New Achievements Bring About New Goals

Tuesday April 10, 2012; 8:21AM; Day 155: Last night at Fat Camp (Aultman Weight Loss Center) I weighed in at 209.4 pounds, a loss of 4.4 pounds for the week, and a total loss to date of 65.6 pounds.  Needless to say I am so incredibly happy with such a huge loss so late into the game.  I have since shifted my goals slightly, partly because I see the unattainable as attainable more often recently, and partly because I must be a glutton for punishment I think.  Let me explain

The further I get into this process the more aware of my own abilities I become.  Aultman Weight Loss Center and its team of experts have been a lifeline of support the entire way through this journey, so much so that the consultations I receive help me to evaluate more definitively both where I am at and where I truly want to be.  I find myself experiencing not only new achievements in my weight loss that I never thought possible, but I seem to have carried it over to all facets of my life.  Let me explain.

Before I started this program I was not completely sold on my ability or any plan's prescripts to lose weight in a significant manner.  So during my original consultation I set my target weight at 225, figuring a 50 pound loss would be both remarkable, but also fairly unlikely that I would get there.  Once I immersed myself into the process and embraced its plan, it continually became more clear that this program not only works, but even I am capable of things I never thought possible.

As I got to the 235 mark fairly easily and with minimal hiccups, I began thinking "What if I committed myself to losing 70 pounds and reaching the 205 benchmark?"  This would  put me at my preseason weight in college, and be within 5 pounds of where my physician has been telling me for some time would be an ideal range for me to maintain and be healthy in a complete, and long term fashion.  So I re-adjusted my goal accordingly, got the dietitian (Angie) and Doctor checking the blood work at fat camp to approve my continued weight loss journey to 205.  As I came toward my honeymoon and had the hiccup 2 weeks before of gaining a pound, I questioned my ability and wavered on the commitment to forge on to the 205 mark.  The following week presented a huge drop to 215.6 and each week since has been productive.  As such I met again with the folks at fat camp (Aultman Weight Loss Center) and decided to work towards the 200 pound benchmark.  With only 9.4 pounds to go - for the very first time, the unattainable seems completely attainable!

Furthermore, I am noticing other facets of my life beginning to branch out and reach for the "unattainable." As mentioned in previous posts I have begun running.  This past weekend I completed an 8 mile run in an hour and twenty minutes, for roughly a 10:13 per mile pace.  I stated previously that was hoping to run my first 5K sometime late this summer or early this fall.  But with so much being achievable that I never thought possible, I am running in a Half Marathon Relay with both of my bosses this coming weekend.  I have asked to run the long leg (5.6 miles) so that I can challenge myself to see where both body and mind are at.  But I think the most remarkable of all said is that I AM WILLING to step out of my comfort zone and attempt things that at one point in my life seemed completely out of my reach.

If nothing else, if pounds had never been shed, and goals had never been met, if I never stepped out of my comfort zone to admit I needed help, accountability, and support fat camp (Aultman Weight Loss Center) has provided, the "unattainable" would be just that still.  This "not such a revelation" moment is simply that if we don't try, if we don't take the opportunity to step outside of our comfort zones, we cannot achieve great things.  I am learning more every day that the out of reach is never quite so.  Life is brighter than it has ever been because there is nothing I am not able to do if I commit to doing it, believe in my ability to get there, and don't allow myself to be deterred by minor bumps in the road. 

200 - You can't hide forever, and I won't let you allude me for much longer!