Here's To You!

friend (n.):

1.  A person whom one knows, likes and trusts.

2.  One with whom one is aligned in a struggle or cause; a comrade.

[Source:  American Heritage Dictionary]

Here's one for you my friends.  You know who you are.  Without your support these past ten years who knows who, what or where I'd be?   I'm certain that without you it would not be much of a pleasure to jump out of bed each morning to see what the day has in store for me. 

If it takes a village to raise a child, it has taken a world of friends to help me reach and maintain a  healthy weight!  

Thanks to you all!

Here's to the man with the cane at Sunrise Mall who told me nine years ago I was "moving out" as I struggled around the last lap of the mall.  I've never slowed down because of you and I eventually made it to the top of Half Dome.

Here's to my dear weight-loss soul mates who shared  how challenging it can be some days to stay on track.   I felt less alone on my journey because you felt the same way too.   We are all so human.

Here's to the eighty year old woman who reached her goal and disproved my belief that you can't lose weight beyond a certain age.  She showed me that its never to late to change the way the story ends.

Here's to the feisty old codger who gruffly informed me at one of my first meetings that I couldn't expect to eat like a sixteen year old boy and still look like Cindy Crawford.  Thank-you for showing me that it doesn't matter what someone else can do.  It only matters who I am and what I need to do.

Here's to the lady who told me to chew gum when cooking dinner so I didn't bite, lick, and taste my way into calorie oblivion.   Because of you, I got to eat dinner with my family instead of over the stove.

Here's to the kind person who told me that my jeans were too big!  xoxox 

Here's to the friend who walked with me for countless miles despite  the heat and the cold, and talked endlessly about the benefits of lentils, barley and root vegetables.  You're the one who kept the food interesting and encouraged me to eat healthy for the rest of my life.

Here's to the friend who filled her car with flowers so we could create arrangements  to celebrate my birthday instead of just eating cake.

Here's to the group of friends who let me choose the restaurant, and without comment, let me order what I needed to be successful.   You taught me that if I ask for your help we can find a solution that works for everyone.

Here's to the kindred spirit who reminded me that its not about the food, but who I'm with and where I am that makes the difference.

Here's to the member who reminded me that life has frustrations and losses that can't be controlled by eating a doughnut.    

Here's to my coworkers who weigh me in each week, even when I don't feel like being weighed in.   They remind me that showing up and staying accountable keeps me in the game.  

Here's to my son who asked every Thursday night how much weight I had lost that week.  And when I said two-tenths of a pound,  questioned whether it was enough and worth the cost.  It reminded me that the changes I was making in my life could not be measured solely by a scale.

Here's to my dear family, who see me as a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, and an aunt.  They see me for who I am -  a product of  my ideas, my thoughts and my experiences - not simply what I look like.  Thank-you for helping to keep me moving forward.

Eat Wisely, Move More.  These are two essential Weight Watchers tenets that will get you the weight loss you want.  And during the early phase of my weight loss journey they were often the only rules I followed.  But it wasn't until I incorporated the other pillars of weight loss,  Think First and Attend Weekly Meetings  that I got the long-term results I wanted and was able to maintain my weight loss.  

Attending weekly meetings is not just a matter of accountability - its much more!  It means surrounding yourself with others who believe in you, who understand how you feel, and who can help you strategize to create the changes in your life that are necessary for long-term weight-loss. 

So here's to all of you who believed in me.

Thank-you!

Teresa