It’s The Little Things…

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weight loss body changesJust before my morning stretches I noticed something…I sat in a chair and crossed my legs. That’s it. I crossed my legs. I don’t mean crossing one leg over the shin or ankle of the other leg. Nope. I’m talking about an above-the-fricking-knee leg crossing!

And I did it without using my arms to pull the leg doing the crossing.

I haven’t crossed my legs like that since…well crap, I can’t remember.

I’m sure there are things I couldn’t do before that I can now. And that will continue as I get thinner and my body stronger. I just don’t know if I should be happy that I noticed my legs today or sad that I’m missing those little firsts.

It’s the little things that keep you going when the tape measure is unbending or the scale is just outright rude.

I know you’re not supposed to sweat the small stuff, but I think it’s time I start enjoying it.

What 100 Days At The Gym Can Do For You!

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Just watch and be inspired!

I’m Speaking At A Weight Watchers Meeting

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weight loss fashion makeover

I’m sharing my weight loss adventure at my next Weight Watchers meeting. I’m so excited.

My Weight Watchers leader asked me to speak about my weight loss journey at the Saturday meeting.  I’m really excited but also feeling a bit overwhelmed. I mean, how do I distill all that I’ve learned over the last two years into 5 minutes?

Plus, my weight loss journey is a bit unorthodox  — I did quit my job to shed the pounds (not something I’m recommending everyone attempt).

This morning I’m working on my outline. I think I’m going to divide the presentation by years — 2012 was the learning curve and in 2013 I got my mojo back!

2012: Re-learning How To Eat
In 2012 I re-learned everything I could about food — dealing with cravings, which foods triggered binges, and most importantly, how food becomes fat in my body.  For me, understanding the science of Why We Get Fat is the key to my weight loss.

With Weight Watchers, you’re not deprived. You can have any food you want as long as you count the points and keep to your daily point range.

Well in 2012 I discovered I couldn’t have any food I wanted. The more carbs I ate, the more insulin in my blood, the more my body stored fat.

I eliminated sodas, processed foods and my trigger foods (pasta, bread and grains) from my diet. Sugar got the boot too, and I even limited fruit. I found I had more energy, felt fantastic and yes, the weight started coming off faster.

2013: Finding my inner confidence
I really feel that I started living my life for the first time in 2013.

I lost my excuse for not trying new things.  Weight lifting, yoga, running, new foods…I wanted to try everything! Heck, this life long fish hater fell in love with sushi when I tried it for the first time last year.

I even conquered a phobia. Walking into an Old Navy, Nordstrom and Macy’s dressing room for the very first time is nerve-wracking. Doing it all in one day was terrifying.

No doubt my fashion makeover gave me the biggest boost to my confidence. Sure I went from a size 28 to an 18, but the thought of shopping somewhere other than Lane Bryant is terrifying when you’re overweight. I’ve had plenty of dressing room meltdowns in my life to know.

Sure it may seem superficial. It’s just clothes, right? But when you wear clothes you never could before, try a new hair style, and get all dolled up for your very own photo shoot, it’s not superficial. It’s awesome.

So, all of that in 5 minutes? Easy peasy.

Do You Have The Weather Gauge?

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Wow, I completely missed it. March 23 was the one year anniversary of me walking away from a job. That’s right, I stopped working for The Man.

After 10 long years at a trade association, I had had enough of office drama, 16 hour days, and putting out one fire after another rather than doing my job. It got to the point where work felt like a hungry parasite sucking out my soul.

I always fantasized about quitting my job and getting into shape. Just focus on me. But the truth was I was afraid to walk away from the paycheck.

“Just quit, take a year off and get in shape. We’ll be fine.”
In 2008, we got our financial house in order. Thanks to Dave Ramsey’s Baby Steps, we are debt free and have a 6 month emergency fund. We could more than survive on one salary. I just didn’t have enough pluck to say enough.

Enter the most awesome husband…evah! He assured me we had the weather gauge. Our finances gave us more freedom so why should I be miserable. If this was something I really wanted to do, then I should. He offered a deal – quit and focus on my health and after 12 months, rejoin the rat race. Sold!

The next day I resigned. It felt great. My health was now a priority. It was the first time in a long time I felt happy. If I had to pick one word to describe how I felt my last day on the job, it would be jubilation. I was in control. I had the weather gauge.

It’s been a great year. I’ve lost 20% of my body weight so far. I’m feeling healthier, more relaxed and stronger. My insomnia has all but disappeared and my stress levels have pretty much bottomed out. I already have a cool new job lined up that I’m very excited about (no commute!).

Never surrender the weather gauge.

Kicking My Plateau’s Arse

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Dot to Trot's smooth yoga moves? Nope. An image courtesy of ponsuwan/ FreeDigitalImage.net

Dot to Trot’s smooth yoga moves? Nope. Image courtesy of ponsuwan/FreeDigitalImage.net

If you are trying to lose weight then at some point or another you will hit a plateau. Plateaus are my mortal enemies. The quickest way to spell the end of my diets – hitting that damn plateau. They are just so maddeningly frustrating to break through.

I experienced a hellish one back in January. For nearly 7 miserable weeks the scale seemed stuck at 280. Oh, it would tease me and dip to 278 only to sucker punch me the next week to 282. No matter what I did food wise, I was stuck.

My normal M.O. when a plateau crosses my path is to give up. Not this time. Why? Attitude.

My only thought was how bad I was going to kick this plateau’s ass. People were going to feel sorry for this plateau when they realized how far my foot was up its butt. I knew I was on the right path – my clothes were all loose, I had way more energy, I didn’t want to eat unhealthy foods. Nothing was going to stop me.

So how did I kick this plateau’s arse? Yoga.

Because of my injuries, I lost weight just by eating right. However, come January, my metabolism settled in and my body got use to what I was doing. I couldn’t cut back without feeling hungry all day – not good when you are a fat chick! Eating healthy was no longer enough. Thankfully my doctor give me the clear to do yoga. I started doing yoga 3 days a week. And then, like magic, the scale started to cooperate.

Over the last few weeks, I’ve added daily walks to my routine, kicking my metabolism up a few more notches.

Obviously, the closer I get to my goal weight, the slower the weight will come off. While I’ve been averaging a loss of 3.5 lbs the last few weeks, I don’t expect to keep that up. Also, I know my plateau will come back someday. So I plan to be better prepared to give it another ass-whupping.

Clean Bill of Health

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Image courtesy of winnod/ freedigitalphotos.net

Image courtesy of winnod/ freedigitalphotos.net

Went in for my annual physical today. I was trying to temper my excitement. With the weight loss and the increased energy levels, I was assuming good things. But we all know what happens when you assume. So I decided it was best if I was cautiously optimistic.

Turns out the numbers are better than I thought. The lab work showed my numbers significantly improved over last year. Since going low carb and getting off the couch, my:

HDL levels (good cholesterol) jumped 15 points
Blood sugar levels dropped back down into the normal range
Vitamin D levels, up 10 points, back into normal range

My doctor couldn’t be happier with the results. Obviously, the biggest change from a year ago was the weight loss – 65 lbs. I mentioned to him about training for the Tough Mudder when I hit 200 lbs. He wants me to get me on a treadmill for a heart stress test before doing something that intense. Makes sense. But he likes my plans to start going on day hikes this summer.

Also, if I keep up the weight loss, there is a real chance that I’ll be off the blood pressure meds by end of year. My blood pressure keeps improving with each visit. If I can hit 110/75 and do so consistently, then I can kiss those pills goodbye! Sweet.