Week 8 Weigh In

I'm thankful to have a loss again this week. I'm down another 2.8 pounds and for that I'm pleased yet I have a fear of what challenges I'll face next week. On Saturday the 23rd, I'll be going to Puerto Rico for a week and I'm worried about how well I'll manage my food intake while I'm there. I know there will be healthy options and I do plan to try some of the local specialties (like fried plantains), but it really is going to be about portion control and moderation. Wish me luck! I know how to do this.....right?!

I'll have to figure out why my picture are coming out so dark...next one will be better. I'll be in Puerto Rico next MOnday so my next official weigh in will be the following Monday. I may have to do a pre-trip weigh in on Friday.

Weigh In with Visuals!

So I have finally found some time to post my weekly weigh in for this week. I was a little disappointed that it wasn't a bigger loss but it is a loss. I've been trying to think of how I could continue to show a symbol or visual representation of my weightloss as I go. SO, I bought 5# bags of flour that I will stack as I lose. Here you see that there are 6 bags and the notation of +3 means that I'm down a total of 33 pounds! Next summer when I meet my first goal, I'll donate the flour to the food bank or the local community kitchen. The interesting thing in this little endeavor was how amazing it was to realize how MUCH weight that is. I carried 6 bags of flour in 3 grocery sacks and was SHOCKED at how it felt. I held them and stood on the scale...and there it was. Almost back up to my start weight! Scared the crap out of me and brought tears to my eyes. Then I sat them down...the relief I felt was amazing. How much pain my poor body endured by carrying so much extra. I forgive myself.

Here's another visual concept that I borrowed from Miss Tara's blog (you should definitely read her blog www.263andcounting.com .

I was wearing the size 26 pair last Winter and they were miserably tight. There's no way they'd stay up now without a really tight belt of a lovely pair of suspenders. I'm now comfortably in a size 22 which feels great.

AND, now for the official scale photo...

Those of you who have known me for any length of time, know that I've battled my weight for many years. As I move forward in my weightloss journey, I'm trying to be very mindful of my progress while looking back to previous efforts that have failed.

One trend that I became aware of about a year ago is that once someone acknowledges my weight loss, IT STOPS. As soon as someone says "wow, you're losing weight!" or "have lost weight?" or "Hey, you're looking good...what are you doing to lose weight?" I STOPPED. What was it about those compliments that made me change direction...rather than continuing on to more weightloss, I'd reverse directions and pile it all back on and then some!

As I started this journey back in April, that issue was front and center in my thinking. The visible changes weren't evident until recently and I've been challenged with the "compliments" that have derailed my progress in the past. For about a month or so, people close to me have said they've noticed a difference. They've been hesitant to mention it because they're afraid I'll revert back. I will not.

Yesterday was a real challenge for me because I went to an event where I saw people I hadn't seen in a while. Some of them have been following my blog posts while others had no idea of the changes I've been making. I was barraged with the compliments and at first it was so exciting and then it hit me. FEAR. Fear that this might be the time that the compliments send be tumbling backwards.

SO, by posting this fear...I hope to diminish it's power. I remain commited to my weightloss journey. I'm grateful for the friends and family that continue to support my effort and please know that I will not allow the compliments to send me in the wrong direction. Keep them coming....they will NOT have a negative impact on my progress!

What makes this time different?

The following post is something that Miss Tara shared with me...it's made an impact on me and I read it every single day....every day!!!!

What makes this time different....

You.
You decide.
You walk.
You count.
You struggle.
You try.
You fail.
You cry.
You fight.
You get up.
You succeed.
You keep going.
You don't stop.
You BELIEVE
You ACHIEVE.
YOU WIN.

Remind yourself that YOU are what makes this time different. Keep up the hard work and in the end YOU are the beneficiary of all the effort, blood, sweat, tears....MUCH love to those of you supporting me through this journey as I make this time different for myself!

Week 6 Weigh In

This weekend I had the opportunity to walk a 5K with a couple of friends who were doing their first ever 5K. The walk was beautiful and the company was great. I'm so proud of Janelle and Heidi and they inspire me to keep moving. I definitely plan to go back and try to run the route but the incline was crazy steep!

So, down to the weigh in....Ta Da! I'm down 4.2 pounds this week. I think in part due to the fact that my trainer called me on the itty bitty losses that I was having. Unless I MOVE more than 2 or three days a week, I won't see the kind of results I'm able to accomplish with effort and determination.