A strange thing happened today.  In the past it's always felt monumental when I signed up for a race, especially if it was a new distance.  I put together a training program, set a new goal for my weight and with every workout and every pound lost I feel like I've accomplished something.  When I have something to shoot for, I'm very committed to reaching that goal.

Today, I put on the only pair of pants that I own that actually fit, and looked at all of the pairs in my closet that don't.  I decided to go shopping after church.  It didn't strike me until I got home that I had just made a much bigger commitment than just registering for a race.  I had already pledged to donate some shirts and pants to a charity, and to pass some of the other clothes on to a friend.

In 2010, I dropped from 315 pounds to 225 and had been running casually.  That is when I bought the pair of pants I had put on for church, but it was the only pair I bought.  I left the other pants and shirts in the closet, and in 2011 and part of 2012 I was wearing them again.  I was back at 300 pounds.

At some point in 2012 I decided that I missed running, and I missed waking up feeling rested.  You see, when I'm heavier I have bad sleep apnea and the longer I sleep the more tired I am when I wake up.  I was 222 pounds this morning, and my fiance says that she never wakes up in the middle of the night to see if I'm still breathing any more.  We both slept in today, and I feel completely rested.

Not only am I registered for my second half marathon at the end of March, but I'm also registered for my first full marathon in November.  The clothes that fit at 300 pounds are all being given away accept a few race shirts, and t-shirts from my nephew's football and wrestling.  I'm not going to go through the regret of putting the weight back on again.  The only thing I might regret is not buying a size smaller jean.  I plan on being down to 200 by the marathon.  I never thought I'd see the day that I'd wear a shirt that doesn't have a single X in the size, but today I'm proudly wearing a Large shirt and the pants I bought today are a little big in the waist because my legs are still thick.  Not a bad thing I guess.

Anyway, the point is that I went shopping today, and didn't think it was really a big deal.  Then, I started going through my closet, and realized that its not a big deal.  It's a HUGE deal.

Congrats on the amazing weight loss!!!

Nice! Good job!

Well done, awood! It feels great to be proud of yourself.

You have done such an outstanding job, you really have.  It is definitely huge, and you should be proud.

I went through the same exact thing with my clothes, it really does hit you when you clear out the closet of all the clothes that you used to hang onto, "just in case".  Its such a great feeling when you realize that there is no more just in case, that this is the last ride on the yo-yo express.

Congratulations!  It's a big commitment.

Congratulations on all of your amazing accomplishments!  You are a true inspiration!!

Excellent job, Awood!  Congratulations!  Indeed, that is huge.  I lost 50 pounds and went through the same process.  The difference with me though is that DW stood there and made me go through my closet and get rid of anything that was too big.  She literally made me try on everything and I filled two large garbage bags.  It is kind of scary to know that now you just can't go and put the eight back on for financial reasons!