Fat Jeans To The Rescue!

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Me in my size 28 fat jeans. The photo doesn't do justice to how baggie those suckers are now. I'll try to get a better photo up when the hubby is home.

Me in my size 28 fat jeans. The photo doesn’t do justice to how baggie those suckers are now. I’ll try to get a better photo up when the hubby is home.

Yesterday was a bad day. I won’t go into the details, but let’s just say that I started the day feeling sorry for myself (sore knee = no exercise; plateau frustrations galore).  And I ended the day with a big slice of chocolate cake and a side of vanilla ice cream.

Ugh! I hate self-pity days. My rational side knows weight loss is a marathon not a sprint.  It’s just amazing how quickly you can turn on yourself regardless of success.

This morning I stumbled upon an idea to hold the negative thoughts at bay.

While getting dressed I found an old pair of jeans.  I completely forgot about them. When I started losing weight, I did a complete wardrobe overhaul. The only item I kept was the size 28 jeans. I wanted a reminder of how far I’ve come.

I decided to try them on.

Wow! If I needed a pick me up, this was it. I can’t believe that I was that big. But then again, I have days like yesterday where I still think I’m that size.

Sure I look in the mirror everyday, but I can’t see the weight loss. I notice that my clothes are a bit loose or that I have more energy. But I needed to put on old clothes to shake me out of my funk and appreciate the work I’ve done this past year.

From now on I’m going to take a photo of myself once a month to track my progress.  It’s a great way to chronicle my weight loss and motivate me when I feel down.

Getting the photos off the phone is key. Seeing is believing, right? I’ll keep them in strategic places – on the fridge, in my wallet, as my screen saver on my phone and tablet, and on the blog.

I can’t trust my own eyes, but photos don’t lie.

How Do I Measure Up?

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I broke out the measuring tape today. Thanks to the plateau, I’m feeling a bit down. I needed some good news and hoped this would do the trick.

I last measured myself at the end of April. I’m only 2 lbs lighter now, so I was very happy to discover I lost an inch off my arms and hips. Nice!

My Chest, waist and thighs remain the same.

My measurements since the weight loss journey began.

My measurements since the weight loss journey began.

I really need to take my measurements once a month.  The scale is just a moment in time. Seeing my measurements go down is the best way to track my weight loss.

If you’re only relying on the scale to determine your success, I strongly urge you to take your measurements. It is too easy to get frustrated if the scale doesn’t move. I’m bouncing around by a few pounds in either direction for the last month or so. Yet, I still lost inches. That’s something the scale wouldn’t tell me.

Not sure how to take your measurements? Well here’s a little video to show you how it’s done.

What The Scale Won’t Tell You

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Image courtesy of stockimages/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Image courtesy of stockimages/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

It’s been nearly 6 weeks since I broke out the tape measure to get an idea of what my body is doing. Stepping on the scale gives me a general idea of where I’m at on my weight loss journey – the cliff notes version if you will. But it doesn’t take into account body composition.

You can be skinny but out of shape or heavy and fit. The scale doesn’t tell me the proportion of fat in my body or where its deposited at. Measuring inches lost and body fat is a much better measurement of fat loss.

So how did I do since I measured myself in March?

Chest – 45″ (down 1.5″)
Right Upper Arm – 15.5″ (down 0.5″)
Waist – 44″ (down 3″)
Hips – 53″ (no change)
Right Thigh – 27″ (down 2″)
Body Fat % – 45% (down from 47%)

With the exception of my hips, everything going in the right direction.

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.

Finding Dotquatch

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London bee in Hyde Park.

London bee in Hyde Park.

I’m busy looking through my photos. I want to post before and after images of myself where you really can see a clear difference in my weight. Apparently, I REALLY LOVE to take pictures of bees. Yep, that’s right bees. This bee resided in Hyde Park, London. I found one roll loaded with bees. Well, not just bees. Hills, valleys, rivers, flowers, buildings, pets…

Lots of landscape images on hand. Photos of me, not so much.

I’m as elusive as the mighty Sasquatch.

I never thought of myself as someone who didn’t like how they look in a picture. But as I don’t have many of myself, that seems to be the case. I do have a few images of me, but when I was lighter. I’m going to have to use one of those I think. Sigh.

Well spring is here (although it’s a bit on the chilly side) and I’m getting the itch to take the camera out. Virginia is very pretty in the spring, with the wildflowers blooming. Perhaps I’ll capture some shots of the elusive Dot to Trott in her natural habitat.