I'm a 49 year old mom of 4 and grandma of 1. Our two oldest are grown and gone ( 27 & 25) and our two youngest are just beginning (11 & 9). I've met my weight loss goal, but I'm sticking around for maintenance support and encouragement and to encourage others to reach their goals. My main goal is to stay physically fit so I can do all the things with our little girls that I did when raising our two oldest during my 20s and 30s!

Here is my story:

October 18, 2006 is ...

I'm a 49 year old mom of 4 and grandma of 1. Our two oldest are grown and gone ( 27 & 25) and our two youngest are just beginning (11 & 9). I've met my weight loss goal, but I'm sticking around for maintenance support and encouragement and to encourage others to reach their goals. My main goal is to stay physically fit so I can do all the things with our little girls that I did when raising our two oldest during my 20s and 30s!

Here is my story:

October 18, 2006 is the beginning of my story. I decided it was time for a visit to the doctor for a long overdue physical. The last time I had seen a physician was just after my then 6 year old daughter was born! So, I made an appt and went. I knew I had gained a few pounds and expected to be a little over my normal weight, but my actual weight surprised me and I asked the doctor if the pounds were just going to continue to creep on as I aged. He said weight control would be a constant battle now that we were both in our mid-40s. I decided then that if it was going to be a battle, it was going to be a battle I was going to win. In the mean time, I got the results from my blood test back and my cholesterol was slightly elevated and the ratio was not good. It was time to do something. I began to exercise more consistently but after several months, I decided that it was going to take more than just consistent exercise to get where I needed to be.

April 25, 2007 marked the beginning of my SparkPeople journey. I actually was looking for a calorie calculator online because I was going to start a food journal to track my portions and calories. Google led me to SparkPeople. I signed up right away. My starting weight was 130 lbs which is the highest I've ever been not pregnant!

May 9, 2007 I had lost 5 lbs in 2 weeks! Woohoo!! I figured it wouldn't take me long to reach my goal to lose 20 lbs. and then the turtle's pace began...

June 13, 2007 It took 5 more weeks to lose another 5 pounds, but I finally reached my halfway to goal point!! I started to become active on a couple of SparkTeams and that, along with all the info I was learning from SP articles, sparkmails and videos, taught me to be patient and trust the plan. Slow and steady does win the race. It's just one good choice after another that will keep me heading in the direction I want to go.

July 11, 2007 I am 3/4 of the way to my goal!! 15 pounds gone!! I am also beginning to realize that I might have to lower my goal because there are just too many "cans of crisco" left to get rid of! I also begin thinking about my reward for reaching goal...

August 29, 2007 I reached my original goal of losing 20 lbs! I'm proud of my accomplishment so far, but I also decide to lower my goal by 5 lbs. So off to work I go...! I also decided, along with my husband, that my reward for reaching goal will be a new wardrobe. I'd been saving up for a while - hadn't bought clothes in 5 years!

October 17, 2007 I reached my new goal of 105 lbs and am now officially in maintenance mode! It is only one year after the doctor's visit that spurred me into action! I was still unhappy with the remaining bulges but, with the advice of some Spark friends, decided to keep my goal at 105 and kick up strength training a notch to tone up.

November 7, 2007 The increase in strength training has paid off; I've lost another 1/2 inch in my waist. My weight has continued to drop a little. I am waiting for it to stabilize.

December 5, 2007 My hips have lost another inch! My weight is still dropping slowly, so I am reevaluating my maintenance plan, again with the help of Spark friends, to help me stabilize.

December 6, 2007 Today is my big reward day. A friend, aka a personal shopper, took me shopping for the whole day to teach me how to dress appropriately for my body shape, age, and lifestyle! I bought all the basics for my new wardrobe and learned so much! I wrote a blog about it if you're interested.

December 12, 2007 I hit my lowest weight since I got married 27 years ago. With the advice of my Spark friends in the 40 something maintainers SparkTeam, I am increasing my maintenance calories so I will stabilize.

December 13, 2007 I finally got a haircut after having my hair long for many years. My husband, who has been very supportive of this whole process, suggested it as part of my new look.

December 19, 2007 My new maintenance calorie range is working! I am up a pound and happy about it! I would never have thought a year ago that I would ever be able to say that again!

With all the things I have learned and with all the tools available here, I know that my "winning battle" will continue to be won. Thank you SparkPeople and all of my Spark friends!!

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