I’m a fraction of a pound away from being 47 pounds down; .2, in fact. I’m not counting it until it’s all the way there, but at this moment, that puts me 3.2 pounds away from my first big goal.

There are a lot of ways I plan on marking that first big goal, including photo/video documenting, measuring, and other methods that show how far I’ve come in that initial 50 pounds. While it won’t be absolutely clearly evident in photos, I know there are a lot of differences in how I felt when I started this journey, as well as my mobility, my mental outlook, and frankly, my physical being. Just because weight loss may not be obvious to the casual observer doesn’t mean it hasn’t been happening.

I initially chose a first big weight loss goal of 50 pounds because I knew that if I just shot for the end goal, I just might scare myself off of it. Looking at a time when I will weigh 131 pounds instead of 371 pounds — well, 240 pounds might as well have been 500 or more, as far away as that distant date of arrival likely is.

But that’s not how most of us take physical journeys. If I’m going a short distance, I will make it in one trip. But if I’ve got a long way to travel, and it’ll take days to get there, I do what most of us do: I break that journey up into manageable sections. If I’m driving from the mid-South to Las Vegas, I’m not going to jump behind the wheel and make it all in one long, unbroken jump, unless I’m in a plane.

No, I’d have a target to shoot for, driving, where I’d stop for the night. Even then, I would probably stop several times between my home and that initial destination; gas up the vehicle, eat lunch, take a potty break.

That’s what I’m doing with weight loss, as well. When I reach that 50 pound mark, it’s much like the first night’s stop on the journey. I know I’ve made it a certain distance, I know what’s behind me, and my destination is that much closer. My weight loss journey is much like a cross-country trip; it’s big, but so much easier to deal with when I know I’ve got a closer target to shoot for.

In the next few weeks to come, I’m hoping to hit that first major marker along the way. I’ve had my share of rest stops along the way, but it’s time to get to that first destination. And once there? I’ll do it again, until I reach 100 pounds off.

I believe I’m already mentally past the point of giving up and going back where I came from. I’m very much looking forward to being on the second leg of the journey, confident that I’ll reach the next destination.

C’mon, 50!