A GOOD YEAR: Celebrating victories great and small

Here we are!  Month four has come and gone.  Beth was right when she said I was a little nervous about writing this progress post. 

That said, how did I do?  Really well!  Since we published my first blog on July 2, 2013 I have lost 11 pounds and dropped:

• 2 inches in my bust 
• 1 inch in my hips
• 1 inch in my waist
• 1 inch in my thighs
• .25 inches in my arms

I doubt I really lost much weight until I started watching my food intake at the beginning of August, but since then I've seen an average loss of about a pound a week.  I'm limiting myself to about 1500 calories per day because that is reasonable and I don't feel deprived or "on a diet" which would be contrary to the lifestyle overhaul I am seeking.  I still have my Saturday outings with my friends where I don't really worry to much about what I eat, which also helps this not feel overly confining.

What's also cool is that by adding the weight routine in, even just two days a week, I dropped four pounds in just two weeks!  I had read that lifting weights and gaining muscle could have a greater impact on weight loss than pure cardio but was shocked to experience the difference myself!  I also learned that telling Beth something is so easy (like leg lifts) means she will find a way to make it infinitely more difficult the next time - just try last months resistance program and then try this months resistance program to see for yourself.

In addition to these measurement based victories I've seen what I learned are called non-scale victories (NSVs).  Some of mine include:

• Walking up the stairs without getting winded
• Keeping up when I go on a hike, even on steep hills
• Fitting into a pair of jeans that I haven't been able to wear in years
• Being able to go to kickboxing and keep up

My identity is still so closely aligned with the scale that I can feel pretty down if I'm not happy with the number I see.  But so much has happened emotionally during these last four months that really aren't reflected by pounds or calories or inches.  And what I've ultimately found is that I am doing something just for me every time I workout.  Whether that's hitting a bag until I can't feel feelings, accomplishing something I never thought I'd be able to do again because of my weight (kickboxing, hikes up crazy hills) or just enjoying the beauty of the neighborhood I grew up in - all of it is just for me.  And that has meant so much more than I can measure.

 

Me and Olive (who has also lost weight) on October 12, 2013

"If things start happening, don’t worry, don’t stew, just go right along and you’ll start happening too." - Dr. Seuss