2016 Recap... and Newfound Motivation for the New Year...

2016... oh how to describe this past year... exciting... frustrating... motivating... defeating... and that doesn't even do it justice...



This year saw me start out the year bouncing up & down on the scale like a ball, before (almost) getting back up to my highest weight... and then finally get back below 250 lbs (which I was unable to do in 2015)... but sadly ending the year w/ a slight gain.

I dealt w/ alotta health issues over the course of the year... many dealing w/ the hip I had replaced last year, which basically kept me from ever getting a "real" exercise program going this year, and changed my daily step goal from 10,000 to 5,000.

Don't think I'm tryin' to make any excuses... I most definitely am not... I take full responsibility for all of my actions (and inactions). I'm hoping that I can learn from my past mistakes and finally make some "serious" progress towards my goals.


So with everything that has (& has not) happened in 2016, here are my results:

Weight: 4.2 lbs. gained

Body fat %: 0.6 % gained

Upper arms: 0.5 in. lost

Chest: 0.25 in. gained

Waist: 0.25 in. lost

Hips: 0.75 in. lost

Thighs: 0.75 in. lost

Calves: 1 in. lost

TOTAL: 3 inches lost


Total honesty here: can't say that I am "thrilled" w/ the slight weight gain... but I have to celebrate the loss in inches, be it a small one. I have to believe that somehow I exchanged a little bit of the fat in my body for some additional muscle, which is never a bad thing! So while I would obviously have loved for this year to be much more successful, I must celebrate the little progress that I did accomplish.

So... how do I make 2017 different??? If that ain't that the "million dollar" question!!!

I'm trying some different avenues... adjusting my focus a bit these days... I mean, let's face it, I've lost & regained the same 50+ lbs over & over again. Obviously I know "how" to lose weight... both through nutrition & exercise... but evidently there is a missing factor in place. I really feel the "key" that is missing is more "mental" than anything else... and that's where I'm hoping to focus more. I need to learn why I keep self-sabotaging my efforts... why my motivation & willpower go right out the window at the first sign of stress!

So I'm trying out a new approach... I'm just started a new class: TRIM-LIFE.
It's a "self-hypnosis" type program that is supposed to help you identify and control your "triggers". I've only started in the program, but I'm already finding it helpful. I'm really hopeful that this is what I need to complete the puzzle of my weight loss issue.

I hope everyone has kicked off 2017 on a positive note... let's make this year our best yet!