A pause from our every day shenanigans for a little bit of horn tooting.  I haven't talked about this much on the forums, but last Thanksgiving, my dad saw me heavier than I had ever been in my life and he confronted me (in love) about my weight.  He challenged me to lose 83 pounds before this Thanksgiving.  It was hard, emotional and overwhelming, but it was the kick I needed.  Today, I made my goal!!  It has been an amazing year.  I have been doing the Made to Crave Bible study by Lysa TerKeurst and it has been lifechanging.  Step by step, learning obedience and faithfulness, I made it!   Here is a before and after picture:

Wow -- Christa -- what an achievement -- that definitely deserves major horn tooting. Congrats!!!

Christa that is wonderful well done!  You look marvelous!

Way to go girl! I admire you immensely for doing that. It will improve your life, your outlook, your life span etc., etc.! Not to mention that, as Letty says, you do look marvelous! 

Congratulations, Christa!! I know you feel absolutely marvelous in your "lesser" self. I also know what a struggle weight loss can be. You are to be commended for your efforts, your devotion and commitment to a better life for yourself!

Good on 'ya!

Linda & Kelly

Awesome Christa! You look mahvelous!

Congratulations, Christa.  You look amazing.

Awesome Christa

Okay Christa --- Did you remove the photos????  OR am I the ONLY one that cannot see them????  Photos or not, that is a most amazing accomplishment and you should be quite pleased with yourself.  BRAVO

Photos have mysteriously arrived!!!  Wow --- do you look GREAT!!!!!

That's amazing Christa, congratulations!!

Thanks for all of the nice comments! 

FYI....in the "before" picture, that's my DS on the left, hubby behind me and DD (the one getting married) on the right.  She has lost about 25 pounds since this picture!  Here is a picture of her and her maid of honor yesterday, dressed as Pippi Longstocking and the Sun Drop girl for Halloween at the library where they work:

Congratulations, Christa, that's a very hard job, very well done. 

But be prepared--maintaining may be even harder. 

SOOOO proud of you, Christa! That's a MAJOR accomplishment.

That is fantastic!  Congrats!

Awesome job! Now it's my turn to get off my duff and lose it (again).

Toot Toot!!! You must feel great! Your dad will be proud too!

That is wonderful, Christa. I have been on a diet since Aug 1. Now I have reached another plateau----7 to 9 lbs. This post menopausal age is most difficult for dieting. When young, I could lose 5 lbs in a week. But, I am sticking with the plan. My goal, when I reach the -20 lbs---- I can have my eyes RE-DONE!!!!

83 POUNDS in a year is earth shattering.

Just being nosy, who is the beauty in your posts? I thought maybe that was you.

Mary

AWESOME!!! You go, girl---not only do you look wonderful, but I bet you feel more healthy and are living a more healthy lifestyle.....congratulations!

Thank you, Thank you!  REK, my profile picture is Jason Castro. He was on American Idol a few years ago and he is my pretend boyfriend ;)

Congrats, Christa!! I'm down 29lbs since June and feelin' pretty proud, but 83 is just AMAZING!

Totally AWESOME, Christa!  You look wonderful!

Christa...you rock!!  You look wonderful!  And I agree with the assessment of post-menopausal dieting.  It's horrible...

Christa, you look fantastic !!! you go Girl!!!

Woo Hoo for you, Aimee!  That's a great job!

Mary, don't worry about that little plateau.  Keep doing the right stuff and it will come off.  I hit the wall a couple of times along the way so I know it can be frustrating. 

And no using the old "post-menopausal" excuse!  I had all my plumbing removed three years ago and have taken no hormones since the surgery, so it can be done!

I am hanging in on the "diet."  I have not had a cookie or piece (slab) of cake for months. So, I am committed. Holidays are coming and I have NO plans of cheating.

Christa,

What was the main/major food that you gave up? Or the major change in your diet? I want to accomplish this goal.

Mary