I'm smaller than you?

Today I wore a pair of too-big slacks to work because I desperately need to do laundry and really didn't have a lot of options. They kept sliding down my hips and my manager noticed and was joking about it. And at the end of the day she told me she had a couple pairs of pants that were a little too snug for her that I could have if I wanted/needed them. I was kinna like, "Yeah, right" because there is no way I am smaller than her.

I asked her what size they are and she told me that they are 12s, but she's currently wearing 14s. Her 12s should definitely fit me because my comfortable pants are 11s and 12s. I really can't believe I'm smaller than her. She's maybe a teensy bit chubby but well within a range I would consider normal. Is that what I look like to people? Basically normal....instead of ridiculously fat? I'm a bit flabbergasted by the concept.

The difference blows my mind

A friend recently (finally!) posted some pics from our Girls Night Out back in May. I did a side-by-side collage with one of those photos and one from my brother's wedding two years ago. Absolutely freakin' crazy.

And since that photo was taken in May, I've lost 15 more pounds. The changes continue to astound. This is SO WORTH IT.

T4CR: Speed Work

Training for the Color Run (T4CR) following this program.

Wednesday was rest OR cross train. Since I worked both jobs, I took a rest day.
I switched Thursday/Saturday, so on Thursday I did a 2 mile run.
Friday was another rest day.

And today was SPEED WORK.
1 mile warm-up
hard 1/2 mile
easy 1/2 mile
hard 1/2 mile
1 mile cool down.
I was pretty skeptical about this. I have two speeds - slow and even slower. Or so I thought.

I jammed it the first hard 1/2. It was NOT easy. I thought I was gonna die. I was definitely on the edge of my comfort zone. It was very very very very very hard to keep running when I switched to the easy 1/2. I was so ready to walk. And the final hard 1/2 was......ugly. My pace really wasn't much faster than the easy 1/2 and I got a side stitch for the first time ever.

I basically thought the run sucked. Until I uploaded my run to Nike+, logged into the my account, and saw THIS:

Holy crap, Batman!!!!!  That's like, crazy!!!!  

Good news!

I lost 3.2 pounds this week! That is far and away the most I've lost in one week thus far. I can't believe I only have about 12 pounds to go to my goal of losing 50 pounds. Woa.

New hairstyle plus losing weight equals the awesomeness of people not recognizing you. Many people at work said they had to do a double take to even realize it was me. Two co-workers told me that people from other departments asked them who the "new girl" was. I ran into someone from high school and she gasped, "You look so different! You've lost a lot of weight! And you look so young!" And a regular customer looked puzzled when I remembered his usual order. I told him that of course I knew what he wanted because he always gets the same thing. He continued to look puzzled for a moment, and then his eyes widened and he said, "Oh, wow. I didn't even know who you were."

AND....after two years as working as a temp at Job 1, I'm getting hired in on June 1. It will still only be part time so I'll have to keep Job 2, but hooray for job security! Plus, I'm getting a $2/hr raise. Woohoo.

I am a very happy girl right now!

Pleasantly P!ink

P!nk - Try

1. She looks smokin' in the video. Who doesn't dream about looking like that and being able to move like that?
2. This is a fab song for running
3. I love the lyrics. I know that on the surface it's basically a love song, but to me it's something deeper - fighting for what we desire, moving forward despite obstacles, and believing that's it all so so so worth it.

Ever worry that it might be ruined 
And does it make you wanna cry? 
When you're out there doing what you're doing 
Are you just getting by? 
Tell me are you just getting by, by, by 
Where there is desire 
There is gonna be a flame 
Where there is a flame 
Someone's bound to get burned 
But just because it burns 
Doesn't mean you're gonna die 
You've gotta get up and try, and try, and try

Size....what?!?!

This week there are several days when the weather forecast shows the temps will be in the high 70s. Hooray! I LOVE summer! I LOVE warm weather! But...we don't have air conditioning at work. The heat doesn't bother me but it definitely requires the appropriate wardrobe. 

A few weeks ago I picked up a few pairs of shorts at the thrift shop that I hoped would fit by mid-May, which is when I expected the weather to change. Obviously, summer is arriving a bit earlier than I had planned. I decided to try on those shorts today just in case I might be able to wear them this week. 

Oh, they fit! Guess what size they are?

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I am now the very happy wearer of SIZE 12! That's freakin' off the awesomeness chart. The pair of mens size 36 shorts fits as well. One good thing about being man-shaped (no hips, no butt) is that mens clothing fits me too.  (Weirdly, my size 13 jeans don't fit yet. Isn't 13 bigger than 12? Math fail.)

So, yeah. Lovin' the sunshine and rockin' the SIZE 12s!

 

Not a great week

Happy Easter

Just remember...

And don't forget that Easter is about much more than Cadbury eggs.

Today: The bad & the good

The bad: I'm trying to kick my diet soda habit so I don't keep it in the house. Occasionally, like once a week, I'll allow myself to buy one at the drive-thru or a convenience store. Considering the cost is about the same for a 22 ounce fountain drink as it is for a 12-pack, I'm really not tempted to indulge terribly often. Today, while out running errands, I stopped at Burger King for a Diet Coke. Just a Diet Coke. But then...I saw it. A new menu item. Loaded Tator Tots. OMG. I just couldn't NOT order them. So, epic fail on the impulse eating. 380 calories and 36 grams of carbs. And do not ask me about the sodium. Also *oh joy* they have a wheat allergen warning. My tummy doesn't seem to be reacting to the wheat but one impulsive choice just blew 3 months of wheat free eating. Drat.
The good: It was sunshiney! It was 50+ degrees! I went for a run! It was grand!

The bad: My sil made me a gluten free Cadbury cupcake. (It's like a Cadbury egg but in cake form.) I ate it.
The good: My sil took some progress photos of me. Wearing the fab Aéropostale jeans I just bought recently. The pics look great in the little view thingy on the camera. Hopefully she'll be able to figure out how to load them onto her computer so I can share them.

The bad: I look fat and frumpy in the only outfit I could pull together to wear for Easter Sunday.
The good: My manager at Job #2 commented on my weight loss today when I went in for my schedule.

The bad: I watched 3 episodes of FlashForward instead of working on my to-do list. (Read: the health department is about to condemn my apartment if I don't get off my ass.)
The good: I packed up 3 boxes of too-big clothing to donate to the thrift store!

What fat looks like

Ten percent

I've lost ten percent of my weight - 22.5 pounds! This is supposedly a big deal from a health perspective so...yay!

Fear of Onederland

No...not Wonderland (although the Red Queen does freak me out). ONEderland. That magical place in weight loss where the scale finally reads 199.

When I lost weight in 2006, I got to somewhere in the 190s. I don't remember an exact number because I wasn't weighing regularly, but I do remember a day when I stepped on the scale and it said 19(something) and I thought, "Holy crap, where'd the 2 go?"

And then I hit a wall.

I'd been buying clothes every few weeks because I was changing sizes so quickly, but all of a sudden that stopped. I wore the same clothes for months. I dropped calories. I increased exercise. Nothing happened. Frustration abounded.

Then some crazy life changes happened that would have required me to make some major adjustments in order to stick with the diet/exercise routine I'd been following. And it just was not worth it. So I gave up. And I over the next four years, I gained 42 pounds.

Onederland is looming on the horizon. I'm about six pounds away. I'll be there in just a few weeks. And I'm terrified that wall is there, lurking, waiting for me.

My strategy is to try to slip right by the wall. Maybe it won't notice me if I can just tiptoe on over to 189.

As soon as I hit 199, I'm putting away the scale and running away for a month-long romance with Jillian.

If anybody can help me demolish that wall, it's Jillian. She's fierceness. Maybe I won't magically skip right through the 190s in 30 days. But at least it will be a month of not living in a constant state of Onderland anxiety and wigging out every single morning when I step on the scale.

BANISH FEAR. 

Focus on change

Oh. The Feels.

I Touch Myself (The Divinyls)

No, this post isn't as raunchy as this song. *wink* But it is what popped into my head when I was thinking about what I'm sharing here.

I've kinna been battling this "Is anything changing?" doubt. The numbers on the scale and the measuring tape are decreasing. The size labels in the clothes are smaller. But when I look in the mirror I just cannot see it.

This morning after my shower I was lathering myself with body oil. (Burt's Bees. So luxurious. So yummy smelling. So good for my dry winter skin. *end commercial*) And as I did so, I discovered something. My hands know that my body feels different. Like, quite a lot different. I'll spare you the details but....definitely less fat and more bone & muscle. It was pretty freakin' awesome!

So, if you're struggling with some doubts about your weight loss, I encourage you to touch yourself (and maybe sing this song. Loudly.) Oh. The Feels!

These clothes are so tiny!

I saved a tote of clothing that I was able to wear when I lost weight a few years ago. For fun, I went through that tote this afternoon. Those clothes look so tiny! But you know what? Most of the jeans and slacks are size 12 or 13....and I'm currently wearing a 14 or 15. I'm really only one size away from wearing those "tiny clothes"! That kind of boggles my mind! 

Also in that tote was some clothing in even smaller sizes that I had hoped to be able to wear. I never got there but instead went in the opposite direction and gained weight. This time I'm determined to continue to lose weight and get into those things I've never even worn. 

If wild animals were obese...

Just a little video to make you chuckle.

One-third of goal!

I weighed in this morning at about 209 which puts my loss at 16 pounds. That's one-third of my goal - a loss of 50 pounds. So I just have to do the same thing two more times. :)

Diet Rule: Baby Steps

Why are you overweight? A combination of bad habits and emotional issues. And none of that is going to magically change overnight. You have to deal with it one baby step at a time.


"Baby steps: it means setting small reasonable goals for yourself, one day at a time, one tiny step at a time."

Hard work not wishes

I love this video in which wishes are granted with just a snap of the genie's fingers. All wishes, that is, except one - the man who wants to lose his "spare tire." He has to work for it. You can't wish your way to health and fitness. No, it's all about hard work...and dedication...and perseverance.