A good friend’s husband noticed I had lost a few pounds—“From the back you and (wife) are twins!” A definite compliment, since she’s super strong and about 10lbs lighter than I! He said he knew how much work it takes “small girls like you and (wife)” to lose, so he wanted me to know it was paying off (all 3 of us talk lifting/fitness all the time, so not as weird as it would be with some random friend’s husband). Made my night!
I'm only 4 days in, but I'm feeling good about the process. I'm starting to re-find the "this is a life change, not a diet" glasses rather than "if I diet really hard, I can lose lots of weight fast" glasses. The right glasses make all the difference as each hurdle is reached.
Yesterday a friend and I hit the outlets for winter gear shopping. The friend I was shopping with is tall and slim; I'm short but getting there, as far as slimness goes (near top of normal BMI). Although I know intellectually that I've gotten down into small sizes too, I still don't always remember it emotionally or at the more subconscious levels. Plus it's harder to see our own body size and shape objectively in the mirror than when we assess the size and shape of others.
So as far as the NSV goes, you know how girls will sometimes hand off clothes to each other, if not while shopping then when standing in front of each other's closets getting ready for a night out or whatever (probably guys do this too, now I think of it)? I'd spent decades making excuses in those situations so that I didn't have to attempt to squeeze into whatever my invariably slimmer friend was offering up and create that awkward moment when it didn't fit. I knew that I was one of those who was instinctively reaching to the back of the rack for the largest sizes each time I shopped, and even then having to just pray said largest size would fit. Yesterday not only did she and I get into all the same sizes and those things looked and felt good on me, but sometimes I was the one instigating the switch, like taking it upon myself to try on a (no-elastic) vest that she'd asked me to hold while she went to see about another item.
It was awesome.
Oh man, I know that woe -- of being the one that no one can switch with or being in the "different" section while your friends are shopping in the pretty cute section. When I dubiously held up an XXL top and hope it's the same "kind" of XXL as in the plus-size shoppe I normally shopped at.
I just tried on some 29" pants and bought a pair of 30" pants that I rock. Amazing. Don't pinch me; if this is a dream I want to sleep a bit longer...
That's pretty much how I felt when I got into 36" slim-fit jeans back in July. A year ago, I was in 44" jeans. Now the 36" will slide off me without a belt. 😀
Yesterday a friend and I hit the outlets for winter gear shopping. The friend I was shopping with is tall and slim; I'm short but getting there, as far as slimness goes (near top of normal BMI). Although I know intellectually that I've gotten down into small sizes too, I still don't always remember it emotionally or at the more subconscious levels. Plus it's harder to see our own body size and shape objectively in the mirror than when we assess the size and shape of others.
So as far as the NSV goes, you know how girls will sometimes hand off clothes to each other, if not while shopping then when standing in front of each other's closets getting ready for a night out or whatever (probably guys do this too, now I think of it)? I'd spent decades making excuses in those situations so that I didn't have to attempt to squeeze into whatever my invariably slimmer friend was offering up and create that awkward moment when it didn't fit. I knew that I was one of those who was instinctively reaching to the back of the rack for the largest sizes each time I shopped, and even then having to just pray said largest size would fit. Yesterday not only did she and I get into all the same sizes and those things looked and felt good on me, but sometimes I was the one instigating the switch, like taking it upon myself to try on a (no-elastic) vest that she'd asked me to hold while she went to see about another item.
It was awesome.
Oh man, I know that woe -- of being the one that no one can switch with or being in the "different" section while your friends are shopping in the pretty cute section. When I dubiously held up an XXL top and hope it's the same "kind" of XXL as in the plus-size shoppe I normally shopped at.
That is a GREAT NSV!! Congrats!
Thank you so much. And it's not just about the swapping clothes recreationally either, is it? Like there was the time when my friend's kids sprayed me with a garden hose and she tried to loan me some of her clothes while mine dried off, but ... 'Nono it's fine! It's hot out so it feels good to be wet' and 'Don't worry I won't soil your furniture while I wait for my clothes to dry. I was sitting all day at work so actually I prefer to stand ...'
To be sure, the NSV was not about being as slim as my friend just because we both got into a size 6. In fact I'm not, since with our height difference I'm proportionately 'girthier'. The victory was about being able to participate in those normalising moments of social exchange, and about not being afraid of my size anymore (yet simultaneously having a defiant chip on my shoulder about said fear because people are not supposed to be judging others by size, etc.).
I had a work dinner last night, didn’t have wine or any of the high calorie apps, AND stayed away from the extremelyyyyy delicious looking ice cream sandwiches. Normally I’m not a fan of those, but these were made in between two fresh, yummy chocolate chip cookies. And I remembered the post about it being a decision, not motivation, that tells you not to eat something like that when you know you shouldn’t. And I made the decision not to, and I was so happy after, and thinking about how frustrated with myself I would’ve been if I had eaten one. I’m still happy about my decision this morning, ha!
Yesterday was chilly and drizzly here, and for some reason I was craving doughnuts for breakfast (which is not normally a food I am very interested in, so it was unusual and something I was pretty sure was not going to go away without satisfying it). I bought a dozen hot fresh-glazed and brought them into work- yes, I was that person. One doughnut actually satisfied my craving, and was completely within reason for my calorie goal for the day. In the past I would have easily polished off three without a single thought. I can't say I couldn't still do that, but I did stop to think if I really needed to eat, or if I just wanted to eat. Held to one and went about my day, and everything was just fine.
This morning my alarm app failed and I overslept by about 20 minutes, leaving me less than an hour until I had to get to work. My first thought was, "I guess there's no workout for me this morning," but I talked myself into spending 15 minutes moving my body to music by walking in place, jumping jacks, and some dynamic stretches, and it felt good to overcome that obstacle.
I fit into the size 10 jeans that have been hanging out in the back of my closet. And both pairs I own fit - so it was awesome having a choice! And not just fit - a little room to spare. I've been weight lifting for 5 weeks and it's done more for me than years of cardio alone ever did. Love seeing the transformation my body is achieving and the increase in strength!
Not being woken up near as often by wife pushing my shoulder to make me turn to my side after falling asleep on my back (i.e. snoring is decreasing with the continued slow/steady weight loss)
For the first time was able to last for an entire 15 minutes on the stairmaster at 27 steps per minute.
my first day on that beast I needed a break after 2-1/2 minutes, but that's because I was set at 35 steps per minute which was pretty high for a first timer!
the second day, I dropped the SPM to 30 and lasted for ten minutes without needing a break in the middle.
before I started the third day of stairmastering, I thought long and hard about my objective for getting on this machine in the first place, and decided if it was going to be an effective tool then I have to train myself to use it properly. In my case, proper use is finding a heart-healthy pace that I can maintain for at least 15 minutes to start and up to 30 minutes as I gain strength and endurance.
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Oh man, I know that woe -- of being the one that no one can switch with or being in the "different" section while your friends are shopping in the pretty cute section. When I dubiously held up an XXL top and hope it's the same "kind" of XXL as in the plus-size shoppe I normally shopped at.
That is a GREAT NSV!! Congrats!
That's pretty much how I felt when I got into 36" slim-fit jeans back in July. A year ago, I was in 44" jeans. Now the 36" will slide off me without a belt. 😀
Thank you so much. And it's not just about the swapping clothes recreationally either, is it? Like there was the time when my friend's kids sprayed me with a garden hose and she tried to loan me some of her clothes while mine dried off, but ... 'Nono it's fine! It's hot out so it feels good to be wet' and 'Don't worry I won't soil your furniture while I wait for my clothes to dry. I was sitting all day at work so actually I prefer to stand ...'
To be sure, the NSV was not about being as slim as my friend just because we both got into a size 6. In fact I'm not, since with our height difference I'm proportionately 'girthier'. The victory was about being able to participate in those normalising moments of social exchange, and about not being afraid of my size anymore (yet simultaneously having a defiant chip on my shoulder about said fear because people are not supposed to be judging others by size, etc.).
Amen to that, becca! Learning to skip the daily beers has helped me a lot .
Amazing what weightlifting does to your body and mind right?! Great work :-)
my first day on that beast I needed a break after 2-1/2 minutes, but that's because I was set at 35 steps per minute which was pretty high for a first timer!
the second day, I dropped the SPM to 30 and lasted for ten minutes without needing a break in the middle.
before I started the third day of stairmastering, I thought long and hard about my objective for getting on this machine in the first place, and decided if it was going to be an effective tool then I have to train myself to use it properly. In my case, proper use is finding a heart-healthy pace that I can maintain for at least 15 minutes to start and up to 30 minutes as I gain strength and endurance.