was born! I can't believe that my exercise program is actually making a difference. Every other time I've tried to lose weight, my healthy eating was flaky, and I quit exercising after a week or two because I didn't see any results. I honestly thought that I couldn't lose weight without huge amounts of effort and drastic dieting, which I was not willing to do.

This time is different. I made that New Years resolution, but actually wrote down specific goals, and an actual plan on how to meet them. Though I haven't been perfect in exercising 6 days a week as planned, (especially during our trip to AZ to visit family) I have been pretty much consistent and I haven't given up. I pushed myself beyond the 30 minutes daily exercise that I thought was enough to about 45-50 minutes daily. And I've gradually lost 10 lbs since January! My goal was to lose 15 lbs in 15 weeks, a lb a week, by my 35th birthday in April. I'm a little behind, but so happy with my progress. I feel better, have more energy, and I appreciate the feeling I have after a workout, though it's still a struggle to start each workout! I'm not crazy about certain parts of my body, but I'm seeing some gradual improvement and can finally squeeze into a certain pair of jeans I thought I'd never wear.

I hope everyone reading this remembers that everyone is different in their fitness goals and needs. This is not intended to make anyone else feel bad about where they are. I celebrate with you when you make progress and feel sad when you struggle. My 10 lbs may not seem like much, but the weight I was at in January has been a plateau I didn't think I could get below for many years. I'm celebrating now for myself. I'm encouraged by this progress to keep going for those last 5 lbs of my goal. If anyone feels they are stuck and not making progress, just push a little harder, longer, and be consistent. You can do it too!