Work Stuff

The problem with starting this blog so far in to my weight loss is that I've missed out on writing about some milestones and other things about my ever changing weight. One of my favorite stories from my weight loss journey is the story behind why there is a safety pin in my black 26/28 dress pants.

It may not seem really odd or different that I do have a safety pin in my pants, they are two big for me so I 'took them in' about two inches and I used the pin to do it. What's even better, is the story of the day I took them in. One day I was at work and MY PANTS FELL DOWN! LOL! I don't think that anyone noticed but it did happen. I walked around holding my pants up because I was on my way to lunch when they fell down and I was hungry! I eventually was lucky enough to get a safety pin from one of our Senior CSRs and I use it every day I wear those pants. I hate to sew.

I work at a wonderful office. We have so many days where there is so much food available. They have monthly birthday parties including cake and ice cream! During Halloween there is candy EVERYWHERE.  We even have trick or treaters that come in so there's candy at our desks. They gave us cider and doughnuts for customer service appreciation week last month. They had a popcorn machine in the lunch room one day too!

I'm allowed 44 points a day and I have 49 extra weekly points, and I actually at 70 points on Halloween! I definitely learned a thing or two that day. I'm going to be ready for next Halloween! Halloween was the same week as my birthday so it was a tough week for me. I managed though! Seems like every time I turn around at work they are serving food. Not that I'm complaining! I'm just thrilled that I can participate in the food! So nice not to have to deprive myself like I did with so many other weight loss plans. We had a "goodies" day today. I completely skipped the veggies and had two sugar cookies! I usually eat the veggies. We had pizza last week and I was not aware of it til after I ate my 7 point lunch and I was getting ready to go to a buffet that night with my family and I didn't have a lot of extra points left.  I had a little tiny piece of pizza. It was two inches at the top at the most. It was just enough to get a taste because the pizza they serve at work is awesome. I am just so thrilled how my thinking about food has changed. WW really makes you think about what you put in your mouth. I've come a long way. I'm so proud of myself.

What I am looking forward to.

I am now realizing how much I've been missing out on. I have so much to look forward to...

Looking forward to:

• Wearing shorts/showing my legs. My legs are very big right now and I haven't shown them in over ten years. Nothing but pants, long dresses and long skirts for me for now.
• Wearing a bathing suit
• Sit comfortably in a plane seat without an extender. Last time I was on a plane, in 2003, I was 308 and it was so uncomfortable and I had to use a belt extender.
• Sit with another person in a seat on The Comet at Great Escape. I have to sit alone now.
• Sitting Indian style
• Being able to sit on the ground without having to lean back (might actually be there, just don't have a reason to sit on the floor or ground)
• Not having to worry about having to sit next to someone at an event or movie theater (almost there)
• Not having to worry about fitting into a movie/venue seat (almost there too)
• Crossing my legs
• Having a lap for my granddaughter to sit in. I'm also thrilled that by the time she will be able to remember things I'll be to my goal and she will only know me as thin!
• No longer having to wear plus sizes, and having more than three stores to shop in.
• Lower my medication levels. I am on four different medications. One of them is at the highest therapeutic dose and I look forward to taking it down. Someone close to me actually thinks I will go off it completely. HAHAHA I will need to be on it for the rest of my life whether they like it or not.
• Fitting into the Sasquatch at Great Escape (hopefully summer of 2012)
• Fitting into Kingda Ka at Great Adventure, the second fastest roller coaster in the world.
• Fitting into all of the rides at Six Flags New England, especially Bizzaro, formerly known as The Superman. Last time I was there I was the same size I am right now and I couldn't fit into many of the rides. I fit into every ride at Great Escape at the time and was shocked to not be able to fit into all of the rides at SFNE.
• Getting to my goal weight of 145, the same weight I was in sixth grade.
• Weighing less than the entire WWE roster
• Going to my next High School Reunion and not be the biggest person in the room. Heck, just not being the biggest in any room.
• Not being afraid of not being able to finish hiking the Indian Ladder Trail at Thacher Park. I haven't tried it because I have been afraid of not being able to finish it.
• Hike in the Adirondacks again. I grew up hiking them and stopped hiking them some time in the late 80's.
• Skydiving! Something I plan on doing once I get to my goal.
• Going on a cruise! Someone in my family has offered to send my husband and I on a cruise when I get to my goal.

All ready accomplished...

• Rode a roller coaster and fit into almost every ride at Great Escape
• Don't feel so self conscious walking through the mall. My highest weight really made shopping a horrible experience.
• Can put my arms on the arm rests at the movies
• My wedding ring and engagement rings are getting big and need resizing eventually.
• Tightened my buckles on my Birkenstock shoes
• I can slouch!
• I can put my laptop in my lap!
• I can wear a coat and a seat belt at the same time, There was a time there when I had to take off my winter coat to be able to buckle my seat belt.

Visual Proof

I don't have a lot of full body pictures of me at my highest weight. Do you blame me?! I am usually the one behind the camera and made sure that if someone was taking a picture of me it was from my chest up. These are the few that made the exception

October 2009. Me, Rob Baker of the Tragically Hip, my husband and my good friend Amanda.Taken by a Tragically Hip security guy.

Me New Year's Eve 2009, taken  by my good friend Amanda at The Great Escape "Holiday in the Park". For the record, I couldn't zip that coat, it's a 26/28

Me at The Great Escape with my husband, Daffy and Bugs July 2008. Taken by a Great Escape employee.

Like I said in my previous post, I'm 5'5", I don't see how I managed at that size. My Mother's best friend said I actually grunted when I walked at one time. I am so embarrased yet so happy I am on the way to being healthier. I will be taking full body pictures every time I lose 50 pounds. Here are the "before" pictures taken June 2011 only after five days on WW. I was 337. Those 30/32 jeans were a bit big on me.

I am ten pounds away from taking full body pictures when I reach the 50/100 mark. I can't wait to share them here.

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog! I have been on the Weight Watchers plan for six months as of today and I have lost 40lbs on it. I lost 48 pounds before WW so I have lost a total of 90 pounds. I am coming up on 100 pounds soon and I intend on celebrating!

I started to lose weight March 2010, I was 385. I just started to eat less and it worked.  I'm 5'5" and I look back and I don't know how I managed at 385. I started WW on May 27, 2011. I have seen so many changes in my body in the last year and a half.

For Example:

• I can now bend over like a normal person. Yes, just bending over was a challenge. I used to have to spread my legs, to make room for my gut, and crouch down so I could bend over. Now I can bend over with no problem at all.

• I'm able to put my laptop in my lap. I have to lay back a bit, but I can! 

• I can also slouch now. Yes, my mother always told me not to slouch. I was actually a dancer at one time and I had great posture, and still do but I enjoy  being able to slouch. I was so fat at one point I actually was propped up by my gut!

• I have lost an entire size. I have gone from a very tight 30/32 to a "just right" 26/28

• One big thing for me was riding a roller coaster. I did that October 30, 2011, it was an incredible feeling to ride a roller coaster again.

I have so much to look forward to! Very soon I will be in what I call "1990's territory". Right now I weigh the same amount I weighed when I met my husband in 2005. Once I am under 280, I will be the same weight I was in 1999.

I am using the E-tools on Weight Watchers.com. I am lucky enough to have my Dad pay for my WW, I do monthly pass. I go to meetings in the Capital Region of New York State, where I live. I go a certain night of the week and I try to  go every other week because I like to see larger weight loss results than just 1.5 pounds, 1.3 pounds, etc. My leader is Bette (Betty) and she's awesome. She lost 110 pounds on the original WW plan 1988. She is such an inspiration! She is about 5 feet tall and probably weighs 110 and has to be in her 70's. She's a real pistol! She kind of reminds me of my Paternal Grandmother. We do a cheer and sing a song at the end of our meeting. She makes things really fun. You always get a hug when you come in the door once you come to your second meeting. I don't get a hug anymore because I always come in late from work! I refuse to go on weekends because the meetings where I go are at like 8:30 in the morning on Sat and Sun and I am not a morning person, specially on the weekends! lol.

That's about all I can think of right now.

I look forward to sharing my weight loss journey on this blog. I hope it serves as inspiration to other people!