I'm taking a break from the "sampler" series to give ya'll my weekly update.
*drumroll, please*
Lost 2 more pounds! I'm seriously as surprised as you are. I like to give my body two weeks to adjust, but seeing as Thanksgiving is this week, I won't be surprised if I don't stay *exactly* where I'm at {165!}. I used quite a few flex points in the beginning of the week {um, I think it was emotional eating} so I buckled down from about Wednesday onward. I tried limiting myself to a 3 PT breakfast & 6 PT lunch with a morning snack, just to see how that worked out. The first few days of the week I had a 4 PT breakfast & an 8 PT lunch with no snack in between. For some reason, going without that mid-morning snack, even though I had a bigger lunch, still left me feeling hungrier throughout the day.
I'm still diggin' on my Thomas' Multi-grain English Muffin spread with a Laughing Cow Light. I've had this for breakfast about 3 times this week. You'd really know how much I must like it if you knew I much I love variety. After all, it is the Spice of Life, people!
I tried an Aldi Fit 'N Active Pizza Puff this week, which I will review in another post. I love trying new things to keep my palate happy. I also tried a recipe from Cooking Light magazine for Buttermilk Biscuits. That's another thing on my list to remake & review. I'll just say that they were delish!
I'm reading another foodie book called Trails of Crumbs: Hunger, Love, and the Search for Home. It's the memoir of an adopted Korean girl & how food is a comfort in both her geographical and emotional journey. Part of it is set in France {self-proclaimed francophile here!} and is sprinkled with recipes throughout. I think it's so poetic how much a part food plays in our memories. The author remembers with fondness the dishes her grandfather used to make for her after school. I too remember different dishes I've made throughout my life. I keep remembering how I used to make Chicken Pot Pie with frozen vegetables and Bisquick when I was first married. I laugh at it now, but that dish, which requires little culinary technique, respresents the same amount of skill I had in the area of being an excellent wife.
My small group leader complimented me twice last night for looking "put together". I eventually casually said that it might have something to do with the 20 pounds I've lost. It could also be due to a book I've been studying called Sam Saboura's Real Style: Style Secrets for Real Women with Real Bodies. Love it! You analyze your body type & then the book shows you how to build your wardrobe based on your body. For me, dressing better makes me feel better. Feeling like I look better keeps me motivated to continue my good relationship with food and treating my body well. I realize that throughout my life, I've really only dressed "nicely" when I felt like I looked good. When I was weighing upwards of 180, my wardrobe consisted mainly of sweatpants, leftover maternity clothes {when the timing dictated} and loose fitting cotton shirts. I guess it was because I just didn't even feel bien dans ma peau. Or good in my skin, so to speak. It still feels like a conundrum to me. Shouldn't I have loved myself anyways? Enough to at least present a nice appearance? If I did love myself enough though, wouldn't I have loved myself enough to change my relationship with food & shed that unnecessary baggage?
Have you dressed the same way whether you've weighed 125 or 165? Or is your style based on how well you feel dans sa peau {in your skin}?
Hello 160s! {I have not seen ya'll in a really long time.} It's been about 3 years, I believe, before the holiday season of 2005. I remember being about 168-ish then. I gained 10 pounds that holiday time & never lost it.
I am happy to report that I am nearing the 20-pound-lost mark! We had another round of the sickies, which left me with low appetite this week. I've been neglecting the POINT counting as well this weekend. Yesterday {not my official weigh-in day, but I was going to have a big lunch/dinner & was afraid Sunday morning's weigh-in would reflect that} the scale said 168.5. Then this morning, official weigh-in day, the scale said 168. HUH. I will be going with 168.5 for the record. That would still mean I lost 2 pounds last week. Surprising, but I'll take it!
Some days I feel really great about my body & my progress. Other days I feel as if I went from being really, really fat to just really fat. {Does one "really" make any difference?} I look at my flabby Santa Claus-like belly and wonder if that thing will ever go away. Hubster says that I "feel" thinner when he hugs & holds me, which is seriously encouraging. Sometimes I wonder why more people haven't noticed those missing 20 pounds. Maybe I do not really look that different? Maybe they have their own issues with extra-pounds, so would rather not broach the subject?
Dressing a little nicer than usual helps me to lift my spirits on those "fat" days. There's nothing like digging out a pair of pants that fit too snugly to wear just a few weeks ago & finding that, not only can you button them, but they fit flatteringly as well {happened just this morning}! My definition of "fit" {when it comes to pants} is being able to button/zipper them without a belly roll hanging over the top. Sounds yucky, but true. Some people might think that if you can shove yourself into those babies & take a deep breath to latch 'em shut, that that constitutes the fact that they "fit". Not me.
What's your definition of clothes that "fit"? Being able to squeeze in or wear comfortably?
Because I can get new-to-me name-brand clothes for ridiculously low prices. Just last weekend I got 3 long sleeves shirts {Old Navy, Target, Wal-Mart}, two sweaters {Old Navy & Ann Taylor Loft}, and one sweater & one shirt for my 3-year-old {both Gymboree}, all for a grand total of: $15. It almost makes me feel criminal to get so much for so little. I almost bought a tan colored long wool coat for $13, but I let my sister-in-law talk me out of it. I went store shopping not too long after & couldn't even bring myself to purchase anything. One shirt alone would've cost me more than my entire thrift store trip! What I'd really like to do is make a list of classic wardrobe "must haves" {suggestions?} and start buying them thrift as I see them. The hardest thing to buy thrift is pants. I was thinking I could wear some sort of tight exercise shorts under baggy pants, so that I could try on different pairs to see how they fit. I don't really care about looking ridiculous at the shop, if it means I can get 5 pairs of pants for the price of one pair brand new. I don't think I'll ever buy a coat brand new again. My two current coats are from the same shop. They always have certain color tags marked half-off each day, so if you hit it on the right day, you may just get lucky. My top three hints for thrift shopping are:
#1. Plan your time according to shop size. My favorite one is enormous with racks upon racks of clothes. Next time I will be sure to set aside several hours of time to devote to shopping.
#2. Leave the kids at home. Reason? See hint number one. It's next to impossible to focus on the plethora of clothes with a screaming baby in the cart. Ask me how I know.
#3. Wear clothes that will allow you to try things on. A tank top under a jacket or sweater will allow you to try shirts over your tank.
Can't wait til my next trip so I can steal score a "new" wardrobe!
I'm here to report: Twelve pounds gone forever! There are 15 weeks left in the year and that means about 21 weeks until my next birthday. If I can maintain about a 1 pound a week loss {with a tiny bit of wiggle room for those food-laden holidays}, I can possibly lose 31 pounds by my 31st birthday. I think that goal just has a nice ring to it.
On the clothing front.....
I wore a pair of capris yesterday that will have to be permanently relegated to the too big pile {saving them just in case I decide to have another baby & need some bigger clothes}. I really dislike being in between sizes, but am too practical/frugal to buy too many clothes to bridge the gap. When clothes are too loose, it just looks sloppy to me. When they are too tight, it seems like I am trying too hard to be in a size I don't belong in. I guess I'll just have to get by with my new go-to Old Navy jeans until more of the smaller clothes start fitting. Now if only the weather would cool down so I can wear them!
Weekend Pleasures....
We went to our local apple orchard as a family this last weekend, where I *enjoyed* two apple cider doughnuts. I started with just one & after careful consideration, decided to eat a second one as well. I thoroughly enjoyed them, each and every bite, savoring their warmth, light texture, and sugar-crusted goodness. I kept telling Hubster that, "Those were the best doughnuts I've ever had....." It was truly mindful eating at it's best.
I purchased a Black Bra eons ago. Nothing fancy. Just some Target brand cotton braziere, but a change from my typical white/beige selection nonetheless. It hadn't been worn more than a handful of times before it was no longer the right size. {Those darn dryers....always shrinking things! Now if only I could fit in there......} I don't remember if it was holiday weight gain or pregnancy or just random weight gain for no apparent reason. It proceeded to be filed away with all the other no-longer-wearables. That pile grew slowly, over time, but now that I think about it: What a depressing pile that was to behold!
Fast forward to this week. My current bras, all nursing ones from my baby, sad to say, are becoming too loose. Not enough support for my girls, if ya know what I mean. Hubster is constantly tightening the straps in a futile battle to keep 'em up. The Black Bra somehow pops into my mind. It was just waiting for me in my closet, along with all the other no-longer-wearables {hopefully that will change soon}. With heaploads of doubt, I try on the Black Bra and to my shock/surprise/utter delight, it fit like a glove.
In the same pile lurked a pair of American Eagle Jeans, size 14. I tried them on last week. Tooo snug. Didn't want to lose my lower extremities due to a cut-off of blood circulation so I figured it best to wait to wear them. For some unknown reason, I tried them on again this morning and......success! They are still a little snug, but I'm not in fear of losing my legs. Can 1 pound really make that much of a difference? Maybe the pound I lost solely came from my waist? Either way, I will take it. {Well, actually, leave it, but you know what I mean.}
So who knew a Black Bra and an Old Pair of Jeans could bring so much pleasure to this {almost} healthy foodie. Small victories, my peeps, small victories.
If only I knew! I have been patiently waiting to fit into a pair of beloved size 14 jeans. This weekend, they buttoned & zippered {small victory}, but after a few hours of wear, I deemed them still too tight. I want to be comfortable, ya'll. I was wishing I had a pair to bridge the gap between my frequently-falling-down 16s and the too tight 14s. *Insert Old Navy sale here.* I found a great pair for $20 {plus a 50% coupon = $10 jeans!!} that are, huh, a size 14. They fit perfectly. Not too tight at all. As a matter of fact, I can get them on without unbuttoning. Has the sizing system changed in 5 years? Is a 6 now an 8? Maybe it is the stretch in the jeans? I would've tried on a 12, but quite honestly, my mental state just wouldn't believe that I would fit in them. Maybe I should have.
I wore the *new* jeans again today & hubby commented that I really must like them. Yep. They're my new go-to jeans. I told him that I can't always be pulling up my falling-down pants, especially when I have to keep up my falling-down bra. Only one item of too big clothing allowed, LOL! Sounds like some serious shopping may be in my future......
So, now I'm wondering what my real size is? I guess, in the end, the number doesn't matter all that much. I am a size ME. And I am happy with that :>)