BOOM!  I actually hit my goal one day early.  May I present a number I had never thought to see again...

Yes folks - you are reading that correctly - I weigh 218 pounds as of today, May 14, 2012.  All of that hard work has finally shown on the scale, and all of those morning doing cardio have resulted in me getting to say - MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

The skinny - I cut way back on my drinking, stopped eating out so much, started exercising regularly, and gave myself some cheat days along the way - and now the pants that I was wearing then are about 10 inches too big in the waist.  Wow.

When I started out, I started writing on this blog just a way to motivate myself and keep on pushing.  I thought that if I was accountable to myself via the blog, then I would be certain to work hard to meet my goals.  I cannot say how much the blog helped, but I can say how fantastic it feels to be able to make this post on the blog.  I weight 218!!!  UNBELIEVABLE!

Well, I do not really have to say now, other than I am extremely happy and looking forward to continuing along the path towards my goals.  I know this is not a destination, but rather a change in lifestyle, so I know that the path to health is just like the path to wealth - gotta keep on, keeping on.  I plan on loosening up my diet a bit and not being quite so restrictive now that I am at 218.  I would like to build some more muscle and maintain a weight around 220 pounds, which seems like a good healthy weight for me at this height.

Hard to type right now - as all I really want to do is say I DID IT, I DID IT, I DID IT!  WOO HOO!

Two Days...

Well, it is two days until my goal date where I wanted to reach 220lbs by - honestly, I am not sure at this point if I am going to be able to hit it.  Yesterday I weighed less than I do today, and I really have no idea why.  My break-up has been interfering a bit with my goal orientation, and although I am working very hard still, my head/heart hasn't entirely been dedicated to working out and losing weight the way I should.

It has also been trying to build more of a pattern towards long term balance - it seems like everything around my social life involves either eating or drinking.  I am no different than anyone else, and I enjoy a burger or pizza just as much as anyone, so that makes it kind of tough to always be super dedicated and on target.  It has also been hard because I am in the middle of exams with school and stuff, so I have to be careful about my mental acuity and staying somewhat functional with all of that jazz.

I'm also happy with where I am - I am nowhere near the peak shape I envision for myself, but the difference in how I look is truly dramatic.  People comment on how athletic I look now, and I feel a lot better about myself and my appearance.  Although I picked 220 pounds as a goal, I think that how I look right now is healthy.  I think that 220 pounds is still a good goal, but the world won't end if I am only at 225 or so on May 15... then again, that sounds like defeatist talk to me and I am going to shoot for it just like I said I was.

It is amazing to me how easy it was to lose the first 20 or 30 pounds, and what a struggle the last few has been on my journey.  Ah well, regardless of anything, I have definitely lost weight and regained my health... but what I probably need to do is regain my wardrobe.  None of my pants or boxers fit right, and all of my shirts fit perfectly now, which makes for some very awkward looks indeed.

Two more days, two more days... then the rest of my life.