Cindy

If you’re looking for an upbeat blog, you’ve found it. I can’t describe my joy any other way than ecstatic! But, first, I need to say ahead of time that this blog will not even come close to expressing the joy and excitement I am experiencing because of some annoying cold. Thankfully, it has only stolen my voice and some of my energy but not my attitude.

If you’ve already read this one, I’ve had to repost it because it got lost in cyberspace.  I really liked this particular post and was disappointed to find that the link to it was “broken” so here it is again. 

I was talking to a buddy (WonderWoman) the other day and telling her about my latest shopping escapade. When I finished, she said, “you need to blog about that.” I wish that I had had the time to do it that day but I have some things to add to it today so all is well.

I don’t know about you, but because of my weight, I have HATED shopping for years!!! Well, I was trying to find some warmer clothes to wear the other day and realized that none of them fit me anymore. So, I decided it was time to go for some smaller clothes. Most of my winter clothes were size 18, 20 or 22. I had already given those away and was having to wear short sleeves and shorts. I live in the mountains…it’s getting cold!

Anyway, I went shopping. I usually avoid the mall like the plague because the few places that have “plus” sizes are too expensive. I decided to go to a few shops around town and then hit the mall. I found a couple of shirts at the shops around town and bought them. Then, I went to the mall and well, let me tell you about this store. We have a store called Christopher and Banks (for “normal sizes”) and C.J. Banks for plus sizes. Of course, the first place I go is to CJ Banks. Isn’t it funny how they rarely have cute clothes in plus sizes? I figured, aww what the heck, I’ll look in Christopher and Banks. I found some cute things and took them to the dressing room to try on. I was almost to the room when I asked the attendant/sales clerk to wait so I could get a size larger in the skirt. I actually told her that I was dreaming if I thought I could wear the smaller one. Just on a whim, I decided to try the smaller one on first and get it out of the way. It fit!!!! I couldn’t believe it!! Well, at that point, I was on a roll.

Want to know what size it was? Just a sec, I’m getting there. Ladies, we all know that skirts and dresses are not an good indicator of true size, right? So, I went looking for jeans. Now, there’s how I can tell if I’ve really lost weight. Mind you, I’ve been wearing 18 and 20 for about 3 years now. I went to the dressing room, laughing at my audacity, with a size 14. I nearly jumped right out of them from excitement when I saw that they fit!

I got home with the shirts and wasn’t really comfortable with how they fit. I don’t have a female nearby to advise me so I took them back to the store and asked the sales clerk to help me. I went in and tried on the shirt that I’d taken home and when I came out she gave me an emphatic, “NO NO NO. That’s much too big!” If only you could have seen my face. The shirt was an extra large, I had stepped down from a double X. Unfortunately, the large was just a tad bit too small. Barely, but since I’m used to wearing my tops big, I wasn’t comfortable with it. I hope to go back in a month and try it again.

Okay, for part 2 of my blog…the healthy weight range. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I am not a big fan of the BMI charts because they don’t take into account muscle mass. But, I figure, that’s not my real problem. I’m not overweight because I have too much muscle mass. I mean really, let’s be honest here, it’s fat! Well, my mom was here this weekend for a visit and we were looking at some old pics. I showed her my “in progress” pics …the ones in the brown shirt…and she was shocked. She told me I need to update my pics because I’m not that big anymore. After that morale booster, I decided to check my BMI. I am THRILLED to report that I am now in the “healthy range”!!! I’ve worked so hard to get here and plan to keep working hard till I get to or pass my goal. Granted, I’m just inside the healthy range, I’m still in it! I want to get to the middle of the range because though I’m happy with my progress, I know that this is still not the ideal weight for me personally.

Okay, I know that it sounds as though I’ve been bragging but I don’t see it that way. Yes, I’m proud of how far I’ve come. I’ll post some new pics later this week just so you can see it too. But, it’s not been easy. I’ve worked hard at changing my view of food and eating. I still struggle with my food sometimes and sometimes I give in. But, when I give in, I make up for it by working out more or harder. I’ve posted this in hopes of motivating or encouraging someone else. I want you to know that IT CAN BE DONE!!! In the past 3 or 4 years, I never dreamed that I would see size 14 jeans on me again. At this point, I’m working toward size 12 and dreaming of size 10! Push yourself to reach your goals. If you want some help, ask!! But, if you want someone to say, “it’s okay, just start again tomorrow” or “don’t beat yourself up” , don’t look to me. You won’t hear that from me. It’s brutal honesty. I’ve beat myself up several times during this weight loss stuff because I needed it!! I don’t put myself down, don’t take it that way. But, if I needed a butt kicking, I’d give it to myself or look for someone who would kick me back into place. That’s what it took for me to do this. That’s how I view weight loss efforts. You have to kick yourself in the rear or you’ll just keep slacking off on the workouts or eating whatever you please. I can tell you from experience, you won’t lose much weight that way!!!

THE END (finally!! That was really long.) Thanks for reading.