I Celebrate Today

Actually I celebrate Today every day because it’s the day the Lord has made and I choose to rejoice and be glad in it! However this particular day, October 18th has special significance to me.

Today marks the one year anniversary of reaching my ultimate Weight Loss/Health Gain Goal after living for years in a state of obesity. That means I have been successful in creating and maintaining my new lifestyle.

I started on this journey to a new healthy-living lifestyle on March 7, 2014, and on October 18, 2014, I reached my numbers goal on the scale (an 80 pound loss), in measurements and clothing fit. More importantly, I have gained so much more than I could have imagined when it began in March. I’ve gained energy like I didn’t know existed and overall improved my health when I had no idea it needed improving.

In addition, I must share that my amazing husband has also maintained his new healthy lifestyle. Talk about youth being renewed! He’s the perfect example of how getting healthy can make you younger. I’m so proud of his accomplishments and determination to REMAIN young and healthy!

We did not start a diet on March 7th, and here is the difference:

Diets have destinations. Diets are for reaching a goal for a specific purpose such as a vacation or a wedding. Although having those purposes as Weight Loss Whys are great, it has to go beyond that or otherwise once the time or event has passed, back to the old ways many will return. The results experienced from returning to old ways is weight gain and health loss.

Creating a new lifestyle is a journey. A lifestyle is just that — for life and it is a never-ending journey. Journeys are fun, exciting and bring about unexpected surprises.

I plan to celebrate this anniversary of being physically half the person I once was, in a way that one year ago I had no thought or inclination would be in my future. It’s one of those unexpected surprises along the journey.

I will be celebrating this week at the very first REFIT® Convention called, RECON! It is at RECON where I’ll be receiving my REFIT® Instructor Certification and meeting many wonderful people I feel I already know. The REFIT® community is made up of some of the most amazing, uplifting, encouraging, true-to-self, honest, humble and loving people with hearts larger than the state of Texas. It’s going to be one enormous party, so what better place to celebrate, right?

As many of you already know, I have a deep passion to help others live happier, healthier, more fulfilled lives and I am excited to see how the Lord will use this next chapter to reach even more people! Yes, I’m excited! And…

Yes, I celebrate Today. Today and every day!

The first image is from 2003 when I was at my largest/heaviest. After a diet where I dropped a significant amount of weight, I gained back the majority of it to reflect the size I was in March 2014 (second image). The third image is after reaching goal as a result of the new lifestyle and is at the same weight and size I am today. A total of 115 pounds difference from the first to last image.