Weight Loss Milestone

Let me be real for a moment. After so many years of hard work and success from 2014 - 2019 it sucks that I am once again be on a weigh loss journey. I have done a lot of deep thinking and soul searching this year and the reality is that my weight is always going to be a struggle. There may be a day where I am living at a more comfortable and healthy weight but the journey and struggles will never end. 

Now, onto the great news and progress update. I've written a lot in past posts about my run streak that started in February 2022 and more recently about all of the training and races that I've been competing in. So far, I have purposely not spent much time writing about weight loss. There are a couple of reasons for this, but the primary one is that until recently it really hasn't been something I've focused on. 

At the beginning of February this year I stepped on the scale for the first time in a LONG time. The number that I saw, 324.4 lbs, made me sad. The silver lining in that number is that it is 25 lbs lighter than I was at my heaviest in 2014. As I set out on the journey to return to racing I focused more on the training than I did the weight loss but would still step on the scale every once in awhile. I was consistently losing a few pounds each month and was happy enough with that progress because I was feeling better, getting fitter, and having fun.

After the Quad Cities Triathlon in June I couldn't stand to see myself in the race photos. The combination of wanting to continue improving my speed and wanting to look better forced me to shift my focus to weight loss and my diet. I've made some incremental changes throughout the summer and it has made such a huge difference. Not only is the number on the scale dropping, but my energy levels, mood, and fitness have all seen monumental improvements. 

When I stepped on the scale the morning of Friday, August 25th I saw the number 274.4 lbs. This means that I have managed to lose 50 lbs since the beginning of February. This downward trend mimics the gradual weight loss that I had from 2015 - 2016. It has been a slow journey but everything that I have been doing is 100% sustainable long-term. I sure do have a long way to go and have set some big goals for myself but with time I think I can get there. The hardest part for me is the patience. I am not naturally a patient person so it is a big struggle to see such slow progress BUT I am very grateful to come this far. 

Numbers on a scale really only mean so much, so I thought I would look back at pictures to see what the difference over that period of time looks like. I really haven't had many people comment on my weight loss so I wasn't sure how noticeable it has been. I dug up some pictures that Erin took of me during a basketball game last February and then put on the same clothes for some comparison pictures today. I am very pleased with the difference that I can see. 

Slow and steady

While you should absolutely be impressed and amazed by my progress, the real reason that I wanted to share this with you is for everyone out there who is like me and lacks patience. Everyone is on a journey of some kind and the truth is, for most things, it just takes a long time of being consistent to get there. It isn't always easy to wait or keep going but if I can do it, so can you. Whether it is weight loss or something else entirely, find ways to measure your progress and celebrate milestones along the way.