260 - 61 = 199

I can't quite believe it. When I first started this journey at 118kg/260lb, 90kg/199lb seemed so far away. And that's probably because it was. I didn't even put any significance on it for a long time. I've always thought in either kg or stones and not really paid attention to the total number of pounds. But as I've read more people's blogs, and visited more weight loss sites, I've come to see that it's a useful milestone to celebrate, and celebrate is what I intend to do.

Maybe 90kg or so didn't seem quite so far away at 118kg (before I started thinking in pounds). Not because it wasn't, but because it was all very much of an unknown. I didn't know what to expect, and I didn't know how easy or hard getting there would be. But (having started thinking in pounds as well as kilos by this stage), when I got to about 230lb I realised that I was only half way to this milestone, and that I would have to do it all again to even get this far. That was far more daunting than seeing random numbers on the scale at the beginning.

I've had other milestones on the way. 100kg was a big one, as was 210lb which got me to 50lb lost as well as a nice, round sounding 15 stone. But none of them seem to have the mythology which has grown up around the race to "onederland".

It is nice to be here, of course. But for me the fact that I've lost over 60lb to do it is the significant thing, rather than the fact that my weight begins with a 1 (although that is a very nice feeling, to be fair). There's nothing special about being 199lb. If you started at 180 it wouldn't be something to celebrate at all, and if you started at 203 it wouldn't be as huge. But to lose 60lb, that's worth noting and worth celebrating, and 199 seems an appropriate place to do it.

Actually, to be completely honest, it's not quite 199. It's 199.5, but if you think I'm rounding that up instead of down you've got another thing coming!

So, to celebrate, I ran 5k, because I can, and that's what I'm proudest of - the fact that my body now works the way it's meant to, and I'm relatively fit and healthy. I might treat myself to some indulgences later, but I probably won't. I've got a lovely meal planned at my favourite Greek restaurant next weekend, so maybe I'll just save my food celebration for then. Why stop what I'm doing to celebrate when I enjoy what I'm eating at the moment? Eating a piece of cake won't make me feel any better than I already do, so maybe it's just more of the same.