3 Pairs of Pants

Hey, guess what? I'm fitting back into 3 pairs of pants now! This is huge. I was so excited last week when I fit into pair #2 and now this! Well, okay I did have to unbutton them after lunch, but still, I couldn't even get them on a few weeks ago. I feel a little bit better about having at least three pairs now to choose from for wearing to work. I can't believe I went a whole week wearing only one pair. Good thing I work with all men and no one even noticed (yes, I washed them - twice). I bought 4 new pairs of pants last year when I started gaining weight. I was wearing the ones that were getting to small until I finally decided I wasn't going to feel bad about myself and just went a head and bought bigger sizes. Luckily I didn't outgrow any of them. I decided to go really slow this time and not stress over every little morsel of food. If I was hungry between meals I was just going to eat. I promised myself to get back on the tread mill and outside on the bike. So far so good. I started weighing myself once a week (why I chose Monday as the day to weigh myself I'll never know) and I've lost 8 pounds so far. I think it is actually more because I remember weighing myself a few months ago and I was something like 162, but when I began actually recording the weekly weight in January I was at 158. This week and last week I'm at 150. I've noticed a pattern revolving around my period which is very insightful. The Mondays following my period are when I've had the most noticeble losses. Then the next 3 weeks range from -1 lb. to +1 lb. In the past I would have freaked and scrubbed the whole thing for a gallon of ice cream and Oreo cookies. I'm just trying to look at the big picture. Sort of like saving for retirement. It isn't going to all happen at once and slow and steady is the way to go. Besides it is so much better to be able to run around with the kids without all that extra weight or having to stop because my blood sugar dipped to low from not eating properly. Dieting is so mental and emotional. It has been such a vicious cycle for me most of my life. The skinniest I have ever been was about two years ago when I did the Atkins / low carb diet. Yeah, the weight came off ( I was 137 at the doctor's office in April 2004! I mean the doctor's office, which you know is always about 5-6 pounds more than you weigh at home, in the morning, without clothes, after going to the bathroom...)but I had no energy to exercise and it was a pain in the ass cooking seperate meals for myself. Oh, and (step) son kept eating my low carb stuff, cuz, well I guess he decided he was going to try low carb too. He is now doing the Ab diet. He has all kinds of stuff going on in the kitchen, so now I am stealing his food! Ha! Take that.
Anyway, I slowly came off that (low carb diet) which coincided with fall turning into winter (my worst time of year) my mother becoming ill, my mother passing away (December 2004) on top of dealing with the holidays and normal winter blahs that hit every year. So, I pretty much let myself go for the last year. Thus the new pants (size 12 and 13, I think) and the weight hitting up in the 160's, which brings us to now. I've been running, biking (off and on, damn weather!) and eating well since end of December / beginning of January. So with a net loss (did I mention this before?) of 8 pounds I can really see (and appreciate) the difference. I would love to run a 10K this season (maybe 2?) I might be heading toward setting this as one of my goals. Maybe my son (10 year-old) would run it with me or maybe he could run a 5K kids' run that coincides with a 10K? For now, I am happy with three pairs of pants to wear...

Now, when I can get back into my size 8's we'll really have a party!