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Introduction Text A lot of progress can be made in a year. If you knew what you could accomplish in a year, would you wish you had started a year ago? And that you would be there now?! That was the thought I held on to when I started this weight loss journey: a year from now, I would wish I had done this. So I did! It's been a year now and I am very happy with the progress I have made. And I am looking forward to what this new year will bring. I am pushing toward my goals. This journey is not as simple as I thought it would be. It hasn't been easy. But it has been totally worth it. I am learning so much about myself and how to tap into my inner strengths when I need it. I am learning that I have more self-control than I thought possible. I am learning how to stick with something because it is completely worthwhile. I am learning how to go the distance. I've come too far to quit now. I am not superhuman. I have lots of slip-ups. But I get right back on track. To anyone reading this, you have what it takes and just have to stay with it. I was so miserable when I was fat and I didn't have any hope or think I could lose that much weight. I was so sad. But now I don't think of myself as fat, just a little overweight, and I'm running! That's something that I never would have thought possible. But I love to run now! And I'm getting faster, but I had to start out very slow and make myself keep going. I started running by jogging laps in my living room around the sofa before I ever went out on the road or to the track. You always have to start somewhere. Give yourself tiny goals and take baby steps toward those goals. I still have a long way to go on the weight loss but I know I will get there one day. It won't be August 2014 like I hoped but that is okay. When I started out, I had to believe it would be that quick because I didn't think I could go the distance. Now I know better: I know I will do this for the rest of my life. There is no finish line and there is no going back. I believe in myself again! I am enjoying the journey! Update as of 4/21/15: As of last December, I was doing really good and had got down to 179 pounds. I was looking and feeling really good but I also felt like I had hit a milestone and somehow that caused me to lose my motivation. I started thinking that I was tired of eating right and needed a "break" and I started to stress eat more. Since January, I put back on 12-13 pounds. Now I am going through the process of changing the way I think so I can change the way I look at food. Yes I can eat healthy and be stubborn enough to stay on track, up to a point. But what I really want is to not have so much of a struggle because my mindset just becomes second nature. I am by nature a perfectionist and that is something that has only got me into trouble. I am trying to figure out what it means to stay in the grey area and not be so black and white in my thinking. This is completely foreign to me right now. I have no idea what this means yet. But I am sure I can learn. In the meantime, I am taking one day at a time and trying to be successful each day. Success, by the way, does not mean being perfect but does mean getting closer to my goal. Update 10-12-15: So I let things slide until my husband got healthy and life got back to normal. But after a 31 pound gain, enough is enough. So I am back on track again and following the program that I had done two years ago. I'm following what I ate on my old logs and bringing back those good habits. Taking one day at a time again and enjoying each pound lost.

To lose 100 pounds. To be healthier and more active. To have greater self-mastery and self-confidence. To run a ten-minute mile. To get a finisher medal at a marathon. --Goal Met 2-14-15 Love.Run.Marathon 2.14.15 Davy Crocket Bear Chase Marathon 4.11.15 Texas Marathon 1.1.16 Brazos Bend 50K 4.16.16

I eat daily 1500 calories of whole grains, eggs, fish and chicken, fruits, vegetables, limited dairy, limited oils. I work out five to seven times a week. This is a lifestyle change for the rest of my life. My favorite saying, "If not now, when?"

I live in Texas, married and work in insurance. My email is april.russell2@yahoo.com I am on Facebook, let me know you're from Sparkpeople.

My hobbies are cooking, gardening, crafts and reading. I obtained my BS at Sam Houston State University in 2010.

Add a Link "Accomplishment is when you use your extra strength to help someone else, rather than get to the top first." -To Know By Experience "The thing to remember when traveling is that the trail is the thing, not the end of the trail. Travel too fast and you miss all you are traveling for." -Louis L'Amour "It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that they are difficult."
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