Kathy - Thank you! He is adorable. I hope he grows up to be as handsome as your son.
Tonight I found out that a dear old friend's father has passed away. I was deeply saddened to hear this; I spent more time at her house than my own in my early teens. My impression of her family, from when I was younger, is part of my mental model for raising my own family. I am quite heartbroken for her and her mom and siblings. She sent me some photos of us, which then had me digging through my own photos (hoping to find one of her dad).
I didn't find one of him, but I did find a whole lot of me. 25-30 years or so. I haven't looked at any of these pictures in a very long time. I've never looked at them from a place of contentment with myself. When I first decided to put a before picture of myself up in my journal, I chose the picture that made me feel the most shame and embarrassment.
My worst photo. I did it to lessen it's negative hold on me. As I have mentioned before, I thought that when I FINALLY finished losing the weight, I would leave this part of my life invisibly behind me. But it occurred to me, that number of months ago when I posted THE WORST PHOTO, if I were to leave that part of my life behind me there wouldn't be that much left back there, and that who I am now would not make as much sense without that as context. So I posted it in order to accept myself as I am, and was.
Many of you are here because you developed a health problem and decided to try and avoid medications or surgery by a change in diet. You may or may not have been overweight or obese. Some of you are here because over the past 20 years or so you've put on a couple of pounds a year and it has just begun to have a negative impact on your health and lifestyle. Some of you figured all of this out and are taking the preventative approach. Some of you have struggled with your weight your whole lives.
I identify most with that last group, even if it is not completely true. Looking at pictures of my teenage self, that my friend sent me, I'm actually much thinner than I remember. Don't get me wrong, I'm still the thick one in all of the photos, but my memory has played a trick on me and has me remembering most of my life as THE WORST PHOTO. It's quite interesting to realize that.
Whatever our history, we're all here now and that bonds us as one group formed from many. I hope we can continue our lives journey's together, working towards greater health, happiness and a safe place for our children and grandchildren to grow up.
XO
Amy
Here is a summary of my weight history:
Mid-teens: (right - yes, that's an acid-washed jean jacket...I think it may be back in style now)
[img]11https://farm1.staticflickr.com/390/32776168135_1f467f1b3c_z_d.jpg[/img]
Late teens: (left)
[img]11https://farm1.staticflickr.com/329/31960838433_df77973a7b_z_d.jpg[/img]
Mid-twenties: (right)
[img]11https://farm1.staticflickr.com/641/32622348422_f896e9ae05_z_d.jpg[/img]
Late-twenties:
[img]11https://farm1.staticflickr.com/749/31932673394_65348dcf8b_z_d.jpg[/img]
Early-thirties:
[img]11https://farm1.staticflickr.com/300/32394843570_6829b4b6d7_z_d.jpg[/img]
40th B-Day:
[img]11https://farm1.staticflickr.com/271/32394842870_67f6a9da0a_z_d.jpg[/img]
Present Day: (right)
[img]11https://farm1.staticflickr.com/289/32394843060_60bc6df31a_z_d.jpg[/img]
[img]11https://farm1.staticflickr.com/614/32394843220_cb4ceb6cc3_z_d.jpg[/img]
(That's my husband's best Blue Steele impression)
So, that is all for my interim success report. The changes are equally physical and emotional. Though I continue to work towards my final 2 weight loss goals, I am at a good place and realize that as long as I continue to apply the strategies that I have learned here and follow the guidelines of this program I will get there. Just keep following the path, rain or shine!
Most importantly, keep the ones you love close to your heart. Don't wait for someone to die to see old friends. Forgive yourself for perceived flaws. Eat a potato!