Blogs > Lighten Up With Cathy

45-year-old Cathy Bevan, of Concord Township, is a contestant in The News-Herald's Lighten Up in 2013.

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Would you like dessert!

Really, I hand the waitress, not my usual one, my lighten up coupon, and she has the nerve to ask if I want dessert. Come on now, I am there to eat healthy and lose weight and you ask if I want to ruin my diet. Well, good thing I have will power because their dinners are enough for me and I am usually satisfied after I eat. So thank  Cabanas for the free meal and as with only one week left to enjoy, I shall miss  my weekly dinner.

Monday, July 22, 2013

Sooo Happy!

Yes, I did it! Made my goal of being below 150 at the end of the contest. Sure it wasn't a lot but it still read 149.6, how exciting is that. I am so happy because never once did I gain weight and even thought some months wasn't a huge weight loss, it was still a loss. I may not win the contest but I am healthier, am at a normal BMI and fat percentage. Just went for my check up and I am in the best of health ever, and damn I look good in my size 8 dress. There is nothing better than getting a compliment from the females. I have decided that I would like to lose about 5 - 10 more pounds and that would put me at my high school weight.. I really didn't think I would be able to make it below 150 but I pulled it out in the end. Couldn't be happier and thanks to the News Herald's Lighten Up, the Lake County General Health District and Cabanas for all their support.

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Times a Tickin!

How quickly the past months have flown but hopefully we are a little wiser, have smarter food choices, moved a little more, and weigh a lot less. I still have  a little more work to do and I know you feel the same way too. Sadly enough, it will never be over, for it is always possible to regress, but just remember, do you really want to give away all those new clothes you had to buy because your other ones were to big? I think not. So let that new wardrobe be the inspiration to stay fit and healthy, and to never go back to the way we were!

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Countdown begins!

Well, very soon we shall see who the big winners are, and it won't be me. Oh don't get me wrong, I just didn't have the large percentage of weight to lose, but that is OK. I am thinner than I have been in quite awhile. I have received my share of compliments for a job well done and though my journey will never be over this one has given me the push I need to continue with being healthy and the is the ultimate goal, to lower the bad cholesterol and increase the good cholesterol, to lower the blood sugar, to have more energy and to live longer. I have come a long way from last January of 2012 when I actually began my weight loss journey. I have lost a total of 50 pounds and I am down 4 sizes. I finally can fit into single digit clothes, and I can wear my daughters outfits. I feel good but there is that one bummer, after having 5 kids and losing so much weight I have that skin that just hangs on my belly. It is the trade for being healthy, but I will take it!

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Coming closer to the end!

WOW how quick these past few months of flown. Only three weeks left till D-day. These last few pounds have been a real struggle, and even though I might not get to my goal weight in three weeks, I don't intend to stop. I hope everyone else feels this way. What we have begun will be an ongoing battle for the rest of our lives. It's OK to be tempted once in awhile but it is important to do what it takes to maintain and continue to get fit. I wish only the best for everyone. I will surely miss my free meals at Cabanas, the salmon is and always will be my favorite.

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Sundays bad news!

As I read the article in Sundays paper it is refreshing how many have stepped up their game. I know the real challenge will come when the contest is over and we don't have a scale to report to anymore. What do we do to stay on tract? Loosing weight can be quite easy, but the maintenance needs to last a lifetime. Let's all remember that though we continue to struggle it is our will power that will help us keep the weight off.

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

A short road left to travel!

As we head into the home stretch I think of all who have gone by the way side. Those who began this long journey, only to get cut for lack of enthusiasm or not enough weight lost. I applaud all who have come this far and what an effort has been put into losing the weight. I have found this contest to be my one last push to get me to my goal weight, and though I am a mere six pounds away, I know I have come  a long way. For my journey actually began last year in January of 2012 when I first made the decision for myself to lose weight and get healthy. In the past 18 months I have lost a total of 48 pounds. I look better and I feel healthier. But I know this won't all end in July. It is the battle of our life to not only get to our goal weight but to maintain our new bodies so that we never go back to our old ways. I know for some it will continue to be a battle and though many will still have more weight to lose, never give up, for look at the distance you have come, and why would you ever want to go back?