This Day, Last Year

Today marks a very special day for me. It was exactly one year ago that I stepped on the scale and saw a number I never thought I would see: 149. In 10 months time, I had lost 60 lbs.

Today I stepped on the scale and saw 151.

I rejoiced.

I have managed to maintain my healthy weight through an entire year which included a particularly long, hard winter. Now some might say, "But wait...you weigh 2 lbs more than a year ago. So technically, you haven't exactly maintained it."

Not true. I know my body now.

I know that just within a day, my weight can fluctuate 2-3 lbs.

I know that some days, weight gain is just from bloat.

I know that it's not realistic to hover right at a single weight for an entire year.

What's more realistic is that I give myself a 5 lb range to stay in (149-154). For most of the year, I was able to do this easily. I won't lie, though. Parts of this super cold winter got to me. Some days I ate a little too much, and was less active than I'd like to be.

Truth be told, I saw 156 on the scale at one point this winter.

It scared the heck out of me.

I redoubled my efforts and came back down.

While eating healthy in itself is not a struggle for me, I know now that I really need to watch myself in the colder months. I'm not moving as much, which means I can't afford the extra calories I can sometimes get away with in the summer.

This past year has been a learning experience. There is always room to improve when it comes to living healthfully. In the meantime, I'll keep stepping on that scale every other day. It keeps me in line and it keeps me accountable.

I will never return to my old ways. I've worked too hard for this.