Out with the Fat Clothes

Ok...so I have been thinking this week how I want to proceed. What "tone" or "focus" do I want to have. I noticed as I read through all my posts that I definitely went through seasons. There was the randomness at the beginning, the job hunt season, and the mini training/weight loss era with a few spiritual applications thrown in along the way. I really don't think I want every post to be about the same thing like I did over the past few years with the mini training, so I'm going to return to randomness I think and try to write about it all. Sound good?

With that said...today is going to be an update on my weight loss with the promise that it won't be that way every time. However, I'm too excited today not to share! During the summer, I was pretty much "off" any kind of healthy eating plan. Not sure what gets into me, but I was living it up. As I got ready to head back to school, I was at an all time high weight and super discouraged. I didn't really have a plan in mind except to try and get things back under control. So, I just started cutting back and trying to make some better choices. Through August and Sept. I dropped about 6lbs. Then during the first weekend of October, I spent a weekend at my sister's. We started talking about weight loss as she was wanting to drop her baby weight and a plan was hatched. We intially set it up at a competition with the promise of rewards, but both of us are winning, so the reward has just been the feeling of accomplishment. October and half of November were VERY successful. Then, we headed into the holidays and things came to a halt. Andrea and I discussed it and decided that we would make out goal simply to not put any weight on through the holidays. If we could make it to Jan. 1 without gaining, we would be happy. Well, both of us managed to do that with a little accountability help from each other. So, this week, I hit the ground running and it has been a good week! As of this morning, I am down 35/29 lbs!!! The 35 is since school started, the 29 is from the Oct. date.

This is my largest weight loss in 20 years. I have been trying to lose weight since college. But have never lost more than 30lbs. and that was 17 years ago when I lost 30 lbs for Andrea's high school graduation. In Feb. of her Senior year, we had done a "sisters" act in matching costumes at a valentine banquet which had a HUGE affect on me. Try standing beside your high-school skinny sister in matching clothes...not good! When I left for college, we were basically the same size...she got super skinny during high school and I started gaining in college. I decided then that I would be skinny for her graduation. I lost 30 lbs., went to her graduation party, ate, and that was that. I was off the diet and continued to climb from there. I've been fighting it ever since and have never lost more than 20 lbs. at a time. If you put it all together, I've probably lost hundreds!!

So, I have not talked about it much. I feel like putting it out there for the world is sometimes what derails me. I won't post about it a lot, but I was excited to see a loss this morning, and had to share. I think the most exciting thing, is that I don't feel in danger of stopping. I am feeling good, enjoying the struggle of finding things to wear because I've dropped 2 sizes, and am saving for a tropical vacation when I hit my goal. I'm not just talking Florida tropics, I'm talking Hawaii or something equally as awesome when I get to goal. I won't go till I can feel good about being in a bathring suit. I've renewed my committment to exercise and am hoping to get back the determination I had when I was working out at the Wellness Center. I'm also avoiding following a "diet". I am simply watching calories and learning how to eat healthy. This will have to be a lifetime thing, so a fad diet isn't going to work in the long run.

So with all that said...I think I'll go do a little closet purging! Out with the fat clothes!