I looked down the other day and noticed something. Something I haven't seen in the upright position in a long time. My feet. I still had a little trouble seeing them because God gifted me with upper-body blessings, but I could still see toes poking out past the valley twixt the mountains.
My belly no longer hits the exercise bike bars- or the steering wheel of the van. And now that spring is here and coats are stored away, I had to adjust the seat up a little further! Okay maybe a half inch further, but it still counts.
For those who are "of size" we usually have a wardrobe that flexes with us. Lycra and spandex are our friends. But after a thirty-eight pound loss, the Lycra doesn't need to stretch as far (or at all in some places- WOOHOO!) and things are starting to succumb to gravity's pull. I might have to get new clothing soon!
Luckily for me most of my clothes were getting tight, so now they're loose. Not loose enough to fall off (yet), but just getting to where they fit just right. I had no idea I was treating myself like a sausage for so long! Now I know what "it fits" means; it means you can lift your arms all the way up and the bottom of the shirt lifts a little- not rolls itself all the way up to your eyebrows.
I am no longer a sausage! Yay me!
Shorts that didn't fit last year now feel perfect and some of them feel a little loose. I'm not going out to buy a bikini anytime soon (so put away those cameras, beach guys), but I do have some used-to-be-tight swimwear I might fit into this year.
I'm feeling skinny!
I did have two backsliding moments this week. We had a birthday party for my daughter with homemade pizza and a home baked cake, and after checking out the calories of the pizza, I could have three slices! Did I need three slices? No. Did I eat three slices? Yep. Should I have eaten three slices? Heck no! After I overindulged I felt like a bloated walrus. it didn't help that we ran late doing family activities yesterday and we got take-out pizza, fries and cheesesteaks. I ate all that too, and take-out pizza has a lot more calories than my home baked version.
So I blew off this weekend and will hop back on the bike today. Some people hate Mondays, but I love them. I get to start over, fresh and new!
Lessons learned:
Just because I can have more, doesn't mean I should. Especially since I blew my calorie count out of the water the next day.
Small bites to savor the flavor not only stretches out the meal, but gives you time to feel full. Had I eaten slower this weekend, I might not have had that third slice of homemade pizza, or the second slice of take-out pizza the next day.
Picking a day to "start over" is always a good thing.
Forgiving yourself for an off day (or weekend) is key to sticking with your plan.
When in doubt of yourself, look down and see your toes. Wiggle them and smile.
I get weighed again in a few weeks- sooner if I can find a good home scale. I'm still on the fence about that though, because the scale isn't the only reason I'm doing this. The numbers only show that I truly am losing, and that my body is becoming more fit- but numbers aren't the only thing that tell me that.
I want to walk a mile without getting winded. I'm almost there. I want to start light jogging soon. I want to enter walkathons, marathons (where I can still walk) and join/organize walking clubs. I want to get to the point where I can go up the Appalachian trail again with my husband- and this time, get to the top. I'm setting fitness goals as well as weight loss numbers.
After all, I'm already healthy- I'm just not fit. Yet.
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