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It’s been nearly a year since I began chronicling this journey in 210SA. My resolution for 2008 was to get healthy, and the resulting weight loss would just be a bonus. Was I successful? I’ll let you decide.

A few friends and I hit the ground running in January with weekly weight-loss meetings. We took a hiking trip to Enchanted Rock, kept food journals, watched “The Biggest Loser” for inspiration and weighed in to track our progress. This fizzled out sometime in the summer, which was a huge disappointment for me. I need that kind of structure, and while we were committed, I lost a total of 30 pounds.

I started training in August for the Rock ’n’ Roll San Antonio Half Marathon. As much as I complained about waking up before dawn to walk, I really enjoyed it. I do better with a designated workout schedule like that, plus I knew that I had the support of all my fellow trainees. I didn’t do myself any favors, though. My weight at this time fluctuated because I wasn’t so strict with myself about what I was eating. However, I was still within the 25-30 pounds lost range.

September was when I went to the doctor and discovered my hypothyroidism. This helped me make sense of why I wasn’t losing weight faster, especially when I was walking 10-12 miles a week during training and doing some of my dance DVDs on the days between. Of course, again, I could have been stricter with my diet. Once I started taking the thyroid medication, I felt my energy level increase. Once I started taking multivitamins, I just felt better all around.

So, now we come to the end of the year. I confess that since the marathon, I’ve been horrible about working out (read: I’ve worked out once). This is the worst time of year to drop the ball, too, what with all the tempting holiday food everywhere you look.

Right now, I’d say my weight loss has fluctuated again to somewhere between 20-25 pounds lost.

So, does that make a successful year? I know I could have done more to keep from gaining back those five-10 pounds that I lost at the beginning of the year. I should be eating better and working out more. I definitely lose points for that.

But, at the same time, I kept off those other 20 pounds. I had to throw out almost all of my pants because they were too big, and I got to buy new clothes in smaller sizes. I am taking medicine that is helping my body produce the right amounts of hormones, which helps my overall health. I get points for those things.

In the end, I give myself a B minus. I passed, but I could have done better.

The goal for 2009: Earn an A plus.