Wednesday Weigh-in and Brooding

Today's weight: 210.6
Difference: 0.6

-------
Sleep did not seem to help.  In general today is shaping into a day I would like to spend in bed.
It seems that both of my parents, not just my mother, feels its unrealistic to hope that with enough exercise and possible weight loss my arms will loos a couple of inches.  After their pronouncement last night that I returned with an acid, "Thanks.", my mother became exasperated and told my father this was what she was talking about. I told her this was different, and that shes been making disparaging comments for a couple of months now. She rolled her eyes and Dad said nothing. I don't know if he was doing that because he agrees with me or her. I do know that hearing them both doubt my ability to shape up and slim down even the tiniest felt like having my feet swept out from me and then having a kick in the gut for good measure. It especially feels like this because they have been more than happy to buy me sports bras, a yoga mat, a stability ball, so why they should be Negative Nancies in words is ... hurtful. It feels like my ever present cheer-leading squad felt the need to quit the team because they're sure their team is losing.
I realize that in 6 weeks I've made no actual progress in losing any weight, and my mind keeps niggling that they have a point, I must not be able to do this. But I also know that I should still keep trying. But after last night I just want to curl up in bed for a day.

Another reason I'm having a day of blues is wedding planning. As in more and more is being taken out of my hands and made into something I don't want, and when I say it's not what I want I get treated like I'm being unreasonable and irrational. Since this is an issue that goes back to my childhood [being treated like this] it's a huge trigger for me to feel helpless and like shit. I'm not being a bridezilla, in any way, because saying, and meaning I want small and simple is the truth. Where the wedding is being held it cannot be anything other than small, and I have never wanted fancy, outrageous, etc.

In other news, I don't know what to do for exercise today. My rear end and thighs are sore enough that trying to stand up or sit down  is problematic, so I don't know if my Element yoga would be pushing it [which I'm sure it would be], but taking a day off feels like cheating. Perhaps today would be a good day for 15 minute abs? Perhaps I will, with some yoga tonight once my glutes and quads have had some more rest. I mean I did go on a 30 minute walk this morning. But my goal has been that my walks in the morning with my mom being strictly extra curricular  to my exercise regime.  Perhaps it shall be a semi rest day, in which I will do my 15 minutes, do my Wednesday cleaning [the fiancee has weekly dinners with my parents and I], and get back on the horse rested tomorrow. *end ramble*

Small grumble: sometimes I detest counting calories. with my new deficit, I'm left feeling hungry at the end of the day no matter how smartly I ate.  fill up on fiber? done. Don't forget my protein? Hard to do so, yet at the end of the day, I'm still hungry. I wake up feeling hungry. I feel guitly for feeling hungry. I feel guitly looking at my livestrong when things go into the red because "Your Recommended Daily Allowance based on a 2,000 calorie diet scaled to your calorie goal. Set Custom Nutrient Goals " which you can set only if you're a paying member, which I wouldn't mind being except I can't afford it. So the general nutrient goals may not be practical for me at all, but the glaring red seems to say YOU Effed UP at me.  I wish it would be so easy to eat a little something in the manner of "Eat when you're hungry."

Oh and if you like spicy/peppers, Fresh and Easy has a poblano and jalapeno pepper beef patties that are pretty tasty and filling. Pair it with some veggies [I roasted a bell pepper but really anything that's fibrous and filling] and it makes a good meal.

Have a good one, everyone.

Oops

So funny thing. I got all excited about being on track and exercising, and decided that next month I would do Jillian Michael's 30-Day Shred for the month so I could: 1, find out if it would really shred some pounds off [that up to 20 pounds is so alluring, and I know, hard to do], and 2, maybe write a proper review having properly used it [finally, y'know, after having owned it for over a year, being the second workout DVD I ever bought]. So last week I sat down with my phone to schedule it out. There are three  levels, and I wanted to do each one equally, when  I noticed something on my calendar. I didn't have 30 days. In fact, I had 29. Crap. Well, I was going to have rest days, right? I could make that day my last rest day. 
So I happily type in my rest days and start of level days, and move on. This sounds like it ended well yes? 5 rest days, 8 days on each level..... Except. Except.
My family has been planning a little trip, you see. Our once-in-a-lifetime family trip to DisneyWorld. It's been a dream of my dad's for years for us all to go on a week long trip to DW, and after coming into a tiny bit of money, it was made possible.  So about 6 months ago, maybe more, we booked flights, hotels, etc. For February. Which has been that off-in-the-distance future event for a long time, and with the holiday rush I forgot we were going completely. A few days later my dad mentioned it's pending arrival and I asked for specific dates so I could write them down [for any potential employers]. Opened the calendar on my phone, and panicked when I saw how badly this screwed with the schedule.
After having determined that the room would have no DVD player, and deciding against bringing my own form of player, I have decided I shall bring a swimsuit and use the pool for some exercise, and do some poolside yoga. My parents were both shocked I felt the need to try to bring the DVD with me, saying we would be walking around all day. But amusement park walking is walking, standing/shuffling in line, sitting, walking, rinse, repeat. You may be active, but it's not going to be burning any major mondo calories. It hardly compensates for all the salt etc that's in the Park's food.
So, in the end, I will be shifting to after our return to start my 30 Day period, and just have to live with my groove being thrown off.

In other news, I received my new Bob Harper DVD, which I will be previewing tomorrow. I'm not sure how, or when, I will be adding it to my mix-up, but I will.
Yesterday I ended up doing level 2 of Jillian's Yoga Shred, and felt like I was sweating less, and therefore like I cheated on my workout. My thighs were definitely telling me about some of the moves this morning, however :)
I'm also excitedly awaiting some awesome yoga pants and comfy shirt from oldnavy.com, who have an excellent selection [not to mention priced] of athletic wear for plus sizes.
My biggest omigodcantwait is I finally decided to invest in a heart rate monitor. My mother feels they aren't all that useful, but she has never used one so I can't say she is an authority on this.


Speaking of, tomorrow, as part of my weigh in post, I shall post more in depth about how utterly defeated and  [mostly] alone I feel, and how my biggest opposition seem to be my parents, because after tonight I felt so fricking discouraged by their words I cried and felt like hiding away. I'm hoping sleep will give me some perspective on the whole thing. Right now I'm trying to be my own cheerleader. It's sort of working.

7 am comes all too soon!

Sigh

How is it so easy to feel you are eating correct portion sizes, only to find out you were way off?
For the first time in a long while, I decided to count calories while at my fiancees instead of eye-balling the food and making healthier choices. Somehow I thought with all the healthier choices I've been making that I wasn't doing so badly on the weekends. I was W-R-O-N-G. On a whim, on Saturday I decided to put in my calories for the previous evening's meal after all.  His mom had decided to cook, and made what she calls hot dog casserole, which is bow-tie pasta, cut up hot dogs, onions, diced tomatoes, corn, and black beans. Let me just state for the record I have found a new hatred for all pastas and grains for one simple reason: the measurements are all dry. They are dry with nothing on the package indicating what 1 serving dry equals cooked. I ended up spending 45 minutes trying to find out how much bow-ties cook up to, and realizing that between what was served to me [a portion equaling the hugeness of my fiancee's who definitely eats more than I do normally, while she had something much more proper.] and the seconds I had because I was still hungry, and at 200 calories a serving.... 1200 calories. For a meal that still left me feeling hungry.
I was horrified. And annoyed. She feels she is eating more healthfully, and while she is for her, she still isnt paying attention to things. She also professes a hate of calorie counters, that she forget to use them and she hates feeling obligated to write everything down. I hate them when I realize I've overeaten when I wasn't trying to and read the label yadda yadda...
So I think I may have found the culprit. 4 nights out of the week [even when I do a majority of the cooking], I'm being sabotaged and sabotaging myself. 
I know this sounds like the biggest duh, but I guess there were a few baby step back to the path of health I forgot I needed.
I do think, on a off-topic, that my mother may kill me if I buy anymore tea before finishing what we already have. But flavors!!!

Confused, Bewildered....

I'm confused about which to choose, because it could be what's hindering me from any progress.
Part of livestrong.com's function is to take your height, current weight, weight goals, and give you a daily calorie goal. When I reset things a little while ago because I was restarting my health journey, on the menu that asks your activity level, I put myself at light activity.  I will share their definitions of the first 2 levels and my current dilemma:

Sedentary

Select if you work in an office or at home and sit most of the day. Even if you exercise a few times a week, you should track that information on separately on MyPlate

Light Activity

Select if you are on your feet throughout the day, at home or at work.

Now, I'm unemployed, as is a great deal of America, and definitely my state [and while I would love to have a job even flipping burgers, I don't speak Spanish so I'm not eligible for about 85% of the fast food jobs around here] . And since I lost my car 3-4 months ago, I'm at home most of the time. Now, there are days I'm doing not much, on my butt, doing internet-y type things and getting my exercise in for the day. There are other days where I spend a good deal of the day on my feet, doing laundry, dishes, taking out trash, picking up the house,  doing yard work, and getting my exercise in. So, when I clicked, I clicked on light.  My reasoning was if 3 days during the week when I'm at home I'm active,  and -12 days at the fiancees I was pretty active [cooking, cleaning, social stuff] that gives me 4-5 days of being active, and at the time I was, but things at my house have shifted to where I can't be as active as I'd like. My father is in the middle of some personal cleaning and reorganization projects that have spilled everywhere in the house. But I digress. When I first  got my calorie goal results, I was surprised, and happy. 1400ish? That sounded awesome. I didn't want to be restricted to 1200 calories like I had when I was on the cholesterol diet, it made me nutsy and feel like a failure everytime I did things right [lots of fiber, good protiens, etc]  and I would still feel starving at the end of the day. I also though, seeing that

1400, that there was no way they had subtracted 1000 calories off of my BMR, since last I had checked it was 1900 something. I figured they took 500 off and expected you to try and burn 500 every day through exercise. It had been awhile since I played with all the formulas and forgot all about the x1.2/1.375 etc.
They are also the only website to put activity levels like this,  because the others base it on how often you exercise .
So I'm wondering if I should tell it I'm a slug and only eat 1100 recommended, or if I should try to spend more time finding things to do around the house?

--
ED: I've lowered it down to 1100. I will be cranky, I know, but house work only covers so much :|
Also, it's confusing, but the website has you eat the calories you burn. At first I found this confusing but since they've already taken out 7000 from your week for 2 lbs, which is the recommended safe loss, they seem to want you to not over do.
-------

So Jillian Michael's has a new workout out, what I believe to be a HIIT workout over at self.com, which I tried out yesterday. Boy howdy did I bust a sweat and fast. I also desperately wished I had a heart rate monitor, because wow was my heart pumping.  I think I need to hold off on doing that again for awhile, because I woke up to having very angry shoulders.

Have a good weekend everybody!

Yoga Series

For fun

Wednesday Weigh-In

Today's weight: 211.2

------
So I had a random thought pop into my head this morning as I ate my breakfast. In Miss Congeniality, when she is going through her intense, over-night 'beautification', at one point she goes to grab a sandwich from the food table and is stopped by her coach and handed a peice of celery. My first thought about this this morning was, wow, that's kind've wrong in showing that she needs to conform in all ways to American standards of feminine beauty by saying she must keep to a strict diet instead of eating like she's a real human.
But then I had a take two: she's staying up all night and if she's going to be snacking when she normally wouldn't be ingesting food, isn't her coach helping her by handing her something decidedly more healthful than a sandwich? A sandwich that has salt and bread to make her bloated and backed up when she needs to be able to perform her job?
This was followed by a take 3: But since she is staying up all night and wont be getting the zzz's she needs, shouldn't she eat the sandwich with protein to give her body the fuel it needs?
Now, I know really none of this matters, since really the point of the interaction [and just after it] was to show how awkward everything is for her and completely alien.  But sometimes I think this how over-analyzing movies and shows happen and making mountains out of mole-hills when it comes to certain issues.
I'm not saying media doesn't contribute to skewed body images and ideals, but my personal opinion is it falls under the same category of parents wanting others to raise their kids. Things I was brought up to believe are a parent's responsibility to teach a child/discipline a child about are now common ground for media/schools/etc to get sued over.
My parents did their damnedest to discredit any media source defining beauty. They called it on its bullshit. My body issues stem from knowing, not thinking, that I'm overweight, and having doctors tell me I need to lose weight. Admittedly, I also had peers letting me know I was overweight, and that didnt help, but I tried to ignore it.

On a slightly related note, I tend to like the roles of Sandra's I've seen because she has characters who show things like emotion overeating, or alcohol abuse, or anxiety, real people, real issues. Even in Miss Congeniality, she turns to food. 

Nabbed from pinterest.
5 weeks and no difference. I seem to be doing something wrong, hehe. My mom seems to have little faith  in my ability to loose weight. My shrug for the wedding showed up and I tried it on, and its tight in the arms, but I can still get my arms in all the way.  I feel, and my mother disagrees, that in 40 weeks of constant work I can get my arms down and inch and a half to fit correctly. She feels I'm being unrealistic because you can't know where weight will come off from, which I know is true, you can't predict where weight will come off.  She also feels I'm overeating an not aware of what I'm eating even though I've been tracking on my livestrong.com. She and I are walking in the mornings [see over at Runkeeper ] because she want to loose weight she's gained back, and seems positive this alone can help [it seems when she did this with my sister a few years back] with weight loss. So I've been feeling discouraged and confused. Maybe my can-do attitude I'm trying to maintain is making her feel I have unrealistic expectations? I know very well my body won't cooperate the way I want, since I've been at this [and off too] since May 09.  I remember working out at home, learning about nutrition and muddling through and after 10 long hard months had dropped 50 lbs, then my knees quitting on me, and after 6 months I  had gained back 15,  and once my knees stopped hating me as much,  getting to use a gym and being frustrated at the lack of progress with resuming exercise, then stopping the gym because of car troubles and eventual loss.... I think I understand what it is to lose or not.

I'm frustrated. I will keep trying.

Well this weekend is certainly about picking yourself up when you fall down [hard off the wagon] and just keep going. Drinking heavily is, as we know, not conducive to weight loss and overall health. I have a tendency to kinda just keep going when I imbibe, which is why for about a month I've been having the dear fiancee pour for me - and cut me off. I haven't been drinking or thinking too much about it since I asked him to do this for me. However, Friday night was a bit of an exception.
My fiancee is one of the many that needed to move back in with his mother because of living costs v employment rate and pay in our part of the US. This has led, naturally, to many awkward and frustrating times. This past Friday night was intended to be a bit of alone time for the two of us, something we do't get much of. And while sometimes our alone time consists of nothing more than talking without interference, this night was definitely going to be a night of private time. This was not to be, as the minute he got out of the shower his mother came home early, and she began to say something as he hurried to his bedroom and he responded he needed to get changed and would be out in a minute. We were both frustrated, and decided it wasn't completely lost.  When it turned out his mother was not trying to talk to us through the door, but in fact talking to his younger brother and wife, I was a little more than mortified. I was also stuck in the bedroom, since my clothes were still with the rest of my things.  The fiancee obliged me by fetching my overnight bag, but I could feel my face burning as I left the room to go be sociable. I do not blush often, but I knew I was now. To give myself a moment to compose myself, I headed into the kitchen to make myself a drink.
For me, it seems, I should not drink on  an empty stomach, because I will joyfully feed myself on alcohol rather than food. And I did just that until his mother asked me an hour and a half later what we had decided to do for dinner. She informed me there was nothing to cook in the kitchen, which was not a surprise as she buys each meal makings individually. She opted for pizza for the 6 of us, which I ate more of what was delivered then was healthy.
The next day I paid for it, with a sensitive stomach and frequent trips to the bathroom to contemplate my naval.
This was coupled with the fact that plans changed for our weekend enough to mess with my schedule of getting in exercise, and made me feel as though I had failed. But it is Monday, and time to keep pressing forward.

40 Weeks

Until I'm married. Yay!
Sometimes I wish losing weight really was no more than simple math.  Because if it were, I'd be at goal weight 2 weeks before my wedding. As is it, the [much] smaller goal I've set seems daunting and unattainable right now.

I have 69.5 lbs to lose to reach goal, so I need to burn 243250 = 38 weeks of hard work and always losing weight [of 2 lbs a week]

My goal of 30, because 30 seems attainable and only 10 more lbs than my lowest weight loss before I gained 20 back, is a total of  105000 calories = 15 weeks [@2lbs] [this is all just numbers in a perfect weight-loss world]

I have the feeling that 30 lbs is going to be more like 38 weeks. Now, since I already have my wedding dress, losing all of the weight I want to would not be the best idea since it can't be taken in that much.

I've gotten back into tea, which sounds like a phase but it's more I go through diet soda phases and return to tea and water. I have always loved tea and I'm drinking lots of green tea. Heck, I'm so excited that there are so many 'flavors' now.  I'm trying to eat more veggies [again] since I have a love of them, but a lack of car gets in the way of me grabbing more when we run out :(

Today I'm going to try out my new Yoga DVD Element Power Yoga which I'm very excited about. I have been rotating 2 dvds [and a book] for the last 3 weeks for my exercise, and it's good to feel my strength and endurance coming back. My other DVDs are Yoga for the Warrior and Yoga Meltdown, and the book is Slim Calm Sexy Yoga. Currently I've been shooting for doing the 15 minute ab workout on the days I do the Yoga meltdown, and a few sequences from the book, to total about 45-1:05 workout time spread over the day [the abs and book sequences at night and very relaxing and help me sleep well]. and on other days I shoot to do Yoga for the Warrior, which is an hour long. now I have the Element to add in variety and another hour long. There are some days where I only have time for  the 15 minute abs [which sounds lame, but 1, it's intense, and 2, at least I'm doing something to get my heart rate up], or only do the Yoga Meltdown without the abs and book in the evening. I've started tweeting my weight in the morning, which hasn't moved in the 3 weeks I've been working out 5 days a week. I'm also food diary-ing again over at livestrong.com again

I'm sure alot of you would like to argue and point out I'm not losing weight because yoga isn't for weight loss. This isn't true. There's various forms of yoga, some are more active and aerobic than others. Also Jillian? She does the yoga+aerobic movement [faster than most yoga classes] for those who don't have open schedules. I've used her yoga dvd's to lose weight before. Bob's too.  Because of my palpitations last[yikes] year I became hyper aware of my heart rate and everything I do in yoga raises it to the proper level, and you should see the sweat factor people.
I also found our recently when your muscles become more active and used they tend to retain more water than unused muscles.  Although, part of me has been hoping I'm replacing fat with muscle now that Im gaining some back....
Who knows :) I do know that I and going to keep going because I will always wonder if I don't try.
In February I'm going to start Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred and do it for 30 days, to mix things up. I'm hoping sometime later this year I will have lost enough weight to start running without the impact shredding my knees [my family and I suspect that playing ddr as heavy as I was on a hard surface instead of carpeting was what caused my knees problems]


Hope your new years are going well so far!

Long time, No Post

I thought I had posted more recently than I had, but it seems I haven't. I thought I'd share with you today something from an awesome blog I follow, and some of my thoughts on it.
I wrote this after losing almost 100 pounds. I couldn't believe the physical changes in my body and health!  Aside from the scale, I observed the following:

1. I used to have to hold my breath to bend over and tie my shoes. I even avoided shoes that had to be tied, for this reason. Now, I don't even think twice about bending over, and it certainly doesn't make me lose my breath. I can't remember ever having this problem. I have had the roblem of not being able to have my leg directly in front for my to tie it because thigh and stomach were too big, but breathing? not the problem.
2. I used to sit down very slowly into a chair, for fear of breaking it. I exceeded the weight limit of most lawn chairs. I used to have a nice leather couch, and one day when I sat down too hard, I heard the wood break.  Now, I know that if I break a chair, it wasn't MY fault--it was a faulty chair! Well, I do it out of principal. I've seen someone skinnier than I break furniture by direct-butt-plopping them repeatedly.
3. I used to feel very shameful buying candy or junk food because of what people would think. Now, I feel just as entitled as everyone else to buy junk, and I don't feel like people are staring at me thinking how fat I am. Yeah, when I want to have some dark chocolate, I feel guilty.
4. I used to have a large open gap in my bath towel when I wrapped it around me--it just wouldn't go all the way around. Now, I can wrap it around me and overlap it with comfort. Not since before puberty has that been any other way  for me, so I didn't know it happened for adults. I always assumed there were different sizes of towels and we didn't get full bath size.
5. Sex is TOTALLY different... in a good way! When I dropped 50, sex was not different. It was just as vigorous and bendy as before.
6. I never used to be able to curl my legs up underneath me, or sit Indian-style or cross-legged. Now, I can do all of that with ease. I even sat Indian-style on my chair at the movie theater! I can't fold up in chair like you see the  cute girls in movies doing as they're being pensive about something, but I never lost my ability to cross my legs.
7. It took me a while to figure out why I had bruises just inside of each of my knees... I discovered it was because my knees can actually TOUCH each other now! When I sleep on my side, the bones press together and that's how I got the bruises. My knees touch, perhaps my ankles will bruise when I've lost more weight?
8. I used to have to take breaks while blow-drying my hair, because my arms got sore from holding them up for more than a minute or two at a time. Now, I can blow-dry my whole head and never feel achy. I rarely blow dry my hair, for 2 reasons, my hair is over 2 feet long and thick, so ys my arms get tired because it takes longer than most people, and 2, I don't feel the need to damage my hair like that.
9. I can paint my toenails now! I used to not be able to bend over long enough to paint them. Always been able to paint my toenails [just dont because the paint refuses to come off and then the nail discolors from not getting light]
10. I can take off my wedding rings now! They were stuck on my finger for more than 5 years. My rings have never been stuck o my fingers longer than a couple of days due to swelling.
11. When I go shopping, I don't automatically look for the largest size clothes and see if there is something I like. I look for clothes I LIKE first, then I look to see if it's in my size. When puberty hit my physiology changed and I gained weight like mad. Before I became very overweight, my breasts came in, and large. I've always needed to have the xl.
12. I don't feel horrified when I see pictures of myself. In the past, I HATED getting my picture taken, and now I kind of like it. I mostly hate taking pictures because the way I feel and the way I look are so incredibly different. It horrifies me to look at what others see and know its not what i feel or how I want to look. I want my looks to reflect how I feel inside.
13. I used to snore and have sleep apnea, and now I sleep quietly and soundly :) I only snore when I'm overtired. I'm not sure if you can have apnea if you sleep on your stomach.
14. When I went to the doctor, they used to have to get out a larger-size blood pressure cuff to fit around my arm. Now, I can use the regular cuff just fine. I don't believe they've ever needed a different cuff size for me.
15. I used to be hot all the time... even when everyone else was freezing. Now, I'm always cold. I know I used to get warm more quickly than others, but when I started working out that kind of went away.
    
16. In group photos, I always used to stand in the back, trying to hide behind everyone. Now, I enjoy being in front. Somewhat because I'm overweight, somewhat because I'm not big on being center of attention.
17. I received a gift certificate for a massage two Christmases ago. I waited almost until it expired t use it, because I was embarrassed. Finally, I went to use it, and the spa robe wouldn't fit around me. I was horrified. Now, I KNOW I could fit into the robe.I've never let my weight stop me from getting  a massage.  The robe thing might've been a problem, but I also wouldn't have been troubled if the walk wasn't far to the massage
18. When I go for walks, I love to see my shadow now--I can actually see nice curves in the right places. I've always like looking at my shadow, and shadows in general. I'm sure seeing a curvy  body will make me happy when it happens.
19. I used to avoid hugging people because I didn't want them to feel my fat. Now, I enjoy hugging people. Actually I just disliked hugging. I got over it because I was being introduced to too many people who couldnt comprehend the idea of not liking hugs and would hug me all the time.
20.  I used to get winded just walking around my house. Now, I run three times a week, anywhere from 2-5 miles. My house is one story and not large. I've never had this problem. My friends house has 2 flights that I frequently went up and down, that winded me, because they're the only stairs I deal with anymore [and at the time I hadn't been exercising for a few months]
21. I once drank corn syrup right out of the bottle because I had such a strong sweet craving and we didn't have anything sweet in the house. Now, I can eat just about anything without added sugar (or sweetener).  My sweet tooth is very sensitive now :) I think I did that once with baker's chocolate.  I then found out it isnt sweet. I don't go for sweets like I used to
22. I used to sweat just SITTING, and it was horribly embarrassing. Now, I love that I get super sweaty on my runs (and that I don't sweat unless I'm exercising). the only time this has been relevant to me as an overweight person is during the summer, especially if I'm indoors with no air moving.
23. When I hold up a pair of jeans, I think, "There is NO WAY I can fit into those! They're so small!" But then I try them on, and they FIT. When I reached size 16 last year, I felt this way somewhat. Nowadays I have the opposite problem, I look at pants and think I can fit in them, and it turns out they're a size or 2 too small. I'm really hoping that at some point, 16s will once again start being too big.
24. When my older son Noah was learning to ride a two-wheeler, I sat in a lawn chair and my sister ran along side the bike, because I couldn't do that. When it was my younger son Eli's turn to learn, I ran up and down the street with his bike over and over again. It was ME that taught him! One faire season, the child I babysit was watched mostly from a chair, I couldn't keep up with her. A year later, I could keep up with her much more easily.
25. I asked the man working at a liquor store if he sold any other beer that was under 70 calories per bottle. He looked at me and said, "You don't need to worry about calories!"  This meant a lot to me because he didn't KNOW about my weight loss. He only talked to me for a moment and assumed I was a thin person.
26. I used to worry about sharing a hotel room with other people, because I snored so loudly. Now, I don't snore at all and I'm more than happy to share a room. Because Im large and need lots of room in a bed.
27. I never thought that FEET could be fat, but they, too, went down a whole size. My feet achieved their largest size before I put on any significant weight in my early teens, but after losing 50 lbs they went down a whole size. Curious.
28. Some girls have told me to stop losing, because I'll be TOO skinny... you know that means they only view me as competition! ;)
29. I've developed a whole new set of taste buds... I used to hate fish, and now it's part of my regular menu. I think certain foods are "too sweet" now. I love garbanzo beans! And OATMEAL. My goodness, I could eat oats for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Having to go on the cholesterol diet a few years ago really forced me to learn how to eat differently, learn to season without fattening. I grew up with half the things the diet required so it was never a huge  transition, but I learned how much more satisfying it was.
30. I used to head straight for the Women's section of department stores. Now, I can shop Misses or even Juniors. Yep, and try to find clothes appropriate to my age range since most of it seems to be geared towards women about 10-15 years older than I.
31. I used to wake up feeling sore and achy. Now, I feel refreshed when I wake up. Only when I've been working out very hard.
32. I used to plan my day around binges--thinking about what I would binge on later. Now, I plan my days around my runs--I make sure to get in 3 runs a week, whenever I can. Can't say that I have, more like hoping I can resist something I want to eat, and end up eating lots, over the whole day.
33. I used to get embarrassed and try to hide when I would see an old friend while out and about. Now, I stop to chat with them. Sometimes. I've been overweight since middle school so I'm more embarrassed that I haven't lost the weight as a 'grown-up' more than anything else. Especially since MY sister had lost the weight by now when she was my age. [sibling competition? you bet your ass!]
34. I never used to eat breakfast. Now, breakfast is my FAVORITE meal of the day (oatmeal!) This was true before I decided to fix my crappy sleep habits. I started getting up at a regular time, going to bed at a regular time, eating breakfast and taking vitamins. All those benefits people told me I would have from doing that? never happened.
35. When walking the half-marathon at my heaviest, I thought that everyone would look at me and say to him/herself, "Well, if SHE can do it, I certainly can!"  At the 2010 half-marathon, I was passing up people that were MUCH thinner than me. I really want to walk a half marathon.
36. I used to worry that I was an embarrassment to my family, because they are all thin. Now, I fit right in for the family pictures and I look like I belong. Yes and no. 8 years ago my sister who was heavy like me started losing weight and 3 years later looked good, and now looks fabulous [being near naked to get in my wedding gown while next to her a mirror was depressing as all hell] while I've been struggling for about 4 years, with serious effort for 2 1/2.  My mom got gastric bypass 2 years ago and consequently dropped alot of weight and looked wonderful, and my dads weight yo-yos, but my extended family on my mom's side have always had good health so I always feel an embarrassment to them.
37. I used to avoid social situations because of how fat I was and how embarrassing it was for people to see me like that. Now, I love to wear a cute outfit and spend time with friends.
38. I used to think my husband was a liar when he told me I was pretty. Now, I believe him. I want to believe him so badly.
39. I'm not embarrassed to talk about how much I love certain foods anymore, even if it's a junk food. As a fat person, I thought it would be humiliating to say "I love cookies!"  Now, I feel like it's okay to say that I love chocolate so much I would marry it if I could.
40. When I was fat, Iused to wonder if every ache or pain in my chest was a heart attack. Now, I know that the odds are very unlikely that I'd be having a heart attack. My cardiologist says my heart is great, but my tachycardia scared the shit out of my and the arm pains have never been explained, but I'm going to keep exercising and trying to loose weight.
41. My husband and I can lie next to each other on the couch now. I cant wait for that day, but I also want a deep counch where we could nap, with an animal cuddled up too [or kid]
42. When my husband and I take a shower together now, we can trade places without bumping up against the walls of the shower. We don't really shower together, so I can't comment
43. My underwear doesn't look like a slipcover for an over-sized arm chair anymore. I can buy cute undies! I acutally decided to start wearing the granny panties to support the apron and pull it in and hope for cute undies when I'm skinnier. when you can see 'cute' undies cutting your fat through loose jeans, it's just wrong.
44. I used to shower 2 or more times a day in the summer because I was worried that the sweating would make me smell bad. Just one shower is definitely enough now :) I shower more now than when I was heavier. On the whole, I believe Americans shower too much. I shower twice a week, because any more and my hair dries out, and any less and my hair turns to strings. It's less noticeable when I don't exercise 5 days a week. Oh, and I feel decadent and wasteful showering twice a week and try not to be wasteful.
45. I used to feel invisible when at a store--nobody would really pay any attention to me. Now, as shallow as it is to say it's because of my weight, people look and smile and offer to help me. I really don't care if that changes, most salespeople make me feel like I'm being assaulted.
46. If I'm cold at a friend's house, I can ask to borrow a sweatshirt. In the past, I used to pretend I was comfortable just because I knew her shirt would never fit me. Didn't really have this problem, I usually asked for a blanket of grabbed a jacket from my car.
47. I don't have to take pictures at certain angles to get rid of my double chin... I simply don't have a double chin now! It's more of a jowl, and its a family trait. it will get smaller, but it will always be there and unflattering.
48. I feel worthy of saying, "I'm hungry" or "I'm starved!"  When I was fat, it would have been almost like a joke to admit to being hungry at 253 pounds.
49. My husband can wrap his arms around me far enough to touch his elbows. the fiancee is tall and has always been able to touch elbows.
50. I never used to drink water. Now, I drink an entire quart first thing in the morning, and I get an additional quart or two throughout the day. before 2 1/2 yrs ago, I disdained water. couldn't stand it. then I started drinking tea by the gallon [brewed tea] because I had read about the benefits of green tea in weight loss and I had always been partial to tea. Since I was drinking far less diet soda, tea and water started tasting really great. Sadly, I still have phases of way too much soda. Sometimes I really just want the bubbles.
51. I've set goals that I never would have thought possible when I was 253 pounds... like run a 5k, 10k, 15k, even a half-marathon. I truly believe that I can do those now. I have some new fitness goals. I'm excited about them. more on them later
    
52. I've come to terms with the fact that I CAN'T "be like everyone else" when it comes to eating and drinking what I want, when I want. I'll have to do my own thing for the rest of my life, but I'm actually okay with that.
53. I've really started to recognize signs of physical hunger (the not-so-obvious-as-my-tummy-growling kind of signs)--headache, empty feeling, crabbiness, weakness.  I've learned that my stomach doesn't growl until long after I first get hungry.
54. I truly ENJOY eating the foods I eat. I don't eat anything I don't like. In fact, I haven't eaten a single salad throughout my entire 99+ pound weight loss! And! I will try things I havent tried before [like kale, hear I should try it] to see if I can add it to the things I like to eat that are great for me
55.  I can fit my whole self into ONE LEG of jeans I wore just 10 months ago. I don't know that I will ever be that skinny, I have no intention of being on the lower end of acceptable weight for my height [because my frame counts too, and I shouldn't be that skinny]
    
56. The closer you get to your goal weight, the faster the clothes sizes drop. Look forward to that
57. I've actually been hit on by men since losing the weight. That never happened when I was fat. I get hit on by fat lovers and fat fetishists all the time, usually older men, and it creeps me out.
58. Knitting is one of my passions, but I never wanted to make garments that I would wear--it takes a heck of a lot of yarn and a lot more time. Now that I can knit a size small or medium, knitting sweaters is definitely an option for me! And I did--I've made two sweaters so far.Knitting, crocheting, and sewing.
59. Numerous people have told me that I inspire them. That just blows my mind! I've never been "the success story" before.  If I only inspire my beloved, that's ok with me.
60. I used to have horrible insomnia, and I would toss and turn all night long. Now, I sleep soundly (provided my kids actually let me!) Only when I'm stressed or it's the summer time. Ive had heat exhaustion a couple of times and it really messes with your tolerance for heat.
61. I've saved a LOT of money from eating at home. We used to eat out and order in very often, but now we never do. I truly enjoy home cooked food much more than restaurant food, and it's so much healthier. I do love to cook, and teaching my fiancee to cook. Not all the recipees are healthier though ;)
62. When I went to see the gynecologist for my annual pap smear, I asked her about a lump I felt just under my breast. She informed that it was my rib! lol Maybe one year I wont feel embarrassed to have someone poking around down there because of my thick thighs my stomach lopping over, and hoping that it isnt somehow smelly down there. I would love to think I had a lump in my boob that's really just a rib.
63. I can see my knee bones now. Before, it was just a big round joint, and now it's angular.
64. I can see the bones in my hands and feet, too. Somewhat in my feet.
65. I actually FEEL feminine now. When I was 253 pounds, I felt like a sexless blob. I try not to think about it too much, because I start myself in a horrible spiral of depression trying to understand how my fiancee thinks I'm attractive and not repulsive.
66. Feeling feminine gives me the desire to style my hair, wear make-up, and wear cute clothes. I try to dress up and what not to not give up on my self completely.
67. Hell, I even wear cute pajamas now! No more of my husband's t-shirts. I like wearing my fiancees shirts to sleep in. I'm sure I'd get a kick out of wearing cute pjs too.
68. I make everything accommodate MY lifestyle now--if I'm going to a party and I don't think the food fits in with my plan, I simply don't eat it (I eat in advance). I don't let anyone make me feel guilty for doing what's best for ME.
69. My blood pressure is now 90/60!  I've never had HIGH blood pressure, but it was about 120/80. I really hope regular exercise will bring this down.
70. My resting heart rate is 50... it used to be 75. this too. Im hyper aware of my pulse rate
71. I can wear cheap jewelry now--the cute necklaces, rings, and bracelets actually fit.
72. My hands used to go completely numb sometimes, especially when I was sleeping. That hasn't happened at all since I've lost the weight. It's happening now only because of soft tissue damage in my shoulders. Be warned, never overdo it at the gym!
    
73. I don't feel self-conscious about what is in my grocery cart anymore... because 95% of what I buy is healthy food!
74. I feel really good about cooking dinner for my kids, because I know they are eating healthy. I make one meal for the whole family, I don't do a "diet" meal for myself and a "regular" meal for my family. The fiancee has been more than happy to switch to my diet.
75. I enjoy food even MORE now--sweet foods taste sweeter, spicy foods taste spicier, creamy foods taste creamier, etc. It's like I have brand new taste buds that are super sensitive (in a good way!)
76. I used to get excited to go to events like weddings and parties because of the food. Now, I rarely even eat at the events, and instead I enjoy spending time with people.
77. I rarely get cravings for any particular food anymore. And if I do, it's for something completely random (like an english muffin, or a really crisp apple, or oatmeal). I get cravings for very random, specific food pairings, some unhealthy, some healthy.
78. I used to worry about getting sweat spots under my arms, and I would have to choose a shirt that wouldn't show the spots. Now, I only sweat while exercising. Ive never had a problem with sweating
79. I used to not be able to fit into certain chairs, or it was a very tight squeeze (chairs with arms). Now, I usually have room on either side of me to spare.
80. I used to love wearing oversized clothes in order to hide my body. Now, I only wear fitted clothes and I get rid of all clothes that are even a little bit big. I wear some over sized, some fitted, but none tight, because they ride up and make me look like I dont know how to dress myself, and I know people in my life who do that. Momma taught me right.
81. I choose what to eat based on whether it's really worth the calories. At the beginning of my journey, eating a 100 calorie pack of cookies was no big deal, because I could eat a lot more calories. Now that I can eat a much smaller amount of calories, the 100 cal pack of cookies is a HORRIBLE deal. I would never waste 100 calories on something so small and not-tasty!
82. I successfully gave up white flour for Lent. If you had told me just a year ago that I would do that, I would have laughed in your face. I enjoy whole grains a lot now!
83. Once in a while, I have a dream that I binge like I used to, and it makes me feel horrible. When I wake up, I'm SO RELIEVED that it was just a dream!
84. When I buy clothes, I can only plan on wearing it a couple of times before it's too big... so I shop at thrift stores and look for clearance items. I live in a mostly Latino town, most of my thrift shops are filled with clothes too tiny for me because the girls started families and around here [no offense intended] it's not a priority to loose weight after having babies. The department stores aimed at the anglo crowd are aimed at the upper middle class that live in the foot hills that are perpetually skinny and so the stores don't carry plus sizes. [no joke, the target near me no longer has a plus size section, just a maternity section]
85. My bowels are very "regular" now... and that's all I'm going to say about that ;) Still have issues with that sadly
    
86. I've lost 4 inches in my neck... my NECK! Strangely, my neck has never gained weight.
87. My BMI category went from "morbidly obese" to "obese" to "overweight"... and now less than 10 pounds from being "normal".  Even when I had lost 50 lbs, I was still morbidly obese. I was so waiting for the day when I was only obese.
88. My thighs used to get chaffed from rubbing together. Now, they barely brush together when I walk. My thighs only chafe if I don't wear pants or shorts. I have a habit of wearing shorts under skirts, especially since it now helps prevent chaffing [as a kid it allowed me to play on the playground on chapel days]. The flipside is I tend to destroy pants by rubbing through thigh area.
89. I used to be too self-conscious to wear shorts. I would suffer all summer long in jeans. As soon as the temp went up this year, I bought about 10 pairs of shorts. My calves got a lot slimmer but they still look so damn awkward in shorts.
90. I went from a 24W down to a size 8 in just 10 months. in 10 months I went from a 20/22W to a 16R/18W. Currently, I am 18/20W. When I gained back, a good deal of it went to my stmach and hips.
91. I used to look at old pictures of me when I was thinner, and wish to look like that again. Or anywhere even close to that! However, now I am THINNER than I was in those pictures! It's a very strange feeling. Even some pictures where I'm still overweight, but not nearly as bad, make me wish to be 'that thin' again.
92. I walked a half marathon at 253 pounds, and one year later, at 165 pounds. It was a MILLION times easier and SO MUCH MORE FUN the latter time.
93. My alcohol tolerance is much lower, now. I used to be able to drink a 6-pack of beer and not feel a thing. Now, my limit is 1-2 drinks before I start to feel like it's too much.
94. You know how when you get to a certain age, and someone asks how old you are, you have to stop and think for a minute? Well, I do the same thing with my weight. A lot of times, I still start off by saying, "Two--I mean, ONE hundred fifty-three pounds". It's going to take a while to get used to it.
95. I actually enjoy drinking my coffee black and unsweetened now.  I used to put about 1/4 cup of creamer in ONE cup of coffee! And not to even mention the amount of sugar...  Because of the tachycardia, I dont drink coffee anymore. I really feel it was a trigger. and strangely, I binge on it. I don't need sugar in it, but I do need milk or creamer.
96. My treadmill is no longer a dust collector. I actually use it when I can't get outside to run. I would love to have a treadmill or elliptical machine. Especially since my dog is dumb and walking/sprinting with her is difficult and not nearly as productive as I'd like.
97. I used to "hoard" my WW points/calories for late in the day. I was always worried that if I use them now, I'll be STARVING later. Now, however, I use them when I'm hungry and in turn, I'm rarely hungry later in the day after using my calories. Also, I always used to think I had to save my "dessert" for a bedtime snack. Now, I eat my daily dessert whenever I feel like having something sweet! I try to have bigger breakfasts and then eat accordingly the rest of the day. I had started eating too little because I was so worried about going over my calories if I ate too much 'right now'
98. I've gotten more adventurous since losing the weight. Trying new things, going out more, meeting new people.
99. When I sit down, my stomach doesn't rest on top of my thighs anymore. I really can't wait to find out what that's like

I think you can see a reoccurring theme in all of this is I don't seem to be troubled by alot of the things that 'fat' people 'cant' do. I don't feel fat, I know it. There's a huge difference in that.
[list from Runs For Cookies]

So, to share some goals I made when I got back into exercising a few weeks ago:

I want to be able to run a 12-minute mile, for 3 miles total

I want to be able to do 20 push ups

I want to be able to hold a one-minute plank again

Not worry about fitting into the wedding dress we bought

I know that seems like a short list, but to me, that's all I need right now to work on.  

Hope you all have a great new year!