I got my Blood Work back :)

Well, if there was any question in my mind about how successful this new journey has been so far, or if I am truly on a "new" journey or just circling the old path.....my blood test results have been a real eye opener :) So, without further ado, I will tell you what my results were from 3 months ago and what they are currently.....Please don't judge me for my poor numbers, I really AM headed in the right direction and that is ALL that matters :) My fasting blood sugar was 198.....now it is 120 (It should be under 110, so I feel that I will be well within range by the next blood test)...My A1C (it is a blood sugar average for 3 months, I don't know how they figure this out) 3 months ago mine was 7.....now it is 6.1 (regular number should be in the mid 5's, but a 6 is still not super bad, more like a pre-diabetic number).....My HDL (good cholesterol) was 27.....now it is 29 (it should be 50 or higher, but more exercise will get that number up)....and my LDL (bad cholesterol) was 75 and now it is 73 (anything under 150 is good, so I am well within the healthy range for that)....So, some of you, particularly those with a medical background may be alarmed with my numbers, especially what they were 3 months ago, but just seeing my fasting number go down 80 is a really good thing, and I am pretty close to being in range for everything :)  I just finished plugging in my slim coach and I am 10 minutes shy of having enough heart health activity for today, but I have been a real slug today, about the only thing I have done to get my heart rate up, is to power walk when I was pushing my shopping cart today, but I still got 20 minutes of elevated heart rate for not even trying to exercise....that means it isn't THAT hard to get active.....so many times I have felt like there is no way I could do enough to be healthy, and it turns out just being conscious of the need to be active REALLY is a big step in the right direction.....I have lost another 2 pounds!!!!! I am down to 268!!!! YAY!!!!  After seeing the progress I have made in the last 3 months, and truthfully, only the last month I have really been serious about trying, so just imagine what 3 months of dedication is gonna look like.....and tonight I am really wanting a Diet Cherry Coke :(  I know it is the fizzy that I am missing, so I am going to make some green tea and use carbonated water to make it....I am hoping that will get me past this craving :) If not, maybe I will just get myself a pop over the weekend, but I am sure, like everything else I have tried, it just won't hold the appeal that it use to.....I took a taste of Caroline's Mac n' Cheese today, and it really tasted nasty to me....I can't imagine that I use to love to indulge in that stuff...cause it just tastes YUCKY :P So, I am feeling very motivated to keep going, I am wearing a pair of capris and shirt that are size 20....I was in a 24 when I started this :) I am just one clothing size away from being in the teens, and just 2 sizes away from being able to wear clothes from the misses dept :) When I post things like this, it feels like bragging, but I really want it to be seen as encouragement, cause if I can make these changes then ANYONE can.....I don't want to be seen as someone who has all this will power and determination, cause I don't have any more than anyone else, we all have it in us, we just often choose not to use it :) Anyone who knows me well, will tell you, that they had know idea I would latch onto this thing and not give up....I am a reformed quitter.....I KNOW that each one of you can conquer your own demons and become a success :) I will tell you, that everyday I have new battles that I have to win, just the fact that I tried the mac n' cheese tells me that I still have a ways to go :) I know that I can't quit!!!! I will succeed, one little battle at a time...and each of you can, too......it doesn't matter how many failed attempts and false starts you have had, I have had nearly 15 years of failure to get me to this point, but I love my husband AND my kids too much to sit on the sidelines of their lives :)