It's a slog, but patience pays off

I keep seeing more and more posts about spot reducing and "how exactly do I get _(insert very specific goal here)_ FAST?" lately and I wanted to share this.

Saturday I bought three pairs of size ten dress pants. Last year at this time I was in size 16s. Today I am wearing a shirt I had custom tailored in Thailand 4 years ago that I haven't been able to wear for the past three years fear of busting buttons.

I've only had a net loss of around 20-25 pounds. I'm pretty much at my original goal weight, so I lowered it to go from "I'm happy with this" to "Now let's see if I can be a rock star". If I don't get to "rock star" status, I will still be happy because holy crap I am IN THIS SHIRT!

What I really want to say is this:

Keep on trucking toward your goal, but try to forget the particulars of your goal for a while.

I was the most upset with myself while I had a scale. I felt like crying when I tried to put on that shirt every month and it wouldn't go. Once I found the fun in my exercise, I wanted to do it every day. Once I started cooking delicious lean meals, I didn't feel the need to pre-calculate everything into my diary and I enjoyed them more. I just logged them in the evening, and if I was over by a bit once in a while, I let it be okay. I probably needed that beer more than I needed the fraction of an ounce I could have lost a week earlier.

And while I wasn't looking, something amazing happened. The belly fat roll is minimal, the muffin top is gone--even in the brand new size 10 pants that i still feel almost inappropriate wearing. I can't wait for skirt weather. I am starting to really "get" the form for a roundhouse kick. I can almost taste the first pull up.

The best part, I'm more proud of my near-pull up than the number in the waistband of these pants.