6 or so Months ago ...

KarenBorter

... I decided to go through my closet and drawers. I needed to make room for stuff that I had bought and it just had no where to go. I pulled out ALL my jeans and put all my Size 10's in the donate pile thinking to myself "you will never fit in these again". It was okay, I was left with a bunch of Size 12 jeans and they fit me comfortably. Not too tight, not too loose ... Just right (as baby bear would have said).

Fast forward to September 1, 2010. just a mere 2 months ago. My size 12's are too tight I am quite literally busting out of them. I see a picture of myself from a club (taken by a professional photographer no less) and I thought "Holy Cow" (literally) what the hell happened to me, when did I get this BIG ... HOW did I get this big?! I was super upset. That night I went to the gym and I weighed myself. Now, I know KNOW you shouldn't weigh at night and in clothing but I did. The scaled tipped at over 180lbs. Well I JUMPED off that scale so fast! I mean I couldn't let the cute personal trainer who had been hitting on me see that I was just TWENTY POUNDS SHY OF TWO HUNDRED POUNDS ... Whoa ... like really. It took everything I had to keep it together and not let on about the PANIC I was feeling inside. How would I EVER lose this weight. I mean, the 20lbs I have been complaining about "needing to drop" had now turned in to 40lbs ... I have another strike against me ... I am in my late 40's. Women in their late 40's don't drop weight, they just keep getting heavier. I went home after the gym, cried, drank a 1/2 bottle of white wine and a few shots of vodka. I signed up for My Fitness Pal ... and logged that as "dinner" ... Just to make SURE I was really that weight, I weighed myself the following morning on the scale my boss has here at the office ... yeah, it was the same.

From that day on I have been here ... planning my meals and diligently trying to be good and have a balanced diet. I exercise 6 days a week and I drink plenty of water. I quit drinking alcohol copiously and have only had 4 beers in the past 2 months. I am now 1 lb away from that "need to drop 20lbs" which will be my 1/2 way mark. My size 12 jeans need a belt and the belt that I do have needs a new notch. I went in to Old Navy today and tried on a Size 10 of the same style I am wearing today. You know what? THEY FIT! I then, for shiz and gigles, got a pair of Size 8's ... THEY ZIPPED UP ... Okay I had a muffin top but DO YOU REALIZE HOW LONG IT'S BEEN since I have worn a size 8 jean?! I think MTV still played music videos!

Okay ... so I didn't buy the 10's. I couldn't find a new belt so I will have to have a friend leather punch for me BUT I realize that there is a slight possibility that when I get to my goal weight I may be wearing SIZE 6'S ... this is insane to me.

I guess I shouldn't have donated all those 10's ...

therobinator

You arer doing great - keep it up!

Gogo76

WOW!!! Congrats on your success! :flowerforyou:

vaavamom1

loved reading your post. truly inspiring .... i am on the lookout to lose 20 lbs too.

RaeN81

Karen,

Reading this made me think of my own penchant for clearing out my closet on a regular basis! I work for an organization that provides food and clothing for the poor and I can never justify keeping clothes around that I haven't worn in the last year. I actually got rid of my jeans from when I was a newlywed just before I started losing (I had held onto them for so long for sentimental reasons) and I felt a tinge of regret, because I think I could fit them now!

It boggles my mind that I can actually get a size 7 pants on my behind now (fitted for sure!), so much so that I couldn't bring myself to buy them LOL

Clothes shopping will be a blast when you get to goal! At the rate you've been blasting through the pounds, it won't be long!

Blessings,
Rae

mia66

I enjoyed your story. I too am working on my muffin top and it is going down with eating healthy and exercising. I never thought I would be able to get rid of it, but it just takes time and that I have.
I have lost almost 50 pounds since January this year and looking forward to some nice abs for the Summer comming up. Best of luck to you on your journey. Keep looking forward.
Mia:bigsmile:

skinnyack

I really admire you- I love reading your posts- Congrats on your 20 and here's to 20 more!

TashaS

Amazing isn't it! I donated all my "small" clothes a long time ago... then just last month I finally got rid of all my "big" clothes because I am NOT ever going to be that size again. Right now I'm stuck in the "in between phase" with not a lot to wear - guess it's a good thing I don't have to go back to work until April (on Maternity Leave) I can post-pone the clothes shopping for a little while longer and hopefully be a few sizes smaller when it's time.

Great work!!!

TK266

... Okay I had a muffin top but DO YOU REALIZE HOW LONG IT'S BEEN since I have worn a size 8 jean?! I think MTV still played music videos!

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

nice line and great job. I always enjoy reading about your successes.

PS. I am jazzed due to my first pair of 34" pants in about 12 years.

ChellieIrish

Girlie you KNOW I am a big fan of your journey :drinker: You have been ROCKIN! this new lifestyle like a total pro :bigsmile:

I've also just realized after a quick conversion lol UK/IRE v US sizes :laugh: our starting point and finishing goal is very similar

I'm so glad that I joined this site it really SAVED me lol ... I have never felt so good and I still have a bit to go but now I KNOW we can all get there :drinker: The support received here by you and others is PRICELESS I honestly think even when I get to goal I won't want to leave it will then be time to Pay It Forward and share our experiences with others

Keep up the FANTASTIC work :bigsmile: what you are doing it IS working!! Won't be long till you reach YOUR goal

sofaking6

Congrats! Awesome post...I just turned 40 and just really want to fit int my size 10's again, too. I would be happy with a muffin top if it took a size 8 to make it lol!! Great work

ginnyroxx

That's awesome! I had that "holy crap" moment last week - and like you, my 20 lbs to go turned into 40 pounds
but your story is inspiring!
Congratulations on the payoff of your hard work!!

KarenBorter

I plan on Paying It Forward by getting certified as a personal trainer and nutritionist. This site has opened my eyes and honestly, as Chellie said, this site saved my life. I posted a blog a while back called Friday Night Confessions ala Karen. It really told of my struggle with depression and alcohol and the downward spiral I was falling in to. I have a renewed confidence and I want to make sure that I can help someone else with their confidence. I plan on doing personal training as a side line and making sure anyone I take on uses this site. I also plan on making personal training affordable to people who can't afford a bunch of money. Since I won't have a gym to work in I am going to have to initially buy some weights and maybe only take on 2 or 3 people at a time and do rotation circuits.

I have had personal trainers for YEARS and prior to my mom's by pass surgery about 15 years ago now? I was at 16% body fat. I was RIPPED ... I was also 15 years younger LOL. It's a lot harder to get back in shape now, but I digress. I had a personal trainer for years. The same one actually for the past few. He would tell me to write down what I ate ... so I did but had no knowledge of calories or nutrients in the foods I was eating. Had he known about this site, my result with him would have been much better. I really feel that I wasted a lot of money on him. In April I could no longer afford a personal trainer and I think that's when self sabotage started to really take place. I felt that without him I would just gain weight, and I did. The problem with that is WITH him I didn't LOSE weight either. I stayed the same.

I have been doing this, seriously, for 2 months. I have lost more weight in 2 months BY MYSELF with SELF MOTIVATION then by working out with him in excess of FIVE YEARS ... YEARS! Okay, to be honest the self motivation is really my vanity, but what ever get's y'all going.

To those of you on my profile ... those custom clothes pictures may be coming sooner then I thought. I am going to try some of that stuff on tonight after working out ... I have a test piece of clothing to put on.

mcjabber

This is great, Karen--glad I can read about your success!

mykaar74

great job, and great blog. I'm proud of your, and I'm looking forward to seeing you continue on your journey for a successful healthier life lifestyle

vkpmusic

Okay I had a muffin top but DO YOU REALIZE HOW LONG IT'S BEEN since I have worn a size 8 jean?! I think MTV still played music videos!

...

BWWWWAAAAHA HA HA HA ! :laugh: And yet a very definitive time line! Ok, Catching up on posts and then getting my butt off the couch b/c tired or not...it's been 10 yrs since I wore an 8 and I'm still nowhere close.

nehptune

ha ha ha! i have just been kicking myself for donating my old low rise skinny g-stars that i used to fit into 3 years ago... i'm not there yet, but give me a couple of months and i'm SURE i will be!!!

oh well, i guess on the the up side we get to buy some sweet new outfits