What a difference a year makes...

This week marks a year of my weight loss journey. At this time last year I was still reeling from the passing of my mother. Unfortunately my mother did not take care of herself. I did not want to be that person. Yes, she was thin, but not in a healthy way. Something snapped in me and I told myself that I had to do something about my health- my family, friends, and most importantly myself were worth it.
This journey from the beginning has been a rough one, but most weight loss journeys probably start out that way. My knees started to hurt, found out I had arthritis, then I developed bursitis and tendinitis in my right shoulder (some of the worst freaking pain I've ever had). Once that healed DJ and I were in a car accident. From this accident I gained a "lovely"(sarcasm) gynormous hematoma, which prevented me from working out for two weeks. Recently my right knee has been having a good ol time(again sarcasm) which prompted me to get a second opinion. Luckily I found out that I only have a little bit of arthritis and the cause of my pain is my kneecaps that are out of place due to my super tight Tbands. So off to PT I will go once more and if that doesn't work it may be time for surgery. Why do I tell you this? I tell you this because it should be a testament that no matter what is thrown your way you should not give up. Life is a b*tch sometimes, but how you handle yourself in times of sadness or pain reflects your true character. My old character would have given up a long time ago, but not the new me. I owe it to myself and others to be the best I can be. My health is a huge priority and so is yours. I wish I could say there is a magic pill to make the weight fall off, but alas there is not. You have to work hard, sacrifice, and make permanent changes. This not an easy task and I still struggle, but that's why it is a journey.
The beginning of this journey began with my weight at 254(highest at 265) and currently has me at 209.4(that .4 counts darn it!).Over this last year I have lost 45 pounds and gained a healthier me. I wish it were more, but I know that losing slowly is the best way to go(if you truly know me, you know patience is not always my thing). I still have about 44 pounds to go to get to my goal weight. Hopefully before this time next year I will be able to say that I am at my goal weight of 165 lbs. The pictures below show my journey from February 2011-February 2012. Thank you to everyone out there for their kind words of encouragement. Most of all I'd like to say thank you to my wonderful husband for all of your support.Much love!
-Ali