Becoming an"After"

How do you put a price on joy?  How do you put a price on getting your life back? 

I'm asking these questions because I received an e-mail yesterday from a friend of mine who's lost over 100 pounds in the past eight months.  She has about 30 more pounds to go, but as you can imagine, she looks and feels like a different person.  She sent me a couple of "before" photos of her, then a couple of photos that were taken in the past couple of weeks.  I'm always amazed to see the difference in the before and after photos - not just in the weight loss, which is remarkable, but also in the eyes.

Not only in my friend's pictures, but also in my own before photos (as well as in many of the before photos I've seen of others), there is a sadness in the eyes that's unmistakable.  I hated having my picture taken, and it's obvious when I look at my before photos that I wanted to be somewhere - anywhere - other than standing in front of a camera.  The after photos are an entirely different story, as a certain confidence comes through - there is a light in the eyes and joy on the face.  It really is remarkable!

I called this friend to celebrate her 100-pound lost milestone with her, and she was practically giggling as she told me that she had to purchase a new dresser in order to hold all of her new clothes.  She is not a materialistic person at all, but she is finding delight in realizing that it's finally fun to shop, and even more fun to find clothes that look good on her.

All of this change happened in eight short months - eight short months to change a person's life.  Amazing!  We joked that the cost of this program is pretty nominal since it replaces the grocery store, but that the REAL cost is the post-goal shopping trip to purchase an entirely new wardrobe - and I wasn't even factoring in the necessity of new furniture to hold it!

Like all of us, my friend has had to make tough choices all along the way.  She went on a cruise, she got through the holidays, and she deals with all of the stresses of a full-time job and caring for an aging parent.  Life continues to happen for her, but because she knows what she wants - getting to a healthy weight - she has figured out every step of the way what she needs to do to stay on plan.

It hasn't been easy, but I can promise you that as I look at her most recent pictures and as I listen to her joyfully talking about how wonderful she feels and how much fun she's having, I know that knows it was worth it.

What's really special for me is knowing that my own weight loss story encouraged her to begin her own journey, and now she is inspiring others.  How amazing!

Do you believe that your life can change?  Do you believe that a few months from now you could be in a very different place than you are right now?  You can be - just ask my friend!  It all begins with the choices you make today, so choose wisely :-)