As of this morning, I have lost the first 10% of my starting body weight. 31 lbs are gone and I mean for them to stay gone for good this time. Sunday will mark the end of my eighth week back on sparkpeople and rededicated to changing my lifestyle, achieving my health goals, and maintaining them.

I have no idea how I will reward myself. We don’t have the money to spare to spend on anything “extra” right now. I’d like a new pair of tennis shoes, a heart rate monitor, and a really nice pedometer that can go in my pocket instead of clipped to my waistband where it falls off over and over again. But all that will have to wait.

Right now, my reward will have to be the satisfaction in knowing that I can fit back into some smaller sized clothes in my closet. My reward will be retiring a few pairs of pants that are so big they fall off me. I think that’s enough.

I don’t need external rewards right now. The reward of feeling better, stronger, more flexible, and having more stamina is enough. Being able to sprint up the stairs to the second floor of our home is enough. Sleeping on my back without pain or having to get up to go pee every fifteen minutes due to the pressure on my bladder is enough.

It is reward enough to know that I’m learning moderation and making changes that I can live with and maintain for the rest of my life.

*cross posted at my sparkpeople blog and the message boards on Sparkpeople.com

Popularity: 15% [?]