Reflection

I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting this last week.  I’ve been reflecting on both my weight loss and my maintenance journey and on how far I’ve come despite still not quite being back to goal as I had hoped I would be by now.

Last week’s meeting topic at WW is “Finding Your Anchor.”  I blogged about some of my anchors last year and they continue to keep me grounded as I continue on my way.

A meeting member shared with us her before photo.  Her before photo is her anchor and is what she looks at when she needs to draw strength along her journey. 

It made me think about my own before photo.  While I don’t look at it on a daily basis, seeing it allows me to reflect on my past.  It reminds me why I am on this journey and why I will continue to stay strong despite the ups and downs along the way.

Kenyon took a photo for me on our date night. 

I get frustrated sometimes of the extra weight that has settled around my middle.  I looked at the photo for a while and my only thought was, “I look good.”  Who cares that I have excess hanging around my middle.  Who cares that I’m currently a few pounds above my goal weight.  I look good.

My energy has been renewed recently, partly due to finally getting some relief at the scale and party due to changing my mindset.  I was feeling pretty down after gaining three weeks in a row.  This week has felt more refreshed.

I’ve also been reflecting on my ability to be more physically active than 300-pound Lindsay was.  180-pound Lindsay wants to be more physically active because it isn’t as hard at it used to be.  Sure, hiking Table Rock was tough and uncomfortable but I am now able to push past “hitting the wall” and not give up.  Eventually I made it to the top of the hill.  It didn’t have to be the fastest time and I didn’t have to be the first to the top.  The goal was to hike to the top and I was successful. 

In the same week I went hiking I also went roller skating.  This new body of mine can move in all different directions.  I didn’t have the courage or the energy to try out different types of activity before joining WW.  I’ve been attending water aerobics class and am no longer self conscious in my swim suit.  I am reminded that I am strong.  It wasn’t that long ago that I walked a 12K (plus even longer in one day) without even training much.  That is a huge accomplishment.

A photo is an anchor.  It is a reminder on why this journey is so important to me.  It is a reminder of why I worked so hard to get where I am. 

It is a reminder that while I’m not always perfect, I am still pretty amazing.