49.2 grapefruits

Public Relations guru, Peter Shankman (the man who created Help A Reporter Out), has been on his own weight loss journey over the last several months and posted this photo this morning. Wow. As of today, I've lost 49.2 grapefruits! And hopefully I've built up some tangerines. I've been doing Zumba about three times a week and while the scale hasn't moved much in several weeks (I hear this is normal and can sometimes last five weeks or more...ack), my body feels different and I still can't figure out what size to wear. I have more energy and I don't think I've ever stuck to an exercise routine for this long. Yay!

Aloha, Blue Hawaiian Pants!

Well, I held on to them as long as I could. I loved these pants. I called them my Blue Hawaiian pants. I haven't even worn them in several years, but I refused to get rid of them. My sister made fun of me a few years back for still wearing capri pants with prints. Hey, for awhile there, that was the only thing I could find to wear in my size. Sad, but true. So now that I am down to somewhere between a size 16 and 18 pant, it's time to say goodbye to these size 22 Blue Hawaiian capri pants, along with all the other 22s and 20s still lingering around. It's a good problem to have, but I haven't gotten used to my new size yet and it can actually be frustrating. I read an article about Jennifer Hudson, my weight loss hero, who apparently still has trouble "dressing skinny," so apparently it's normal. It's a good feeling to pack up even more clothes...feels kinda like shedding my skin. :)

Four Tires

Happy New Year! Bring it on, 2012! The last year included a lot of heartache, but also a sense of accomplishment with my weight loss and journey toward getting healthier. As of today, I am now down 78 pounds! That's approximately the same as FOUR average passenger car tires...or one teenager. Holy crap. I've lost an entire person, or my car's tires! I hope and pray that this new year brings even more weight loss and I continue to get healthier and happier. Wishing happiness and health to all of you too!

"You look great! Your hair is different!"

So I've discovered that walking through my office takes longer than it used to. I'm actually walking faster these days (a few of my friends have pointed this out to me), but at least twice a day, someone will stop me and mention my weight loss. So I'm learning to "schedule" time for these run-ins. It's very nice...the accolades just keep me plugging along! Every once in awhile, I will run into someone I haven't seen in awhile and if I don't know them very well, I'll get "the look,"  although now they realize something is different. Today I saw a girl I know who works in a different building & department and she said, "You look great! Your hair is different!" While that's true (just got my hair done), I know she was seeing much more - weight loss, sure, but also a new confidence.

On another note, I survived a 90-minute zumba class tonight! Holy crap. I told the instructor the only reason I did it was because I can't do half of the steps! I feel like I stand there with my mouth open, trying desperately to make my body do what it's supposed to do, but I have absolutely no hand/eye coordination and apparently no rhythm. And I swear endorphins have the opposite affect on me - instead of releasing joy, they make me an emotional wreck! There was an older lady in the class tonight, the mom of another participant, and I almost lost it completely because she made me think of my mom. Oh, how we would have loved to do zumba with mom! Now THAT would have been a good laugh. Then after class, I got super stressed out and started crying about something that shouldn't have pushed me over the edge. Then again, I didn't eat before zumba and maybe all I needed was some food in the 20 percent of the stomach I have left! :)

Zumba

Seems like just when I set a goal to be under a certain weight by New Year's Day, my weight loss has completely stalled. Ugh. I've lost 71 pounds total, but haven't lost anything in over a week! And I've even been to three Zumba classes! Not fair! I know stalls are normal, but I'm getting discouraged, so I hope the scale budges this week.

On my way, slowly...

So my weight loss is slowing down and I've decided I need to kick up my workouts a notch or two. I am pleased with the results (68 pounds so far!), don't get me wrong, but I want to lose 20 more pounds by New Year's Day. So it's time to "stop working out like an old lady," as my doctor told me. Don't tell my sister, but I might have to try Zumba now. Eeek! Here's photographic evidence of my weight loss. Notice I still don't like being photographed from the waist down! Ha.

I did a 5K and lived to tell about it!

Me & my sister Jill at the race.

This year, like the last 4 or 5 years, we walked in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. This was the first year walking without mom...that was pretty tough. It was less emotional than I thought, though, because we had so many of our friends and family walking with us. We did 1980s-themed shirts this year, so some of us went all out. My Madonna hairdo looked a lot better before I left the house. But, more importantly, walking a 5K was much easier this year than it had been in years past without an extra 63 pounds. I still complained the entire way and wasn't sure I would make it, but I did. Woo hoo! Next year, someone suggested that we run. I don't see that happening, but I might walk a little faster. :)