"A dream is a wish your heart makes..."

I've had many dreams about losing weight and living a "normal" life. Weight loss, and more importantly health, are no longer wishes my heart makes while I am fast asleep. My dreams are now becoming my reality, but accomplishing a dream doesn't come from simply wishing upon a star. To make a dream become reality there must be: motivation, determination, support, and sacrifice.

Whether extrinsic or intrinsic, positive or negative, we rarely do things without some kind of motivation or incentive. So, what is my motivation for losing weight, tracking every bite and nibble, and changing my lifestyle? I'd always dreamed of losing weight, so I could fit into smaller clothes, but it is so much more than that now. I still love buying smaller sizes and looking cute is a great extrinsic motivator, but the biggest motivations for me will last longer than this season's fads and a new pair of jeans. My biggest motivators are wanting to be able to keep up with my future classroom full of kindergartners, first or second graders, not dying at an early age of heart disease or a diabetes related illness, and not wanting to be on a constant emotional roller coaster because of what I ate and an addiction to food. My biggest short term motivators are wanting to be able to put my desk top up in an auditorium style classroom and being able to serve a mission.

I've known for almost two years that I'm supposed to prepare to serve a mission. But as much I have prepared and continue to spiritually prepare, my lack of physical preparedness is still my biggest obstacle. In order to serve a mission, I have to have a BMI of 37. As of Friday February 12, 2010, I am 69.4 lbs down, have 73.6 pounds to lose until I am mission eligible, and 150.6 to lose to reach goal. The journey hasn't been easy and will probably continue to get more difficult, but it is worth it! And when undulations arise in my winding road, I must look in the rear view mirror at the person I once was, to my road map for guidance and direction, and continue forward toward my final destination-- a compilation of all my hopes, dreams and hard work finally paid off.