Discovering the Person I Was Always Meant to Be: A Belated Holiday Update... (written on 01/06/09)

We definitely had a White Christmas here in Utah this year. There was somewhere in the neighborhood of 2+ feet of snow that fell on Christmas day, and my poor husband spent many hours outside with his new snow thrower. Dinner was at my house, and we had 17 people over. Parking was interesting with the piles of snow throughout the neighborhood, but Erwin did a great job of clearing a path for our guests. Despite the over-abundant downpouring, we had a wonderful visit with family and friends, and the prime rib was delicious! I must admit that I completely over-compensated for my inability to eat sugar with twice as much baking as I usually do any other year, but I made all the things my Grandma used to make at Christmas time. She's been gone nearly 3 years now, so this was my way of feeling closer to her, and reliving some of my fond memories of her. Nobody really needs those plates full of sugary goodies, but when money is tight, that is something I can do for all the people I can't afford to buy other gifts for. I suppose I'll need to come up with a healthier alternative for the coming years, but I enjoyed baking, nonetheless...

One small confession: I did sample a small bit of my goodies. Since I used to be a sugar-addict, I was hoping I would have a violent case of "dumping", so that it wouldn't be a temptation again, after the Holidays. Unfortunately, that was not the case, but I did NOT like the way my body felt afterward. I re-confirmed that it feels so much better to eat healthier, and I'm done with the sugar... I was so worried that I had gained weight over the Holidays, but somehow managed to lose another 4 pounds over the past 2 weeks, for a total of 14 pounds lost between Thanksgiving and New Year's. That's a little slower than my usual pace, but I'll take it!

(Me & Dan - January 1, 2009) The day after Christmas, I flew to California to visit with my Mom and my brother, Dan, and his family, who were visiting from Texas. I hadn't seen them in about a year, so it was wonderful to catch up with everyone. Dan has had such an amazing result since his RNY 11 months ago - he's down 195 pounds and is truly a miraculous story. He has turned his food addiction into an exercise addiction, and has already completed 2 triathlons and a full marathon in the past few months, and is scheduled for several more in the coming year, along with a full Ironman this Summer. My brother Jeff will be competing with him as well, which is also an amazing thing. Coming from a family where many of us were severely overweight or obese, I'm so proud of the accomplishments we have all made toward improving our health. I fully intend to make the most of the coming year, and commit to losing the remaining 75 - 85 pounds that will bring me to a "normal" size for the first time since high school. I can't wait to accomplish this goal!!!