295 Days down!

ctinaditty · June 2012

Today marks 295 days since the beginning of my weight loss journey. I don’t consider this journey just to be about weight loss though. I think for awhile I was lost. I wasn’t being myself. I was afraid to wear shorts in public as well as tank tops. I would suffer through hot and humid Missouri summers (not to mention Florida vacations) in jeans and t-shirts because I couldn’t bare to show my legs or arms for fear of embarrassment. The thing that was most embarrassing for me is that I used to be this fit, physically active person! That’s how I was known by people. The fact that I had let myself get up over 250 pounds was ridiculous. I made excuses for awhile that my surgery and injuries were to blame. And while they were a contributing factor, the main contributor was laziness. I just stopped being active and working out. I ate whatever I wanted and didn’t seem to care about the impact it was having on my body.

Well, finally, as I have stated before, I went and tried on wedding dresses for my wedding that was about a 11 months away. When I was trying on these dresses I didn’t feel like a bride should. I felt frumpy. Finally (and I say finally after two dresses) I tried on my third dress and it looked beautiful. I could have walked down the aisle that day and felt beautiful. But, something hit me in that moment and caused me to kick it into gear. That’s the night I was introduced to MyFitnessPal, an application that I have logged into every single day of my journey. I log my food and exercise and it keeps me on track. My starting weight was 252.6 pounds. I am currently sitting at 196.2 pounds, a 56.4 pounds weight loss. I have surpassed two goals of mine since starting this journey. I passed the 50 pound mark and I got down under 200 pounds. Now, I in no way, look as if I weigh 196.2 pounds, but that’s how my family is built. We are extremely strong and have a lot of muscle weight. Even when I was in high school and extremely fit I weighed between 160 and 175 pounds.

Another huge goal that I have surpassed is that I am wearing shorts and tanks in public almost daily. My honeymoon is 48 days and it is in Disney World! I cannot wait to go there and be comfortable in appropriate clothing for hot weather! Speaking of clothing, when I started my journey 295 days ago, I was in XL or 1X shirts as well as size 22 pants. Just last week I purchased a new pair of jeans in size 12 and I am wearing size Medium shirts! Those are normal sizes! I just can’t believe it! That is 10 pant sizes down!! That is huge! My fiance just took a picture of me yesterday in my size 22 pants to see how big they looked. We were cleaning out my bedroom to move the rest of it to our new house and we came across those and thought, “What the heck?” It was kind of a surreal moment to see how much weight and inches I had lost.

I have come to the conclusion that if I were to lose 60 pounds before my wedding I would be ecstatic. Never did I think, 295 days ago, that I would have been almost 60 pounds lighter and 10 pant sizes down. I also didn’t think I’d be back into my high school t-shirts, as well as shirts bought back in 1999. I have come to learn that the scale isn’t my enemy. It is my friend. Before, I had mentioned how much I hated the scale. Well, as frustrating as it can be sometimes (for example when you have a perfect week and you gain weight… WHAT?!) it helps me realize what’s working and what’s not. I know that gaining muscle can make me gain weight and I understand that. But, with that extra muscle more fat will be lost and it will even itself out in time. I’m happy to say that if I were to leave on my honeymoon tomorrow I would be happy with my progress and feel 100% comfortable walking around the hot streets of Disney World in shorts and a tank top. Heck, I even wore a bikini on my beach trip the second week of May! I haven’t been this comfortable and confident in at least three years and that is something worth mentioning.
My fiancé is starting to work out with me now, 46 days before our wedding. I think that is so amazing that he is motivated by my hard work. He has been so encouraging, even surprising me by buying the healthy style whole wheat pasta without me asking him to the other day. Our lifestyles are becoming healthier and I’m glad that’s rubbing off on him as well. Most people look at healthy lifestyles and think they must be boring and lackluster. Little do they know, that lifestyle adds so much to every single day.

If I can give nothing else to anyone who reads this, I would give them this piece of advice. Find someone who motivates you. Believe in yourself. Realize that this battle is won one day at a time. Find small term goals and reward yourself! Understand that bad days are good for you, even if that doesn’t seem possible. Relax and have fun. The hard work will become enjoyable and you will miss it if you don’t get it done that day. For example, I am sitting at work right now wishing so hard I could be out on a run right at this very moment! Stay strong and realize that you’ve already completed the hardest step: deciding to create a healthy lifestyle.

Wishing you health and a kickass life,

CtinaDitty