6 months, half a year - where has this path taken me?

Yep, it's 6 months since I started eating better and two days shy of when I started exercising in some way. 6 months ago I had just gotten my blood pressure regulated with a high dose of blood pressure medication. Now I am off all blood pressure medications because I've gotten fit enough and lost enough weight to not need it. They were still figuring out my thyroid medication and that still might be the case, though it's close. Six months ago my blood sugar levels were at  uncontrolled diabetes numbers - now they are in the normal/average range. Six months ago I had high cholesterol. Now it's in the normal range. Six months ago I would get winded crossing a parking lot. Now I can do two hours of tough workouts back to back. And, I'm two pounds shy of losing 60 pounds. How could I not be thrilled with my progress? I am thrilled and very proud of myself.

I went from never thinking about doing active things, to wanting to do them. I have transformed most of my yard this spring/summer and will continue with that. I exercise 6 days a week and I look forward to doing it! I now ride my bike for pleasure. Play tennis for pleasure (last night was the first time in 15 years that I've played!) and I'm thinking/wanting to go camping - which is also very active. I feel like I've gotten my life back.

I wasn't really living 6 months ago. I was surviving. Now, I am living and it's getting better and better. I need to remember how I felt back then to remind myself to never, ever go there again! I just can't do it to myself, my kids or my husband. We all deserve better than that.

I am quite sore today from the BodyPump class I took on Wednesday, but nothing painful. Just that kind of "I know I worked out hard" kind of feeling. I'll do that class again this weekend. Today's plan is BodyStep and running errands and 'maybe' in the evening, starting on the side of the garage flower bed. The guy who did our gutters finally picked up his ladders so now I can dig there! Woohoo! I already have the plants. They just need to go in the ground.

And today is measurements day! I haven't changed much in the last two weeks. Remember, I measured myself during my big stall out and discovered I had lost an inch about everywhere even though the scale wasn't moving. The big place for getting smaller this month is my upper arms it seems!

Stats for 7/1/11:

Beginning weight: 255.6  Now: 197.4 (58.2 pounds lost)
Exercise total hours in 2011: 204
Total miles walked/biked in 2011: 549/1000

Starting chest: 47"  Now: 43" (change since last month: down 1" for a total loss of 4")
Starting Waist: 43" Now: 35" (change since last month: down 1" for a total loss of 7")
Starting Hips: 50" Now: 44" (change since last month: down 1" for a total loss of 6")
Starting Upper Arm: 18" Now: 14" (change since last month: down 2" for a total loss of 4")
Starting Upper Thigh: 30"  Now: 25" (change since last month: down .5" for a total loss of 5")