6 Months

Just today I reached a big milestone. It's been six months that I've been eating clean and exercising (from January 2nd to June 2nd).

On January 2nd of this year, I quit my vices of lots o' pop, chai tea lattes, candy, desserts, junk, and binging in favor of portion control, 5-6 meals a day of complex carbs and lean proteins, lots of fruits and veggies, green tea, and lots of water. At the end of two months, I had lost 35 pounds, and have maintained that since then. (I think that I stopped losing because I'm at my ideal weight.) I'm down 3 to 4 sizes in clothes. I've gone through my closet and gotten rid of all of my larger sizes. I'm having fun shopping for clothes now, and am happy with what I see in the mirror.

I also started to exercise. I began by walking and running. I did back and abdominal exercises to prevent my back issues from derailing me. When I developed a repetitive use injury in my knee, I swam. When my knee healed, I strengthened my thigh muscles to prevent hurting my knee again. Then I started running again. I've gone from only being able to run a couple minutes at a time to running 7 miles non-stop. I've run two 5 Ks now, and am running my third this Saturday. I'm even contemplating running a 10 K! That really blows my mind. If you would have told me last fall that I would be doing this, I would have thought you were crazy! I am doing what I did not think I was capable of doing. I pushed through what would have stopped me before, and that makes me proud of myself.

I am a runner again! :)

Thinking about this progress honestly makes me feel a little emotional.

This whole process started as a diet, but it has become so much more. This has been a lifestyle change. This is the way that I want to live. Confident. Strong. Energetic. Focused. Happy.

I'm looking forward to seeing the progress that the next six months brings!