Days of Thankfulness, Day 7

A lady I follow on Twitter posted the link to this article, "What No One Tells You About Losing Lots Of Weight."

It's a spot-on analysis of exactly what it is to get to goal, know how strong you are, and yet still feel embarrassed by the fat on your arms and tummy. It's a day-to-day struggle to remember that I love my body and take care of it just as it is. And it is, of course, a healthy, strong body that doesn't look Hollywood-perfect but is still worth loving.

I hate that I have to remind myself and re-remind myself all the time, but there you have it. Losing 90 pounds doesn't automatically fix everything that helped you get to 90 pounds overweight like a magic pill.

I could go on and on, but this is supposed to be about thankfulness. So today, I am thankful for my strength. I am going to get a bit overbearing and braggy and shout from the rooftops at how strong I am.

I was strong enough to know I want to make a change, and I was strong enough to take the steps to make that change happen.

I am strong enough to keep my healthy lifestyle going.

I am strong enough to continue telling the demons in my head to kindly "piss off" when they start whispering to me that I really should look more like that lady over there, or that one, or...you get the idea.

I am strong enough to do ten push-ups in a row, sweat pouring down my face.

I am strong enough to run a 5K.

I am strong enough to continue my fitness habits and gym visits, even when my life gets busy and hectic.

I am strong enough to hold my head up and be proud of the body I have--fit, badass, with some loose skin and curvy hips and junk in the trunk. I am strong enough to see those "flaws" as battle scars--hard-earned trophies that prove that I have slowly, painstakingly turned my life around after finally figuring out, four years ago, that I didn't like the direction I was going in.

Hell yes, I'm strong, and damn straight I'm thankful for it.