50 (or 58) at 50 Update - halfway to my original goal date

A quick update to my weight loss/getting healthy 50 at 50 Plan.
The half-way mark. It has been almost 13 weeks since I began this journey to better health on June 22, 2010 (one month before my 50th birthday):

Starting weight: 208 pounds
Weight loss: 23 pounds
Current weight: 185 pounds
Average weight loss per week: 1.77 pounds
Average calorie intake: 1150/day
Average calories burned: 306/day
Goal weight: 150
Remaining weight to lose: 35 pounds
Recalculating expected date to goal weight based on current weight loss average: 20 weeks, or 1/22/2010.

Observations: The first 20 lbs came off fairly quickly and easily. Just eating smaller portions of healthier choices, and doing some form of exercise daily (usually yoga) quickly moved my body from weight-gaining to weight-losing mode. I have not given up my favorite foods, but I am aware of the calorie count as I consciously choose to eat m&ms or nachos. I still am having difficulty making the time for aerobic exercise, i.e walking, cycling, lifting weights. And I know that's what it will take to burn the fat.

I feel better! I feel and look younger, more vibrant and energetic. I was squeezing into size 14s and am now in 12s comfortably. I have a waist again. My back and right shoulder once felt locked up with tension, now are moving more easily. I can fasten my bra behind my back again! My digestion has improved. I used to suffer from frequent constipation, and now I am eliminating daily again.

Acknowledging the early weight loss and then slow down, I am motivated to increase my aerobic activity. I feel encouraged by the progress I have made thus far and want to continue along this path.

It is amazing how easy it is to slow and slow and slow into a place of non-movement. Sometimes on my days off, I still want to stay home in my pjs and do nothing. That tells me that the demands in the rest of my life are out of balance. "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction" ~ Newton's law of motion.

Another of Newton's Laws of motion states, "A body in motion stays in motion unless an external force is applied to it." The idea of creating a self-sustaining habit of movement feels good to me.

I took some pictures a few weeks ago and am trying to work up the courage to post them here. It isn't easy to bare myself in this public forum. When I think of the times in my life that I was in shape, it is easy to look with disgust at my current state. I mean, 20 years ago I was competing in triathlons! So I know what it feels like to push my body to see how far it will go. I can make excuses about work and age and... To hell with excuses and justifications!

Today I crank it up! Are you with me?