It's all in the angle of how you look at it

This entire journey I've looked at things in how many pounds I've lost and in chunks of ten pounds in removing that pizza slice. When I think about it, I think about "I've lost X amount of pounds." I haven't really thought much about it as "I need to lose X more pounds." I feel that way with each mini goal - sort of, but even then it's "Oo, I'm close to losing the pizza slice".

But someone yesterday said, "Melissa, you are 7 pounds from your goal!" I was like, "Whoa, really?" I guess I've thought about how far I've come instead of focusing on how far I have to go. Also... that goal of 80 pounds is an artificial goal. I really want to get to 175 or under because I know it's achievable and should be maintainable. Anything beyond that is uncharted territory for me and honestly, when I have to go to when I was 16-17 years old to even remember being a weight less than that, it seemed unattainable.

Also 175 is exactly 100 pounds less than my highest ever weight from 9 years ago. It will be 90 pounds lighter from when we lived in Virginia (I lost 10 pounds with moving/remodeling and kept it off).

When I look at the pizza slice to the right there - I see it as a ten pound chunk. It doesn't count down each pound, so how far/close doesn't really enter mind until I'm within a pound or two. So, hearing 'seven pounds until your goal' is just not how I've ever thought about it!

Now, I have thought about "how will I show the pizza is gone?" and "what will I show for pounds lost beyond the 80 pounds or do I want to or need to?"  Honestly, when I started, while I thought I could get to 80 pounds lost, beyond that seemed unfathomable. Well, I could dream about it, but it seemed such a long journey that going beyond it was into the surreal territory. Now that I'm seven pounds from that goal, I realize that not only is it likely I'll get to that goal, but I'll probably surpass it because I plan to just keep doing what I'm doing and see where it takes me. I'm letting my goal weight find me, not forcing my body to a weight I want it to get to that might not be attainable.

But it is surreal to realize - I could reach my goal of 80 pounds lost in one to two months from now. Wow!!!

Stats for 9/20/11:

Beginning weight: 255.6  Now: 182.4 (73.2 pounds lost)