New jeans = awesome

I bought some new jeans today and now I can't stop looking at my legs. The jeans were bought in a hurry (they were needed to avert a major wardrobe malfunction*) but dang if my legs don't look mighty fine in them. My legs are much thinner than I thought they were and I've been trying not to stare at them as I walk.

The jeans are dark-blue size 12 petites, just right for my short legs. They're also tighter than I would normally get which is why, combined with the narrow cut of the leg, I think they look so good. Normally, I'd just get something on the loose side because I'm all about comfort. But not this pair. This pair looks great. My legs look great! I don't know how long it's been since I've looked at my legs with admiration instead of disgust :) :) :)


* Desperate for pants this morning, I grabbed my old pre-WW jeans to wear to work. Though most of the day was spent hitching them up, the near critical meltdown came in the evening as I was walking in the mall. With each step, the waistband dipped lower and lower until it cleared a good three inches of underwear. I knew then that it was essential for me to buy new pants lest I get arrested by mall security for indecent exposure. It was a near thing, but a strategically placed hand on the hip with one finger slipped through a belt loop kept the whole thing from going horribly wrong.

Compliments in the kitchen

I received another compliment on my weight loss today. It was from a coworker who had mentioned it a few months back, but wanted to compliment me again on how amazing I was doing. She said that I had lost "a lot" of weight. I guess my small frame really doesn't carry weight well. Or, to put a positive spin on it, I guess my small frame loses weight really well ;)

One other thing that struck me about the conversation was that it occurred in the kitchen again. I seem to be getting more compliments there than anywhere else.

Mental note to self: hang around in the kitchen more often.

The Pantyhose Polka

Tiny Trim Tip of the Day: getting into pantyhose is NO easier after losing weight. It was hard at 204lbs, and it's still hard at 169lbs. I didn't mention it before, but I earned a good number of Activity Points rolling around on the bathroom floor at the wedding trying to get into a pair. There was a few tense minutes when I couldn't get the crotch section to go any higher than mid-thigh. I briefly considered just leaving it be, but decided I couldn't pull off walking around like a duck all day.

Peas sir, no more!

I just wanted to take a moment out of my busy day to say that sometimes life isn't fair. I'm working on a particular project right now that requires me to work with high resolution images of food. Not just any food...delicious food. I'm talking full-colour cheesecake the size of my monitor. Even the peas look good and that's saying something.

If there's lick marks on my screen at the end of the day, it's not my fault!

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something really really really tired

I know some of you have been wondering where I've been since my last post. Well, I'll tell ya. I've been acting as an impromptu wedding organizer for some good friends.

We found out last Sunday that they wanted my husband to be the best man. So there was a flurry of activity in trying to get a tux rented with only a week to spare. Then there was half-marathon training walks, dropping off decorating supplies to the bride, and shopping for new shoes. I know there was more, but last week was kind've a blur.

Saturday was spent on setup - mainly decorating the arch and helping with yardwork. I then found out that we were asked to drive the bride and groom to their hotel after the wedding. This is fine of course, but our car was dirty and we hadn't planned on decorating it. So, the afternoon was spent running around trying to find car decorations, getting the car washed inside and out, and driving around looking for road side stands selling dahlias (more flowers were needed for decorating). The evening was spent fluffing car pompoms, designing a "just married" sign, and making last minute decorations.

Yesterday, being the day of the wedding, saw us up at 6a so that we could get showered, pickup a platter of food, decorate the car, and get to the house by 10a for more setup. After that, it was a bit of a blur. There was so much to do. Flower arranging, food serving, more decorating, making sure everything was where it was supposed to be, getting dressed up, taking pictures, making a toss bouquet on short notice, trying to fix the arch so it wouldn't blow down during the ceremony, serving cake, etc. etc. etc.! And everyone kept asking me wedding questions. Which is funny, because I've only been married once, and that was seven years ago!

I was wearing my pedometer the whole day and wound up clocking over 10,000 steps (half of which in heels!). Food-wise, it was a bit of a write-off. Though I don't think I overate, I wasn't too particular about what I chose. Ah well, I figure all those steps I took has to count for something!

So now I'm at work, dead tired and in need of more caffeine. Tonight we've been asked over for the unwrapping of gifts so it's not quite over. I did manage to get in for my weigh-in and meeting on Saturday morning so I still have to post my results. As soon as I get time, I'll be sure to wave my magic blogger wand and get that posted!

Twenty-ninth Weigh-in

Another weigh-in under my belt and yet another .8 lbs lost. That's three weeks in a row! I'd say it was a trend, but the last time I said that, the trend changed completely. Regardless, this means I've lost another five pounds AND I've met my mini-goal of reducing my BMI to 29.9! Officially, I am no longer obese. I'm now just "overweight." Hehe, it's funny that I'm so excited about that! This also means it's charm time. I've already ordered one for this latest 5lbs and another for achieving my mini-goal.

The meeting itself was good. We did a little exercise by closing our eyes and imagining a time in our lives that required patience and persistence to overcome. We then imagined the feelings from that time applying to our weight loss efforts. Finally, we replaced the image by seeing ourselves at goal. Like the goofy girl I am, I started smiling at that point :)

After the meeting, I was approached by another member who asked how much I had lost as she didn't quite catch it when I received my star. She then congratulated me on my loss and said that she had been keeping an eye on me and watching me get thinner and thinner. That was super duper awesome. So much so, I really must approach someone else at the meeting and compliment them, too. I'm shy in real life, but this feeling deserves passing along to someone else despite my wallflower-ness!

I'll close with a great quote our leader gave us. It really is true. The great mountain that's ahead of us can be crossed one pebble at a time.

Nobody trips over mountains. It is the small pebble that causes you to stumble. Pass all the pebbles in your path and you will find you have crossed the mountain.” – Unknown

The slippery slope

I haven't been doing the best that I could be doing on Weight Watchers during the last month. I know this because, among other things, I haven't been tracking as carefully as I should be. I've been going on a slow insidious downhill slide. It started around the time my doctor decreased the dosage of my medication for depression. Normally I'm on an even keel, but a change in dosage caused the whole ship to shudder.

When I'm in a funk, it's hard to function. Anyone who's ever battled with depression knows what this is like. In my case, though I wasn't binging, I wasn't caring a whole lot about what was going in my mouth. I gave myself permission to skip eating a few veggies one day. That slipped to two days, and sooner than you can say "I hate beets," a week and a half had passed with a spotty record of meeting the healthy guidelines of fruits, veggies, milk, water, oil, you name it.

Fortunately, the funk passed, but it was replaced by an increase in projects at work. Which left no time for me to indulge in my favourite internet hobby of reading up on all things Weight Watches. Between this and the funk, I've felt rather isolated and like I'm not really following the program despite tracking my points every day.

This brings me to a few realizations. The first, is that if you give yourself permission to slip, you better be sure it doesn't lead to that slippery slope. Or, if you find yourself halfway down that slope, find a rope, tie a knot in it, and hang on. The second, is the importance of connection and community. Taking inspiration from others is not a small thing. It keeps you going and reminds you that you're not alone.

This week for me has been going better. My mood is up and I've recommitted to careful tracking and meeting the healthy guidelines, veggies included. I'm also going to make time to participate in the WW community a bit more. If not in the day, in the evening at least. I do so enjoy reading everyone's blogs and I miss it. Tonight though, it's time for bed. My rope is tied and I'm hanging on. And as they say, tomorrow is a new day.