27 lbs.

2003 was a pretty good year for us. I lost some weight, we got engaged, we found a new church, Kat moved here. No one we loved died or had a major life crisis. We got to spend Christmas in WI. Did I mention I lost some weight?

When I look back at what I've accomplished this year fitness-wise, I have mixed feelings. When we started this blog on my 29th birthday (January 8, 2003), I had all kinds of high expectations. I was going to lose 2 lbs/week! I'd be at goal by my 30th birthday! Now my 30th birthday looms less than a week away, and I've fallen far short of what I expected. Nearly a year later, I'm 55 lbs. from goal.

Then again, my starting weight was over 80 lbs. from goal. As of this morning, I've lost 27 lbs. 27 lbs in a year isn't stellar, but it doesn't suck either.

There are also the non-scale victories. I've dropped nearly 2 sizes. My stamina is way up. I'm much more confident than I used to be. I no longer hate how I look in pictures. I've biked two organized rides this year...one for 28 miles, and one for 40. I thoroughly enjoyed both of them. I got 31 fitness points at work this quarter...five short of the number needed for the fitness incentives, but 31 more than I had in any of the previous 9 quarters of my employment with this company. I eat a lot more vegetables. I eat a lot less ice cream and pizza. I'm satisfied with much smaller portions. I've grown more conscious of how my body works in the last year than I've ever been in my life.

I may only have lost 27 lbs in a year, but those were an important 27 lbs. They taught me that I don't have any glandular problem--I have a food problem. They taught me the difference between a reasonable portion and an insanely huge portion. They taught me that french fries are hardly ever worth it, but sometimes chocolate is. They taught me to know my body, and to love it again.

Will I love it more when the other 55 lbs are gone? Absolutely.

With that in mind, here are the requisite goals for 2004:

1. Lose another 20 lbs by the wedding (Which, incidentally, is ONLY 13 WEEKS AWAY!!).

2. Reach goal (55 lbs more) who am I kidding? Lose 35 lbs. by the end of the year, unless I'm pregnant by then.

3. Get the fitness incentives at work every quarter.

4. Participate in the Space Race (28 mile) in the spring and the Bike for Sight ride (40 miles) in the fall.

5. Eat healthy 95% of the time.

6. Make 2004 better than 2003...and 2003 was a pretty damn good year.