Weight a minute!

Hello Dear Reader,

One Saturday morning in August 2010, I was in my office taking care of a few work-related things, as well as re-subscribing to my Skype account. Part of re-subscribing included filling in the my birthday. At that moment, I realized that there were only 7 months until I was slated to hit the BIG 3-Ohhhh, which would also mean that my driver's license would need renewal...and FINALLY a new picture.

I don't know but something about the age "30" hit me and, as if in concert, the combined voices of all of the 30 and over women in my life said, "You can't keep eating like that forever. Do something about your body now, because when you reach 30, it all gets harder." Ok, so maybe it wasn't that dramatic, but the message was clear...I'm getting older and need to start taking more responsibility for my health and fitness habits, which included losing weight.


As many of my friends in Lesotho will tell you, I used to talk all day about..."Yep, this is the year I'm gonna get my body so right." Relatively little, however, changed about the way I ate (eating is my hobby!) and exercises habits (as in no exercise). Living in Southern Africa also doesn't allow you to be in denial about weight loss or gain, because there is always someone to remind you that your pants are slowly and visibly squeezing you in half.

Back to that fateful day in August...without thinking of what exactly I was doing...an email was sent out to 50 or more of my friends and family letting them in on what I was planning to do...get it right for 30 by running a marathon. Next, I did a quick Google search, found a race (the Publix Georgia Marathon), and paid my entry fee. Done and done! Signed up for the gym and a personal trainer...done and done. Danielle is getting her body right, will fit in those too tight jeans, and run a marathon!

Since you've been running along side me during this whole process, I'll spare you the details, but I do remember the first time Mad-dog Trainer proudly announced that I lost 6 lbs. Up to that point in my life, I'd never actually done anything intentionally to lose weight. Weight loss was also not the primary focus, but rather to be able to run a marathon on my feet...no matter what size I happened to be.

For a while after losing those first 6 lbs, nothing else about my body and weight seemed to change other than making more fitness strides. Fast forward a little and I cut the tether keeping me attached to the treadmill to focus on the freedom of pavement pounding. That, My Dear, took my fitness (and subsequently weight loss) to a whole new level. As my mileage increased, the more and more I started to notice things that I've never seen before (or at least not in a while): my collar bone (what?!), muscles around my knee (oh my!), my watch spinning around my wrist, clothes that used to fit well to snug became too loose, and my already big glasses (yes, I like them that way) looking much bigger on my shrinking face. With respect to my glasses, at least three different people in three completely different countries like to point out how huge my glasses are every time we speak.

During this whole process of getting in shape, I'v managed to go from about 67kg when Mad-dog first weighed me in August to my current weight of 56kg. If you're counting with me, that's 11kg (24.2lbs). 11kg lighter but a whole hellova lot more toned, which is the most exciting part. Finally, my grandma arms don't wave back at me! Woohoo!

Yesterday morning, I was standing around with several of the ladies in my office...the ones who always used to point out that my pants were bursting at the seams...talking about my birthday and final marathon preparations. One woman blurted out, "Your parents may not want you to come back to Lesotho because they think we're not taking care of you. You're too thin! When this race is over, you need to stop running and eat more." The peanut gallery began to chime in with their weight-related remarks. No matter how much I tried to tell them that I actually shovel food down my throat because I'm so hungry all of the time...they didn't want to believe me. I wanted to say, "Wait a minute, aren't you the ones who told me I was fat?" Meh...Oh well, can't please the crowd! Either way, I'm so proud of myself for making the strides that I have. I'm more than determined than ever before....and come March 20th, I'll run proudly across the "Finish Line" and know that I did it!

On another note, this will officially be the last post I write you from the Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho...because I'm taking a 16 hour flight headed to ATLANTA, GEORGIA tomorrow!!!! So next time we speak, I'll be a much more wise, beautiful, smart, self-fulfilled, self-assured, got-it-going-on 3o year old!!!!!! Woohooo!!!!

...and the countdown begins (continues)...only 10 more days until the Publix Georgia Marathon!!!!


Yours in (so close I can feel it) training,

Dani