Some magical things occur as you see the weight on the scale go down. Those “Yes” moments when you realize that all your hard work is paying off. Some of them are obvious like our pants and shirts fitting better or even getting baggy. Well, I got super excited one day when I was drying off after a shower. Hmmm, wonder if I could actually take this towel and wrap it around myself and tuck it in like I see them do on television. I could not believe it! Not only could I completely wrap it around myself but there was enough to tuck it in as well. I haven’t been able to do that since I was a child. Well, I could with a Beach towel but not a regular old Bath towel. I paraded around the house like I had the Miss America sash on. It was one of those exciting moments that you mostly keep to yourself. I mean it is kind of embarrassing to announce to friends and co-workers. “I can actually wrap and tuck a Bath towel around myself!” But it sure did give me a boost. The next thing I noticed is that I could tie my shoes without grunting and squishing my tummy into my back. I could walk up the stairs without feeling like I had just ran the Boston Marathon. And Um, wait, did that guy just check me out? AWESOME!
I set small goals and I do believe that it has helped me to lose as much weight as I have. I was 264 at my highest. I can’t believe I am sharing that but it is so much easier when you are on the other side of it. My first goal was to get under 250. Very doable. Then it was to get into the teens. I reached that goal as well. Then it was to get under 200. Did it! My ultimate goal was to actually weigh what my Driver’s License said I weighed. When I renewed my license a few years ago, my old one said 160. The DMV lady looked at me with one eyebrow raised and said “would you like to change the weight on here” Yikes. I couldn’t say okay, put 250, which is what I weighed then, it was way too embarrassing. Not only at that moment but anytime I would have shown someone my Driver’s License. I try really hard not to lie, but I could only squeak out “Okay, 190” . Finally, I reached that goal as well. I decided that I would let my body tell me how much I should weigh. I went from morbidly obese to, just obese then to “Just overweight” Yahoo! I was happy with being “just overweight” I got down to 180 and felt pretty darn good. I was still eating less and moving more. I remember lying in bed one night and I had my hands on my stomach. What the heck is that lump on my stomach. I felt around. They were all over! Oh, wait, that is actually a muscle, in my abdomen. OMG! I actually have Abs! It just keeps getting better and better.
