For those of you who weren’t aware, about 2 months ago I bet my friend Russ that I would lose 15 pounds faster than he would. Today I officially won, losing 15 pounds compared to Russ’ 10.1.

At first glance, neither seems like a huge number over the course of 2 months, but that’s a pace of 60-90 pounds a year. Imagine if someone you knew went away for a while (say off to college) and when you saw them 6 months later they’d put on 30-40 pounds. It would be shocking. The difference would be obvious and you’d be amazed they could have changed so much, so quickly.

For some reason, the social impression of losing weight at that same rate doesn’t seem to have the same ‘wow’ factor. However, the truth is, gaining or losing 90 pounds is a truly life changing event, and Russ and I are in the midst of it. It’s actually kind of exciting when I stop to appreciate it.

In the end, I’m really proud of all the work Russ and I put in. Losing 10 pounds in 2 weeks is difficult, but losing 10 pounds in two months is commitment.