Friday, September 28, 2012

A Tale of Three Pants

This is the Week 4 post for the Pish Posh Challenge.

In May of 2011, I What Not To Weared myself.  I tried to get on the show, but to no avail.  It became clear I was going to have to throw away my own deplorable wardrobe and buy a new one with my own money.  For those unaware, What Not To Wear is a show on TLC where two hosts tell you why you dress terribly, throw all your clothes in a garbage can and help you buy new ones up to $5,000.  The best part is they secretly film you looking awful and then ambush you.  I was always looking around for the secret cameras, but I was always so disappointed.

The good part about not being ambushed was that I had time to lose weight before my big day.  I had 20 weeks from the inception of this idea to shopping day, so losing 15 or so pounds should have been easy.  I lost 5.  Well, 5-ish.  Fine.  It was 4.

I purchased 3 pairs of jeans on my shopping day.  I should note here that I work in a very casual office and I wear jeans every day, every season.

One pair fit perfectly.  They weren't Skinny Jeans, but they were meant to be form fitting.  They looked really cute on, which is unusual for me and jeans.  Another pair were my fat jeans.  When I lost another 2 pounds, I was afraid I'd be retiring them early.  The third pair was cut in a normal way everywhere, but the waistband (not that they were elastic, mind you) seemed to be cut smaller so these were not jeans I enjoyed sitting down in.

By the time I started this challenge, the skinny pair and I weren't getting along, the weird waistband ones weren't even an option and the fat jeans were getting a bit snug.  Things looked bleak.  It was bad enough I had needed to buy fat shorts to get me through the summer, but now I was going to need more fat pants.

As of today:  The weird waistband ones are still weird, but they fit again.  The skinny pants fit again and my muffin top only protrudes over the top instead of trying to escape completely, so I can wear almost any of my shirts with them (as opposed to only the few tent-like shirts I have).  The fat pants are starting to become looser.  Sadly I still need new jeans because when you wear the same 3 pairs every day for 16 months, they tend to wear out a bit, but I'm going to give it a few more weeks and see if I can't drop a size.

***
Goal 1:  No alcohol during the week.  I've actually had none at all since 9/4.

Goal 2:  No take out/restaurant breakfast or lunch during the week.  I almost caved twice this week, but I held firm.

Goal 3:  Exercise 20 minutes per day. I missed 2 days completely.  One day I walked all day long on the boardwalk and at a museum with the family, but it wasn't "fitness walking."  I'm still counting it.  That means I've missed 2 out of 25 days.  This may be a new record for me.

Starting weight: 162.8
Weight as of 9/28: 154.6

That's 8.2 pounds!!  Someone get a camera, I'm actually smiling!

I'm going to keep the same goals for October, plus add 1 more.  I'm going to add in weights/strength moves 2 times per week.  My plan to set very small goals so I could attain them and feel good about my progress seems to be working.  I'm going to stick with that.  I had wanted to lose 10-15 pounds in the 8 week challenge and it looks like I'm on track to meet that goal.

Pish had a picture on her post this week that said something like, "If you're tired of starting over, stop giving up."  Well, if that ain't the truth.  I'm going to get that embroidered on a pillow.  I'm going to blow it up into posters and hang them up all over my house and office.  Actually I'll probably just try to remember it when I'm feeling weak or wanting to bail on my goals.

Every day I have two choices:  I move towards my goals or I can move away from them.  I won't always choose wisely, but hopefully I will more often or not.  Hopefully each choice becomes easier.

Wish me luck next week, you guys.  I'm about to embark on the worst week for a woman and her diet.


22 comments:

  1. I have a big smile on my face, you are doing so great! I gave up alcohol (wine) during the week but am still enjoying on the weekends. You are so strong. Keep at it!

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    1. Thanks! Good for you for giving it up on the week days. It's hard to change routines, but sometimes it's worth it!!

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  2. The best part about this tale is how positive you are feeling about your progress and how optimistic you are about attaining your goal! Very motivational, and that quote is great! You should be very proud of yourself!!

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    1. I am feeling good about things. I'm trying to just be happy with the progress I'm making as I make it and try not to think too far in the future. That's when it gets overwhelming!

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  3. WOW!!! This is fantastic! Good for you. I have the same issues with jeans and now am buying multiples when I find a pair I love. I have a long inseam and it is so hard to find ones that fit correctly.

    Since you haven't had any booze since 9/4, why not give it up completely for the month of October, instead of during the week.

    Hard? Yes, but you can do it!

    I am so proud of you!

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    1. I have a very short inseam so to accommodate my gut and butt I have to go up sizes and then the legs look ridiculous. Sigh. But at least I can get some more mileage out of what I have!

      My weekend goals are to be reasonable with my calorie intake. I'm never reasonable when alcohol is involved, so truthfully I'm avoiding it because of the calories in it and the poor food choices I make when I drink. So it is really a full time avoidance, but if I'm going to have a drink, I'm definitely keeping it to the weekend.

      Thanks for such a nice comment!!

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  4. I like that you're taking manageable steps to being healthy. Great job. Thanks for being an inspiration!

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    1. Aww, thank you! I often bite off more than I can chew and then fail, so I thought I'd try something different. Progress is slower, but still good. :)

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  5. Holy huge congrats! You've inspired me too. I just fit into my skinny jeans today - but can't breathe fully in them yet.

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    1. Yay for fitting into your jeans! Breathing can come later - getting them on is key ;)

      Thanks for the comment!

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  6. I really, really don't like buying pants. Really. Trying on pants is torture. Therefore, most of my pants are old and ragged. Congrats on the weight loss! Keep up the good work!

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    1. Thanks! Yeah, I hate buying pants too. When you add my size to my 10" inseam (I might be exaggerating), it makes it really hard. But if I can keep losing weight, I might learn to enjoy it!

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  7. So awesome! i'm so impressed with you right now. You are rocking this challenge. It makes me want to recommit to eating bran, bran, and more bran. I have been slacking on that lately!

    Yay for you! Good job :D

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    1. Aww, thank you! I'm trying so hard. Believe me when I tell you most days it is so hard and I want to give up - that's why I love that quote so much about not wanting to start over. It's giving me the motivation to not quit today. I'll keep going - today.

      You'll make your changes too, I'm sure!

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  8. That's some great success, Michelle!

    I hate shopping, but I like the idea of setting a "Shopping Day" and working toward a target weight for that day. I think I may do that.

    Good luck for this "worst week!"

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    1. I don't like shopping either. I thought it was a good idea until I threw out my clothes first and had to replace everything in one day. That was stressful. We spent 10 hours at the mall and I had 3 friends to help pick stuff. By the time we got to the last hour and I had almost no shirts and no shoes, I almost cried. Now I buy a piece here and there, I'll never spend 10 hours shopping again!

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  9. This is so excellent! Yay for fitting into pants. Yay for sticking to your goals and yay for 8.2 pounds! You are doing so well and I am really happy for you. I like your closing, of choosing whether to move towards your goals or away from them. It's a great way to put it, rather than an all or nothing mentality.

    I feel inspired by your post, so thank you!

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    1. Thank you so much - really, you help me keep going because I know you'll notice if I miss tweeting my walk and that pushes me to get out there or at least explain myself if I don't.

      I'm usually very all or nothing, which is why I usually crash and burn. Changing your life completely forever is really hard but I'm trying to see it in smaller, more manageable, daily goals.

      Last night though, I totally chose the pizza ;)

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  10. You are keeping me going! I fell off the wagon a bit and pants are tight again. You inspire me. I will get into my pants, dammit!

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    1. I know you can do it! You inspire ME - you started all of this!! You'll do it!!

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  11. ooooooh, sending you a big huge hug, my friend! I am so so so proud of you. You're proving to yourself that you ARE strong enough to do this. I LOVE that you're feeling the change in the fit of your clothes. That's a biggie! Good luck this coming *week*... sending good juju. ;)

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