50 pounds lost, first bikini, be proud of your tummy! (pics below post)

Eeep! Scary post! It’s been awhile since I’ve had a Transformation Tuesday of my own to share, mainly because the scale hasn’t been going down and I didn’t want to just post past progress. I recently went to Cancun and finally put on the first bikini I’ve ever worn in public (picture on the right). Though my confidence has grown since the picture on the left, it was still nerve-wracking and I felt embarrassed and self conscious after we left our room at the resort to head to the beach. I even thought about hopping back on the tram to go back to the room and put my tankini on to cover up my tummy. But as I stood there at the entrance to our section at the beach, I looked around at all of the other women there. Not because I wanted to compare myself to them, but because I know everyone’s story is different. I read an article the other day about "Every tummy has a story." There were some tummies around me that held babies in the past or even in the present; there were tummies that were a little “puffy” because there was so much delicious food at our resort; big tummies, little tummies, tummies in between. I thought about my tummy and how I’ve lost 50 pounds, as well as 8 inches in my waist and 8 inches in my hips. I have loved my body enough to get healthy, be active, and eat cleaner. So why wasn’t I embracing the changes my body has made and be PROUD of my tummy and baring it to the world? So I went out onto that beach, took off my cover-up, and waded into the Caribbean Sea with a smile on my face and a bounce in my step. I need to remember that feeling every time I’m down and out or not progressing further toward my goal as quickly as I’d like. I may not be at my goal weight, but I’ve sure come a long way and I need to love my body as much as I have loved this process. :-D

P.S. Yes I know it's Wednesday and I'm sharing a Transformation Tuesday, but I got a little busy last night haha