Thank you!

I want to dedicate a post to showing appreciation for all of the love and support I got from my friends and family throughout my weight loss journey.  I'm a very lucky girl to have so many caring, supportive people in my life and I need to give you guys a shout out!

Challenging yourself mentally the way you do when you try to change your body eventually all comes down to you and what decisions you make.  That said, having the people in your life support you unconditionally throughout the process can make things a whole lot easier.  It was also great to hear so many people giving me suggestions and swapping ideas with me.  I learned a lot about good food choices and great workout ideas from other people. 

To my friends, thank you for putting up with me this whole time and not giving up on me!  I know I was cranky sometimes, and sometimes I skipped the bar in favor of getting a good night's sleep and going to the gym early the next morning.  Sorry for missing out on 15 weeks worth of Friday nights out with you for the sake of my 15 Saturday morning weigh-ins.  Thank you for loving me anyway and understanding that I was doing what I needed to do to better myself and having the patience to wait for fun Julia to re-emerge at the end of the tunnel!

One person in particular stands out among the rest as being there for me every step of the way, from going for Sunday afternoon runs with me when all he wanted to do was lay on the couch watching Bravo, to coming up with family dinner ideas that were healthy enough for me to eat, too.  To my BFF Ken, I love you so much and I appreciate all the help you've given me over the last 3 months, and even before.  You're such a positive, motivating influence in my life and I don't think I could have reached my goal without your constant encouragement and enthusiasm!

To the rest of you - everyone who "liked" my posts on Facebook, everyone who left encouraging comments, everyone who complimented me on my progress when they saw me - THANK YOU!!!  Knowing that there were people out there who actually cared about me succeeding and wanted me to achieve my goal helped me stay focused right up until the very end.  Hearing that you noticed a difference in my body reinforced the fact that my plan was working.  Just knowing that somebody out there was actually reading this blog and keeping up with my progress forced me to be accountable for everything I did or didn't do. Even on the days when all I wanted to do was give up, when I was tempted to skip the gym after work or when I was craving cheeseburgers and fries, you are who I thought about.  I didn't want to let you down, so I continued.

Basically, this challenge would have been a hell of a lot harder without all of you encouraging me and rooting for me along the way.  So thank you, from the depths of my now-16-pounds-lighter soul, for all your positivity and love!!!