Four Little Reasons

This is a busy weekend for me as I'm taking care of my two oldest granddaughters (ages 7 and 5), plus a granddog, while my daughter and her husband are away visiting his family in Portland, OR.  For the next five days, I will be back in the role of "mom" to a couple of little girls.  It's going to be fun but also very busy!

I can't help but wonder how much stamina I'd have for these next few days if I was still hauling around an extra 126 pounds.  I'm a bit tired by the end of a day with my grandchildren (both these two and our 3-1/2 yr. old twins), but I'm sure I'd be completely exhausted if I was still at my top weight of 268.  My four grandchildren were one of the reasons I was finally motivated to get to a healthy weight.  I realized that if I didn't do something, and soon, there was a good chance I might not be around to enjoy them growing up.  As much as I hated being overweight, what I hated even more was the thought of cutting my time with them short because I couldn't stop eating.  I wanted to be healthy and active and not just a sideline observer of their growing up - I wanted to be an active (and fun!) participant.

Yesterday I spent time with the twins, including a fair amount of time sitting on the floor playing dollhouse.  That seems like such a simple thing to do now, but three years ago I never sat on the floor.  My back hurt most of the time, so sitting on the floor was very uncomfortable, and at my top weight, getting up off the floor was no easy task.  Yesterday I didn't think twice about it, and I was up and down multiple times and never gave it a second thought.

So many wonderful things have happened since I reached my goal almost two years ago, and being a fun, active grandmother to my four precious grandchildren is one of the best - and the most fun.

So it will be a busy few days for me and I will love every minute of it.  I'm so thankful that I can truly enjoy this time, that I have the health and energy to savor the moments and not just survive them.  There were a lot of things I didn't eat while I was on my weight loss journey and staying on plan, but as I look at the faces of my four little ones, I can say without hesitation that it was absolutely worth it.

What motivates you to get to a healthy weight?  Stay focused, then choose wisely :-)