I took the day off from work yesterday and it was a lovely, temperate day. Later in the afternoon, we ventured out to Buckhorn Island State Park to see if we could get anywhere – unfortunately we couldn't walk far before it got way too mucky and muddy. There was one area where we could walk but not much more than a half mile or so. Still, it was nice to get outside together and breathe in the fresh spring air. I asked my partner to take a photo of me to commemorate the season's first outing.
When I first saw the photo, I immediately thought, "Ugh. I am still so fat." What an unfortunate response, one that certainly does not honor myself or my body. So I looked again, and I kept looking. One thing was, my clothes are getting pretty baggy. Another thing, so what if I am still fat? Of course I am – I still weigh close to 300 pounds, but really, so what? I was happy when that photo was taken and I was out walking and enjoying the onset of spring. What's not to like?
It then also occurred to me that while it is hard for me to see the difference in where I am now from where I started, that I had a photo of myself on our first hike ever from late last August. You can see that post here. Sure enough, I was pretty surprised to see that there is quite a lot of difference. I am actually wearing the same outfit, funny enough. I'm going to be really sad to have to give up those corduroys when the time comes, I tell you what. They are nearly falling off me now as it is.
Anyway, the comparison:
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Those pants back in August just started to fit fairly comfortably, but you can see how they strained a bit at my belly. That is not the case anymore! If you look at the length of the pants in both photos, they're really getting droopy these days. I really should just save them for weekends or lounging at home at this point. The jacket fits much better, too!
This is why taking photos of yourself along the way is so important. Especially when you have a lot of weight to lose like I do, it is easy to forget how far you've come because, as I said before, you're still fat even after losing 80 pounds. But this new photo shows me that my progress is pretty awesome and that there is indeed a big difference in how I look and how my clothes fit!
It has been a rough couple weeks, but with the support of friends and family, I am pushing through. Things are going well with my 5K training, even with what felt like a really bad homework session this morning – it should have been fairly easy but ended up feeling like genuine torture. Still, I made it through and plan on taking an easy walk on my lunch break as well to get some extra mileage in – I've been doing this Running for Fun thing and it's really unleashed the competitor in me! For a while that Craig R. guy and I were neck and neck but I have since crushed him, ha ha! (Just kidding, Craig!) No, but seriously, it's just another tool that helps me get and stay more active. I love it.
On another note, this week I made yet another adjustment to my program. I have been a daily weigher ever since I started back in May. Because I have been getting pretty discouraged lately at my scale readings, I decided to take the jump over to weekly weigh-ins instead. They will be on Fridays, when I normally go to Fleet Feet to check in for the Ton of Fun group. I tell you what, it has taken a big load off my shoulders, much more than I would have expected. I feel even better about my activity efforts and I am just as vigilant about my eating. Somehow I imagined that it would all go out the door if I wasn't monitoring the number on the scale every. Single. Day.
So we'll see how it goes. So far, I think it was a smart decision for me at this point. I need as much positivity in my life as possible.
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