Confidence is a size 12!

I wanted to wear jeans to work. But the ones I have are too baggy. Since I'm in a size 12 now, I felt like it's time to wear things that fit better. I shopped in my off-season closet and found a pair of jeans that I haven't been able to wear since 1988 because they were too tight. They're size 16x32, Wrangler for Women; so old, they were before "vanity" sizing.

These were jeans that I never expected to wear again, but I kept them - just in case. I was shocked when they fit. They're at least 4 inches too long, so I rolled up the bottoms and headed off to work feeling pretty satisfied with myself.

So many good things are happening since I decided to get serious about losing weight; I've been feeling so much better about myself and much more confident. I still feel like I'm getting younger every day.

I didn't have anything planned for today, so I took my time getting ready, then headed to the mall. I parked in my usual lot and headed to Dillard's at the other end of the mall, waving to the hair stylists I saw last Saturday when I got my hair cut.

Something else I needed after losing 50 lbs was a bra that fit, so the first place I headed was the lingerie department at Dillard's. I saw someone working there that I hadn't seen in years! Because I was the only customer and my old friend and her coworker are still learning, they deferred to the sales lady who'd been working at Dillard's for 38 years. They helped me pick out a couple of bras, and when I put the first bra on, I called to the ladies and they trooped in the dressing room with me and talked about the fit. We did that for the first 4 or 5 bras I tried on. Then other customers came in, and I sort of felt abandoned. Isn't that funny?
One of the ladies found 2 pink bras for $18 each, and of course, I bought them and one that is a leopard print.

With my new foundations tucked under my arm, I headed to try on clothes. I've been needing pants for a while, and I figured I'd at least try some on to see what I liked.

The first pair I tried on was Hugs by TanJay. I tried on a size 12, and I could get them on, but I couldn't get the zipper up, for 3 reasons - they left-hand zip (I have a hard time with that), the zipper was "scratchy" and didn't want to go up, and they were too danged tight. I tried on a 14, and they fit like a glove. Then I found a blouse that I liked.

I wore the new pants to church, and I love them. They are a snug fit, something I'm not used to, but they're very comfortable. I liked them so much that I headed to Dillard's after church to see if I could find more. The only Hugs they had weren't in my size. Bummer! But I did find something by Allison Daley that I liked. Olive green slacks (size 12S), that fit very well and a Hawaiian print top that goes with the khaki Hugs I got, the olive pants, and the black ones I got last week. I'm all about versatility.

Does it feel good to be able to shop anywhere!!!! It's weird to actually see sizes that are too big for me. This time last year, I was trying on 3X. Today, I'm trying on 16 or large tops and 12 bottoms! Mediums are a bit snug, but not for long!!! What an awesome experience.

My goal is to weigh less than 180 by Oct. 1. That means I'll have to be really good while on vacation. I don't think that'll be a problem. My friend in Atlanta and I are going to a seafood restaurant and a Founders Day Festival. I'm hoping I can control myself in those venues. Other than that, I plan to share my salads with her and keep on my eating routine.

This is my usual routine:  On a typical day I have a Slim Styles (protein shake) with unsweetened Almond Milk, sometimes with coffee instead of water (yum), and sometimes with either Torani Sugar Free Vanilla syrup or Lite Hershey’s chocolate flavor. I find that Slim Styles keeps me satisfied the whole morning.

Lunch is a salad made with bagged salad mix, extra matchstick carrots and orange-flavored cranberries with balsamic vinegar dressing. Sometimes I put fat-free mozzarella cheese and grated parmesan-romano cheese, sometimes with fat-free cheddar cheese and bacon bits, sometimes with nutritional yeast, and sometimes with 2 broiled chicken strips.

Snacks are typically a fruit – orange, pear (my favorite), apple, strawberries.

Dinner is another salad with either a sandwich made with Ezekiel bread and mayo w/olive oil, fat free cheese or tuna salad (made with the same mayo and sweet and dill relish, chicken salad, or egg salad or a chicken thigh (which Cecilia hates) and a vegetable like steamed asparagus, or a taco made with Ezekiel tortilla, tilapia, and salad (I call it a fish salad taco), or a “pizza” made with the Ezekiel tortilla covered with fat free mozzarella cheese and grated parmesan/romano cheese.

I had to promise Cecilia that I’d give up the Dove dark chocolate candy bars this week. I told her anything but that!  I’ll do it. I really want to be down to 150 by Christmas, and if I keep this up, I should be pretty close.

Too busy to eat!

My house has kept me busy from right after work until 8:30 or 9:00 every week night. Sometimes I stop somewhere to eat, sometimes I wait until everyone leaves to have a salad. Traipsing out to the back porch to get my food and hauling it to the kitchen got old quickly. I finally put it all in a bag and took it all to work. At least I had something to eat there. Although I haven't been strict with my eating plan, I've lost another pound (according to my scale). In addition to having more than 5 outfits to wear and not packing the right moisturizer, I missed having my scale around to step on every morning.

Less than 50 pounds stand between me and my goal of 135! I just realized that a few minutes ago. In he 9 months I've gone to Perfect Solutions, I have learned about many healthy alternatives for food (like the fewer the legs the better for protein - nuts, grains, fish, chicken/turkey, pork, beef), vitamins and minerals, and storage containers. I've learned about cravings and what they mean. They have given me many tools to use on this journey. I'll be forever grateful to my "not my truth" friend for suggesting Perfect Solutions to me. I'll also be grateful for PS and their loving kindness and care through the rough times.

The boxes from the pantry are back in the kitchen. I should unpack them and get my kitchen in order. The only thing is there's some touch up painting to be done, so I hesitate. I don't want to get in the way of progress. 

My new fridge is huge, the stove is awesome - both are still wrapped in plastic until the painting is complete. The microhood and dishwasher are still in boxes. The microhood will be installed Monday night, so I'll be able to retire the huge microwave we bought 31 years ago when my daughter was born. It has been a faithful friend for all these years. The light burned out about 25 years ago, and I guess I could have figured out how to replace it, but I never bothered. As long as it warmed things up, I was happy.

Virgin Territory

Cecilia at Perfect Solutions challenged me to not eat protein for at least 3 evenings last week. I decided to get it over with and Friday, Saturday, and Sunday I avoided protein for dinner.

Except for the Dove dark chocolate candy bars, I followed the plan to the letter. My reward - I lost 2.4 pounds!

After I weighed in and I saw that my weight was 184, I looked at my weight loss records. On July 25, I got down to 184.4. Then the next week I gained, and that started the yo-yo cycle. In a month and a half, I've lost and gained the same 5 lbs. I finally broke the 184.4 barrier. I have not been down to 184 since 1990 probably.

One year ago, I weighed 235.4 pounds, and I wore size 18-20. Not only am I in size 12, I'm 49 pounds from my goal. That means I'm more than 1/2 way there. I always celebrate on Thursday night - gain or lose, I celebrate that I tried another week.

I sent a text to my daughter to remind her that I was coming over, and she requested boneless chicken wings. I haven't eaten fast food in a year, and boneless chicken wings weren't even on my radar. I had no idea who would have them, but I did remember a commercial about someone saying they ate the bones. I figured it was KFC, but I didn't know where a KFC was on that side of town. I drove around looking for a KFC; then I decided to park someplace safe so I could call. As luck would have it, I was in a Wing Stop parking lot. I asked her if she thought they would have any. Duh! When I ordered, I had to choose a flavor. I didn't realize there were 9 different chicken wing flavors! I finally chose mild and garlic parmesan with ranch and blue cheese dips. They came with fries and 2 drinks. What a deal! I was set.

My daughter, grandson and I enjoyed our wings and fries. Then, as we were relaxing, my grandson started walking! He's walked the perimeter of the inside of the house for a couple of weeks. He prefers walking and being on his feet, but he's been afraid to let go. Tonight, he just started walking! We got so excited. I happened to have my phone handy, so I recorded him taking a few steps, then all 3 of us were trying to record. Once he got a taste of freedom and how excited we got, he was up and trying again and again. You could tell he was pretty pleased with himself by the look on his face and the noises he was making. We were all excited. He's 14 months old, and he's walking. Pretty cool.

The best part is that I got to be there for that first. I missed that with both my other grandkids. And I don't want to miss anything else.

Last week, I wrote down why I wanted to lose weight - to be healthy, to enjoy an active retirement, and to keep up with my grandkids. I'm better able to do things with my grandson now, and for that I'm grateful. It's a catalyst to make me want to continue to my ideal weight.

To 135 and beyond!

Size 12!!!

I took stock of my weight loss journey for the past year by graphing the weight I lost. I joined Perfect Solutions Sept. 7, 2012, and in the first 4 months, including the Holidays, I lost 35 pounds. Then in the next 8 months, I lost 15 pounds.

When I whined to Cecilia about this last week, she reminded me of the stressful 8 months we've had. She reminded me that if I hadn't been going to Perfect Solutions through all this, I'd probably be right back where I started this time last year.

Instead, I feel great!

Today I had to buy new slacks because I was down to 3 pairs, and they are getting too baggy. I headed to JC Penney to buy the cheapest slacks I could find because I don't plan to wear them long.

At first, out of habit and lack of self esteem, I was in the Women's section looking at 1X tops; then I realized I should get out of that department. I actually had to search for the Ladies' department. I picked out a couple size 14 slacks and decided to take a pair of size 12 just in case. The size 12 fit! I was flabbergasted. I haven't worn size 12 since my daughter was born!

I have to admit that I'm larger now than I was in 1982 when I wore size 12. Vanity sizing has taken over. A 2013 size 12 is much larger than a 1982 size 12. But, that's OK with me. It feels so good to be down to a size I never thought I'd wear again.

My house makeover included putting all my workout machinery in one room. I put a TV in that room so I could watch TV while I work out. Now, I keep finding things to do that keep me out of there. I spent the past 3 weeks or so putting the photos of the house makeover before and after together. Now that's done.

I still have about 15 boxes to unpack and lots of things to organize. My office is still a mess, and the guest room needs lots of work.

In addition to that, I have computer things to do. Our Toastmasters club dues are due, and I have to set up the Paypal account so we can take credit cards. I have to update the Slick Talkers website (way overdue). Plus I freelance as the webmaster for the Friends of the San Antonio Public Library.

Not conducive to working out.

I keep thinking, once I finish this, I'll start working out. Then something else comes up. So, I guess I'll have to actually get my but in there and get started, even if it is 5 minutes. Then, by Christmas, maybe I'll be in size 10!