The hardest thing to change was my mindset.  I thought I knew how to lose weight but what I didn't know is the time and patience it actually took.  In the past I would lose weight fast but it wasn't lasting.  This time around I had to learn that even on a bad day or week that sticking the plan tomorrow is what mattered.  What I do today is more important than what I did yesterday.  I had to change the way I view plateaus in my weight.  Not seeing a drop in weight didn't mean I wasn't making progress.  The idea of being consistent over being perfect was something that sounds easy but implementing that thought process was not as easy as it seemed.  Taking measurements and pictures really helped with this.  With them I was able to see improvements without necessarily seeing it on the scale.  Measurements and pictures are something I never did in my past attempts at weight lose.

My lowest point would have to have been the months during football season.  Parties during Packers games are a big part of my family.  During these parties I would eat and drink beer until I couldn't walk.  Once I started working with you it was a real shock to see how the weekends were really being detrimental to my success.  I would eat really well and workout during the week but then on the weekends I would fall off the wagon.  Once this happened a few weeks in a row I was confident that I was destined to live that way the rest of my life.  I wanted to quit because with that lifestyle I wasn't seeing the results I wanted in those few months.  I over came this because I was able to adjust my thinking about my progress.  I was able to realize that even though the scale wasn't getting lower that if I could make it through those few weeks without quitting then I was making progress.  Now during this football season I am more aware of my goals and I am not afraid to say no to the 10 beers I would have normally drank during the Packers games.

YES! And I feel like I accomplished so much more than I wanted and more than I expected to.  Something positive that I didn't expect was realizing that losing the weight didn't make me happier.  I mean it did but I realized that it wasn't the only thing that I needed in life to be happy.  I am definitely more confident now and it made me want to think more about what I can do in my life to make me happier and a better person.  If I can do this then what else can I do?  This process opened up a part in me that wants to better myself now in other areas of my life.  It is never to late to become a better you and I feel like losing the weight was the first step in me becoming the person that I want to be, the person that I am supposed to be.

Working with you was so much more than I thought it would be.  I never really had a mentor in my life when it come to my health and fitness.  It was never something anyone in my family or any close to me got into that I could go for help.  You gave that to me.  Even on days where I was expecting you to tell me I did wrong or that I probably shouldn't have ate that, you did the exact opposite.  You never put me down, you were always encouraging even on my bad days.  You never made me feel like I was failing even when I felt that way about myself.  And because of this I would say yes that I made the right decision.  You gave me the tools to feel confident in myself moving forward on my journey without your guidance everyday.

My future goals are to continue with the same structure that you have laid out for me.  Keep my calories and workouts the same or at least very similar.  I will be doing research this month so that I can start writing workout programs for myself.  I plan for the the foreseeable future to keep tracking food and workouts as I have been. I also plan to start a journal since I won't be emailing you everyday, I feel like that will help me stay on track and keep me accountable.  I have also talked to my sister about coaching her through weight loss and being her mentor through her journey.   I feel that it will not only help her become more accountable but will also help me stay accountable as well.  I know I am not perfect but going through this journey with someone is always easier.  I know how it is to go through this alone and I want to be able to help her and others along the way.  Part of me being a better happier person wants to help people become better happier people.