Reflection

I was trying to think of what I wanted to post about or if I was going to post at all. Then something amazing happened and I decided I wanted to share it.

I spent some time today reading some of my blog posts from the past 5 years. It's funny because in one of them I talked about how I wasn't going to focus so much on getting to a certain number by my 40th birthday and I'd just be happy if I didn't weigh what I weighed that day. And, today, I am happy to report that I do NOT weigh what I did last year. And, the number is smaller and NOT bigger!

You know how much I love my comparison photos! I can't express enough how much these help me. It might pain me to put those "before" pictures out there, but it shows me how far I have come even when I feel like I haven't gotten anywhere. It shows me that even though I still have a LONG way to go, there is a big  difference between 240.6 pounds and 215 pounds. It shows me that I AM DOING THIS!!!! 

For the first time today in a very long time I was proud of the reflection I saw staring at my in the mirror. So proud that I decided it was time for a pic. The pants I'm wearing in this pic were ones that I bought at Target yesterday because several of my current exercise pants are getting too big. The 2 pairs of workout capri's that I've been wearing the most are a 2x from the women's department at Kohl's. The capri's below are an XL from the workout department at Target. 

Remember in this post back in February I said I was thinking about making myself a deal....NO MORE Plus size clothing. If the XL or whatever size in the "regular" department doesn't fit, I don't get to buy it. Well, I am sticking to that. I don't think I mentioned the fact that I decided I wanted to try a pair of non-plus size jeans. Now, here's where things get a little sticky with semantics. When I say "plus size" I am talking about having to specifically go into the "women's" department and buy a 16W or 18W, etc. If the ladies section goes up to an 18, to me that's not "plus" size because it came off the rack of the regular section of the store. However, there are plenty of people who would say that anything above a size 14 (or even 12) is plus size. I'm not one of them!

So, as I was saying.....I decided I wanted to see if a pair of "regular" size 18 jeans would fit me. The
ones I have been wearing are either a 20W or 18W. The 18W that I have were starting to feel a little big so I thought there was a good chance they would fit. And you know what?? They DID! So I bought them. And every time I bring home a new pair of pants, I put a bigger pair in my giveaway pile. I really do not want to ever need those clothes again. I want to continue going in this direction. I haven't gone this much in this direction since 2011 when I went 40 pounds in the right direction. But even back then I didn't continue. Even in 2012 when I was continuing my fitness craze and completed and trained for a triathlon and marathon (and other races); I was gaining weight rather than losing. I want and need to figure out both. And I feel like I might actually be on my way to doing that.

Size 18 jeans! :) And a 1x shirt that is actually too big!