I made my 10% goal today!

I made my 10% goal today! I'm so happy, thrilled, excited, over-the-moon, etc. This is my first big milestone. It took 7 months, but it was so worth it. The top 10 things I've learned (not in order, or I would have put #7 first):

1. Healthy foods like whole wheat pasta, brown rice, lean meats, sushi, lean meat, soups, etc. make me feel so much better than junk food does.

2. If I notice my body signals, I can stay in my "comfort zone" and never be starving or stuffed. Wow! I can lose weight & not starve!

3. Portion control. I've still learning how to eyeball my portions. I use my hand, fingers, or imagine a tennis ball, or a little lean cuisine tray, to portion my food.

4. Exercise doesn't have to be at the gym. I can walk, hike, play DDR, anything that means activity.

5. Core taught me that I can live without bread. Once a staple of at least one meal a day, I can make yummy lunches for work without this non-Core food.

6. Writing daily about WW, foods, exercise, challenges, etc. has been a tremendous help. It keeps me focused. It keeps the weight loss effort in the forefront of my mind.

7. The 1960*~fabulous ww girls~ thread has been a wonderful, warm, soft-place-to-land, supportive group for me to belong to. And I thank you all for being there.

8. Don't give up. Even with setbacks, unexplained gains, impulsive eating, emotional ups & downs, I always believed that if I worked the program, the program would work for me.

9. Accept myself as I am. I really love myself. I think of myself as pretty, smart, funny, stylish, gracious, loving, forgiving, empathetic, and yes, I am obese, too. But that's changing. I'll just be overweight when I get to 169...just 11 pounds. That's so obtainable!

10. I really believe in "Progress" not "Perfection". No one is perfect. I'm a work in progress, but I feel like I'm getting better. And meeting this goal is such tangible proof of my progress. So is the way my clothes feel. And the compliments I get.