Good morning folks! Many people have asked me some great questions about my 130 pound weight loss journey through facebook. I am sharing the answers here! Keep the questions coming!

Q: How are you handling your excess skin issues? – Robin

A: That is a great question. I am 46 and have lost 130 lbs, so I do have some excess skin. But, it's very small amounts. Thankfully because I burnt off the pounds carefully using weight lifting and lost only about 8 lbs a month, the skin has shrunk back very nicely! Now I'm proud of my muscles. The little bit of skin remaining is part of my history. It's a reminder that I NEVER want to go backwards. I can live with that! I am not seeking perfection. I am proud to wear a sleeveless shirt now!

Q: How do you see your body now? Are you still the obese person you saw at the beginning of your journey, or do you see the new fit, you? – Diane

A: Diane, that is an excellent question! I am only seeing the new 'real me' for who I have become. I am fascinated with the new me. 

I keep looking at myself in the mirror and saying, who the heck are you? But the good news is, yes, I do see myself as a healthy, fit woman who is strong and conscious of self. I do not see myself as obese or fat any longer! That person does not exist anymore, I am proud to say!

The first step came with the reality of what I saw in the mirror. I saw this sad, large woman who I didn't identify with. I woke myself up and said, enough is enough. My first step was getting over the fear! I chose to put a conscious effort into my own well-being. I chose to take on this challenge of weight loss and healthy living as if it were a job, a very hard job that I had never applied for before! It was a job that I had no qualifications for, but I learned. And I went to the gym every single day for 18 months.

Q: Since you began your journey have you fallen off the path, and if so how did you get back on track? – Dawn

A: Well, of course there were some setbacks, mainly in the food category. Rethinking one's whole life-long relationship with food doesn't change dramatically overnight. Undoing one's behavior takes a conscious effort. I would have the occasional extra portion of something, but thankfully it was usually a healthy food rather than something like ice cream. I have not had ice cream in over 19 months! 

Dawn, I stay on track most of the time because when I think of all the hard work at the gym, and how far I have come, I don't want to sabotage all that hard work! I think, well, if I have that extra piece of toast with peanut butter that equals another 15 minutes of cardio.

Q: What is your favorite healthy snack? – Jennifer

A: I have my favorites! On the run, I keep a handful of raw almonds with me. I also keep a can of smoked oysters in my bag. They are full of protein and no sugar, and are yummy straight out of the can. For a late night snack at home, I have frozen peas with a little olive oil and cracked pepper. Sometimes a few bits of non-fat cottage cheese is just the thing to tide me over in the evening.

Q: How often do you weigh in? – April

A: I was weighing in about once a week on the way down. Now I do it every few days, mainly out of curiosity rather than concern for the number. 

I'm mainly looking at body fat numbers now rather than weight. I weight 140 now even though I appear to weigh about 125. It's because I'm very muscular now and that weighs more than fat. I am fine with that!