My Journey With Weight Loss – Looking Back

Today a memory popped up on Facebook. On this day 2 years ago I helped our beloved yellow lab Hammie (Hamish MacDougall) cross the rainbow bridge. Hammie had serious health issues the worst of which was diabetes. The average lifespan for a dog once diagnosed with diabetes is 2 years. Being the amazing dog she was, Hammie made it for 3 1/2 years. I had always promised her that if she let me know she was suffering I would help her end her journey. So, on this day 2 years ago Hammie stopped smiling (even blind and deaf she would always grin and wag her tail if she sensed I was near) and I knew her journey with us was at an end. Thinking of that wonderful animal and the joy she brought our family made me think, hmm, time to reflect a bit on where I have come on my journey over the past year.

I looked at all the blogs I have posted and I was surprised that I had been writing these for nearly a year. Most of them I just skimmed the title and realized I have talked about a very large variety of topics. I also realized I had kept to my promise and made sure I was open and honest about this journey and not just talking about the good stuff but also the struggles and some of the negative things that I have been through. I think it is important that people get encouragement from my story but also see the reality of what losing weight and getting fit means.

I also looked at where I was in my training throughout the year. A year ago I was proud to be doing 1 minute of running and 3 minutes of walking for 8 intervals. Yes, that means I did a total of 8 minutes of running compared to the 2 1/2 hours and 16 k of running that I did a couple days ago (it was amusing to read the post where I had run 1 mile for the 1st time). It was July 31st that I did my 1st 10 k run and I was so proud. Remember, at that point I thought I had hit my goal. Of course after that Coach changed things up and started pushing me further getting me up to 16 k. Now I am training for a 1/2 marathon and am actually excited about it. Last summer I was doing interval training up a relatively steep hill, yesterday I did several intervals sprinting up that hill. Yes, I have come a long way.

However, today was a reality check. My legs are a bit sore as I’ve done some tough training this week. I set out for a long walk this morning but decided to start with a nice jog, not pushing anything just enjoying the early morning. I ran for about 3 k and that got me to the bottom of the dreaded Oxford hill. I haven’t walked up that hill since the summer but thought what the hell, I am fit and strong so this will be easy. IT WAS NOT!! That hill is still brutal to climb and while I was not winded when I get to the top my body sure tells me that it was a lot of work to get there. I think I’m going to try to walk up that hill once a week just to keep myself grounded.

And remember, all of this is just one step at a time.