As of last week, I have reached my weight goal: I have lost over 20 pounds.

About a year ago, I decided to make some lifestyle changes (which you can read more about here in a guest post I wrote for the health site Diethack).

I wanted to be healthier, and to make better choices regarding exercise and food. And yes, I wanted to lose weight.

To
be honest, it took me a while to admit that desire to myself (and
others). Somehow, wanting to lose weight sounded shallow and misguided.
"I don't care about losing weight...what I really want is to just be healthy,"
I told myself. This was a half truth. While I really did desire to be
healthy, I also wanted to simply shed some of the pounds.

When I
finally admitted this to myself, it was liberating. I realized that a
lot of my self-perception was consumed by thoughts of my weight, that I
had never truly liked my body since high school, and that I was tired
of it. I was tired of sucking in my stomach every second of the day. I
was tired of feeling self-conscious in the majority of my clothes. I
was tired of looking at photos of myself, and only being able to see
the fat.

And now, over the last year, much of that has changed.

I
realize that many other people have lost unbelievable amounts of
weight, and might scoff at a moderately overweight person rejoicing
over losing a mere 20 pounds. I also believe that there is a danger in
becoming preoccupied with one's body image.

But personally, I feel that the new me is something worth celebrating.

The
bottom line is that I feel tremendously more healthy than I ever have
before. For the first time in my life, I am taking responsibility for
my body's condition. I am satisfied with the amount of physical
activity I am doing, and with the self-control I now have with food. I
am comfortable in my body. And yes, I am glad to see those 20 pounds go.