Everyone says when you are on a weight loss journey you should not obsess about what the scale says. To a point this is true, but, I must say, I am very proud of what the scale says.
When I started my “get healthy weight loss” journey in November 2015, I was 210 pounds, on two different blood pressure medications, a size 22 pants, and on my way to being insulin dependent diabetic.
Now, 16 months later, I am down 50 pounds! When I went to the doctor for a very bad cold, I am now 161 pounds, on only the very small blood pressure medication, a size 14 pants, and no blood sugar issues at all!
My goal when I started was to be off the blood pressure medication completely. That, I have learned, will never happen. The blood pressure medication is needed because of the heart condition. Taking it allows my heart to not work as hard, which relieves stress on the deformed valve. So I am counting being on only the small dose pill as a victory.
My journey is far from over. I achieved my first few short term goals of getting off the high dose medication, getting my blood sugar under control, and getting out of size 20+ pants.
Now, it is time to set my next short term goals and figure out how to achieve them. These goals need to be realistic and I need an action plan to meet them.
So, my new goals. I would love to be in a size 10 in six months time.
I also would like to work on my physical endurance. I know it is not realistic to get back to where I was in basic training as far as endurance. I have never been a long distance runner. So, for now, I an setting a goal where, in six months, I will be able to jog a mile without needing to stop because I am winded. I can achieve this by walking and gradually increasing the speed over time. Since this is a cardio activity, I will need to be mindful of my heart and how hard it is working, but this will help strengthen my heart, which will in turn help the deformed valve not work as hard.
My last short term goal is to tone my stomach up a bit and  tone my legs back to where they were when I joined the military. My legs were my best physical feature, strengthened and toned from hours on the soccer field calling games. I would love to have the muscle tone in them return.
So, here’s to getting further along in my physical fitness journey!