Meeting Goals

This past weekend was huge for me. I'd set some goals for myself, and I reached them this past Saturday.

Goals
1. My first 5%. This was actually a goal set by Weight Watchers. I wasn't trying to reach it by a certain date, I was just trying to reach it. That 5% goal was 14 pounds.
2. Get under 270 pounds by Labor Day. I did set a date, but it wasn't something I was going to beat myself up over if I didn't achieve. I don't ever want to set a date/weight goal that if I don't meet that goal I'll be upset. I set an "aiming for" goal, but if I don't make it, that's OK. This is a long journey I'm on.
3. Hit 15 pounds lost. Again, I had no timeframe for this, it was just a mini goal I wanted to hit.

So yeah... totally met my goals.

I have been avoiding posting my weight because it's just too darn embarrassing. But here goes my progress so far.

7/23/11 283.6
7/30/11 278.8
8/06/11 275.4
8/13/11 274.6
8/20/11 274.4
8/27/11 270.2
9/03/11 268.6

I've got a long way to go, but it's OK. I'm setting small goals for myself and celebrating when I achieve those goals. If I look at where I want the end result to be, or try to give myself a deadline, when I miss those goals or deadlines I'll get frustrated and give up. I can't afford to give up. I want to be healthy and fit too much to give up this time.

September Goals
1. Lose 6 pounds. This isn't really a "by this date" goal. It's just an "aiming for" goal. If I'm down just 3 or 4 pounds in September, then I'll gladly take that. There's no way to know what my body will do. I could have a "perfect" week and only lost half a pound. The body is a strange and complicated creation.
2. Exercise two days a week. I've not been doing any exercise since I fell in June. I'm still having problems with my knee and foot, but I need to get some kind of movement or activity in. Even if it's playing the Wii Fit or Wii Zumba for 30 minutes, it's better than sitting in front of the computer or television. I'm hoping that I'll eventually be able to afford to get back into the gym. I miss it, and there are things I can do there that will be easy on my knee and foot.

There are things I can't control, and there are things I can. My goal is to do the best with the things I can control, and hope it has a positive impact on the things I can't control. It's a long journey. I've already said that. And as embarrassed as I am to admit where I let myself get to, I'm proud of myself for doing this again. A slow progress toward being healthy is certainly much better than no progress at all or moving even farther way.

I covet your encouragement. Just as there are cheerleaders to help keep the energy and excitement up during a game, I could use all the cheerleaders I can get to help me keep up my energy, momentum, and excitement as I journey toward better health.

I'm posting a picture a friend took of me this summer. It's the most recent one I have that I actually let someone take. I'll post an updated photo sometime later... maybe that'll be what I do when I reach 250 pounds. As for now.. this is the last time I ever want to look like this!