Close. So Very Close.

Not everyone here is from LoseIt, so if you are, please bear with me as a repeat a few things. Since May 25, 2011, I have been working on a weight loss goal. Today's weigh-in leaves me just a mere 0.1 pounds away from that feat.

I have to admit, it seems simultaneously overwhelming ... and just another weigh-in. Sure, hitting the weight goal is awesome. When I weigh in next on Thursday, barring a disastrous week between now and then, I will have lost over 76 pounds since last May. And my original start to the loss actually began on July 28, 2008 and on the next weigh-in, I will have lost over 100 pounds since that date. That will also be over 125 pounds down from my highest weight in the summer of 2006.

But the reason this is both awesome and "meh, whatever" is that I have already begun altering my mindset to new goals. I want to run the Bellin Run on June 2012, and increase my running endurance. I want to get stronger and be able to lift more weight. I want to reduce my body fat percentage.

Most importantly, I want to MAINTAIN my weight!

I guess that last factor is why I am approaching this milestone with mixed feelings. In the grand scheme of things, losing weight is simple. (Not easy, but simple.) Eat fewer calories than you burn, and get more active, and almost everyone will lose weight. I've lost weight before. Many times.

That's the problem. Getting to the endpoint is one thing, but staying there is a whole different game, with different rules. I have NEVER achieved a weight loss goal. I don't know how to maintain. That will be the next major challenge. I know that increasing my running and lifting will help, because it is a new set of goals. It is a new game.

I know that with the help of my family and friends around me, and especially my friends on LoseIt, I will continue to achieve my goals, and in doing so, will find new goals to keep me moving forward.

I WILL WIN!