Click here to view the embedded video.

“Which barefoot shoes do you have?”

edit to say: I realize that as sporadic as I write things (and where I write various things) that you may not know this about me; so while it feels a little like stealing the punch line from a joke, I wanted to add this- I run barefoot, and have generally for almost two years. Did a couple miles this morning, in fact. I’m not preachy about it, I have heard all of these things at some point (thank you, internet). Yes, I’ve read Born to Run. I do not run in “barefoot shoes” but I do have some funky sandals I made myself from a kit (not surprisingly I purchased the kit from the guy who made this video, he’s great). I prefer to be barefoot but not if it makes other people uncomfortable.

OK, enough about that, if you wanna hear more about it just ask, I promise I will never make you take your shoes off to visit my blog.

As of now I’ve lost over 60 pounds. I don’t have a tape measure to check my measurements, but I’ve lost a bunch. I bought a pair of shorts a couple weeks ago with a 40″ waist, for example. Last winter I was wearing 44″ jeans. The shorts are now a little loose so I need to wear a belt with them, and when I shopped for a belt found that a 38 inch belt fit (not a lot of room to spare, on the second hole). So that’s going pretty good.

I’m running regularly but not yet daily. Some weeks I go four times, occasionally five, sometimes only three. My usual run is 2.5 miles. Not too shabby.

Today, I have had only one cup of coffee (and I’m writing this at 7 PM). That is partly because the kids and I have been doing things all day and I didn’t have the usual downtime to hang out and sip coffee; but I could have easily brewed a pot and had more than a single cup.

So there; a post where I barely mention kids nor whine about daily life. I feel good, I really do, a few people are noticing that I have lost weight which is a great bonus and reinforcer for the work I’ve done. As far as goals, ultimately I want to lose about 30 more pounds and get to an even 200. Don’t worry, I’ll say something if I get there

I guess it is what it is.

I’ve been working pretty hard to lose weight. OK, on my scale I’m working “pretty hard.” I haven’t signed up for a boot camp or the Biggest Loser or anything, mostly because I’m on a budget so there just isn’t an opportunity. Also because my schedule has to remain freakishly flexible sometimes and if there’s anything I dislike more than paying for a class that I may or may not be able to afford, it’s paying for a class I may or may not be able to afford and then not being able to attend because of a sick child or a soccer practice or something. So, I’ve been pretty much solo (along with the fine support at SparkPeople, who are fine folks indeed).

This means my progress has been pretty slow, heh.

I know this sounds like an elaborate excuse for being heavy, but it’s not, I’m just rambling about what I’ve been doing. So here’s the progress: Since last April I have gone from 289 pounds to 257. I now lift weights three days a week and walk around 6 miles a week, spread out over several days. With spring weather and better conditioning my walks are getting longer, too. Since last June I’ve dropped five inches from both my waist and hips and two inches from my thighs (replacing fat with manly muscles, I’m so sure).

Progress I have left to go: sixty pounds and about another five inches each from waist and hips. I don’t know any other measurements, let’s just say ‘proportional’ and leave it at that. So at this rate it’ll take another two years. At the end I just want to be fit and healthy. You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.

Now what I’m not sure about is why I feel like writing about this today. I think it’s because I’m feeling stronger in so many ways, but still have such a very long way to go. Not just physically but emotionally and in my relationships. Maybe that can be another post at another time.

I need to remind myself once in a while that it’s a journey. A very. long. journey.