A year of little victories

People ask about my weight loss all the time, I love answering questions about it because I want people to know there is a realistic solution that does not involve shakes, or pills or killing yourself at the gym. Science! I love science, I am such a nerd. I am studying to be a nurse, working on the few pre-requisites I have left before I start nursing school, hopefully in Spring 2012. In my studying I have learned about nutrition, as kind of a passion of mine. I love to learn about what makes stuff work, this past semester in Anatomy & Physiology 1, I learned the science behind what actually makes a muscle contract, once it clicked I thought, "wow, I'm so glad I don't have to make a conscious effort to do make my muscles work, it just works." That's how I feel about losing weight now. I keep my food log, and I stay within my budget and the weight loss just happens. I don't have to think about it too much, I just make sure I am honest with myself about what I am putting in my body.
One of the most frequently asked questions I get from people about weight loss has to do with motivation. "What keeps you going?" I think this is the perfect time of year to talk about motivation, or lack of it. Lots of people make a New Year's resolution, to quit smoking, lose weight, or get more exercise, only to give it up after a few weeks of only giving it half the effort. For me, this WAS a daily struggle, it wasn't easy, I kept thinking, "well, I can do it tomorrow" but the next day would come and I would put it off again. Christmas 2009 I was sick of myself. I was exhausted from carrying around too much weight, and not eating right. I was depressed and my self esteem was next to nothing. I knew something had to change. December 28th, I started keeping a food log and I decided I was going to have to find a reason to keep going. I started a list. I like lists, written out documentation that you can check off as you accomplish something. This list included things that I was happy with, and things that made me sad. What I was proud of, and what I wanted to work on. The list of things I wanted to work on kept growing, and growing and I was feeling so overwhelmed that I decided, I will work on one thing everyday and I will win. Every little day I started looking for a little victory.
Here are just a few of the little victories....
Day 1, December 28th, I kept under budget and still got a glass of wine.
December 29th: I ran for the first time.
January 23rd: I lost my first 10lbs.
January 21st: my pants were falling off.
January 30th: I ran 20 minutes, 2 miles straight no walking.
Feb 15th: I was the same weight I was at my wedding.
March 5th,  I had to get some (extremely wrinkled) pants out of an old box because my pants are just falling off now.
March 26th, I finally got tired of my pants falling off and I got some old clothes out of the closet. (About 2 years before I had bought 10 pair of size 10 pants and i told myself they would fit by the end of the year, but they never did) . My kids got excited and helped me try on every pair. They were all BAGGY!!!!!!!!
April 8th: I had to get my rings resized.
April 24th: I have collar bones!
april 25th, my husband said, "Oh my goodness, you're tiny"
May 15th: caught my husband checking out my butt.
I will try to post a new little victory everyday.




here are my favorite little victories....

Size 42 to size 34. 

Size 16 pants to size 4

What is your little victory today?

guitarplayingmommy,
Heather