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Birthdays & Walking Days

Today has been the 227th day in a row that I have walked 4-5 miles, all of these walks have been out-of-doors, be it raining, snowing, sub-zero temperatures or thunderstorms. I am proud of this accomplishment and it has allowed me to develop a normal BMI. I am approaching a milestone of sorts that *may* occur by the end of this month. If things continue along the path they are currently on, by the end of May, I will have possibly lost 100 pounds (45.5 kilograms) from my heaviest weight. Do not think I should have been on a television show like the Biggest Loser, for this has been a slow process for me. I can tell you the following time line of my weights:

1. When I graduated from high school, I weighed 222 pounds (100.9 kilograms).

2. I gradually gained weight and stayed around 230-235 pounds (104.5-106.6 kilograms) through college, graduate school and my early teaching career.

3. For reasons related to significant stress in my life, I ballooned up to 282 pounds (128.2 kilograms) between 1997 and 1999.

4. With effort, I regained some composure and focus and lost roughly 50 pounds in 2000, keeping my weight between 220-240 pounds (100-109 kilograms) from 2000 through 2008.

5. Beginning in the Fall of 2008, I adopted two behaviors... a new, more holistic view of food (looking at food as nourishment for my body, not a mechanism to cope with stress) and consistent walking EVERY DAY regardless of condition (again, today is day 227)) that have me where I am currently. Today, I weigh 192 pounds (87.3 kilograms) and if things stay on track, by the end of May or sometime in June, I may weigh 182 pounds (82.7 kilograms). If I get to that number, I will have lost 100 pounds from my heaviest and my BMI will be 23.4, which is comfortably in the NORMAL WEIGHT category.

For me, this is a big accomplishment. My body feels so very different without all the extra pounds hanging from it. I feel very good physically.

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Today is the day that Amy (Amygdala), our cat would have been 22 years old. It has now been roughly 2 weeks since her passing. We miss her. Additionally, our diabetic cat, Toby would have been 22 years old today as well. He died at the age of 18 after over 5 years of insulin injections administered by me every day.

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