Last year, I reported that for the first time in nearly 20 years, my sister tipped the scales at less than 200 pounds. I am so thrilled to report that she is still a resident of One-derland! In fact, she told me this week that she has moved even further into the neighborhood!

Chele isn’t to her goal, yet; but, she continues to work that direction, which is HUGE for anyone trying to reduce their weight! Am I right? How many times have you lost that same five pounds? I know that I’d weigh about 26 pounds now if I hadn’t kept losing and regaining the same weight – and, truthfully, regaining more than I lost!

And, she is doing it her way. Like I did, she has had some success by increasing her vegetable intake. She is more careful about exactly what fruits and vegetables she eats and sticks more towards those that have been shown to decrease inflammation. She limits her nightshade vegetable (tomatoes, eggplant, white potatoes, and peppers) intake since those have been shown to aggravate arthritis. And, as we’ve discussed, she has removed most wheat from her diet since that makes her joints hurt.

(On a side note, she recently visited me for a week and, for movie night, I made pizza using a gluten-free crust mix that I found at the grocery. It was like eating pizza toppings on a roof shingle. Tough, tough, tough! Not to be defeated, we tried a gluten-free pizza at the Mellow Mushroom in Memphis and it was almost like regular pizza. Very tasty and neither of us experienced the discomforts we have come to associate with wheat ingestion.)

Feeling better and feeling better about herself, she has bought some really nice and feminine clothes to supplement her standard jeans and t-shirt wardrobe. And, in a move that has left me flabbergasted, she’s even started buying cute shoes – although, sadly, we don’t wear the same size. I can’t go closet sniping. Rats.

It’s wonderful to see her healthier and feeling better! As she continues down this path, I celebrate with her. Share your story and let us all celebrate with you, as well!