GOOOOAAAAAALLLLLL!

Today I reached goal and I am just beside myself with joy!

In just about 4 months, I have gone from 177 to 139.5. From a size 14 (squeezing into a 12) to a size 6. I have NEVER been a size 6.

37.5 pounds GONE FOREVER thanks to a low carb life.

If you've been following my journey, you know that I leave on vacation tomorrow which was the immediate motivation for my quest for the single digit size. And there is no doubt I've reached that goal. But more than the weight loss, I have to admit I've undergone a transformation in other ways.

First, besides what it says on the scale, my shape has changed in ways I didn't expect. My face is visibly slimmer, my midsection seems flatter and more toned and while I've always thought of myself as a busty girl... I can now shop at Victoria's Secret because I'm actually a size they carry. This, I think, was nearly as shocking as the single digit dress size. I went from a 38DD to a 34C in 4 months. Not a place I expected to lose but hey, it's all gotta come from somewhere, right?

I've gone from eating whatever was handy to actually thinking about what I was putting in mouth and taking vitamins daily. Low carb eating keeps my Insulin Resistance in check and prevents my blood sugar from crashing by keeping those levels steady throughout the day.

I spend a fair amount of time reading the blogs and websites of other low-carbers hoping to pick up tips (which I do). And in the process, they have all inadvertently offered a level of support and encouragement that I never got anywhere else.

A month ago I actually took up some exercise. This was no easy feat 'cause I am LAZY. Ok, maybe lazy isn't the right word. More accurately, I have other priorities and figuring out where I was going to fit exercise has never been one of them. But rationally, I knew that if I really wanted to get the rest of the weight off, I was going to have to get my butt in gear somehow. So for all you couch potatoes out there...do something. Anything. I inherited a Fitness Flyer and the first week I committed to 10 minutes a day, every day. Then I worked up to 15 minutes. Now I'm up to 20.

So I'm not running a marathon anytime soon but it's something. And I've only missed ONE day since I started (and that was due to a business trip).

The bottom line is low carb eating works for me in a way that no other program ever did. I have more energy which is partly due to how I'm eating and partly due to my 5'3" frame not struggling to carry around 37.5 extra pounds.

Perhaps my initial motivation was the trip but my continuing motivation will be to stay this size because a size 6 feels wonderful.

And this time I will NOT be the fat girl in the cruise pictures.

Tomorrow, I'll get on a plane to Florida and gather with my family before we take off on our cruise. I have not seen my Dad and brothers since months before I started my low carb program. I have also not told them about my journey. I am looking forward to their reaction almost as much as the trip itself... almost.

Have a great week, everyone. I hope to see less of all of you when I return. ;)

20 Percent

Two big pieces of news today.

One...I'm down another pound bringing my grand total to 35.5. And I'm obviously ecstatic about that.

Another pound and a half will put my BMI in the normal range. Yea, believe it or not, despite my new size 6 figure, those darn BMI charts still say I'm overweight. Go figure. Something is sick and wrong about that, dontcha think?

Another pound and a half also brings me to my original goal weight of 140.

Ideally, I'd really like to get to 135 so I feel like I've got some cushion....and because it would give me a big thrill to be in the 130s. Most of the ideal weight charts I've seen seem to want to put me in the 130s as well.

But, the other big news for the day is that with today's results on the scale, I can say that I have dropped 20% of my body weight. How incredible is that? Unbelievable if you ask me.

One more note... I'm re-reading Atkins for Life again. It the quest for a low carb life, I think you have to just keep reading, keep picking up tips because there is always something to learn.

Stay tuned for less of me.

Today's Epiphany

One week to go.

One week until I put my skinnier self on a plane and head to Florida for the trip I've been looking forward to and working towards for months.

And as I've mentioned before, I've been struggling with these last few pounds and I've come to accept that I may not get to that goal weight by next Thursday. I'm 2.5 pounds from it as of this morning. I'm watching what I eat and drink. I'm mixing things up so as to not fall into a rut and I've actually been (GASP) exercising. Last week was my first week using my inherited Fitness Flyer. I started out with 10 minutes a day...every day. I missed one day when I went to Boston but got right back on the next morning. This morning, as I close out the second week on the Flyer, I'm now up to 20 minutes. A true accomplishment from this self proclaimed couch potato.

But whether I hit that magic number by the time I step on a plane isn't the issue... because what is different THIS TIME as opposed to any other time, is that it is NOT just about losing the weight for this trip. It must be about losing the weight and keeping it off forever.

So what has changed?

Aside from making real life altering changes in the way that I eat and life altering changes in the way that I approach food in general. I've come to recognize that it is my responsibility as a wife, mother, daughter and friend to take care of myself. And that isn't easy. It's EASY to go to the fridge and put the first thing your hand touches in your mouth. And it's EASY to order dessert when you go out to dinner. But it's HARD to accept the responsibility for my actions if I take the easy way out.

And how can I expect to be an example to my daughters if I take a "do as I say not as I do." attitude?

I set out on this journey (this time) with that quest for the single digit size...but to be honest, I don't know that I 100% believed that I would get there. I had tried so many times before and fallen short. But I kept plugging along....and will continue to do so (beyond this glorious vacation). No one... and I mean NO ONE is more surprised than me at my success to date. At the ripe age of 42, am I finally showing some maturity and some responsibility for my actions?

I mean really? Whose fault is it that I was 177 pounds? Nabisco's? Breyers? Oh, I know, McDonald's!? Of course not. The fault was mine because I took no responsibility for what I put in my mouth. I blamed the food I ate for what it did to my body. I blamed the clothes in my closet for not fitting right. I blamed the fashion industry for not making clothes I liked in my size.

But in the end, it was no one's fault but my own. And I am certainly not saying it is easy. Everyone one of us who struggles with their weight...truly STRUGGLES with their weight and knows that it is HARD.

But keep going.

If you are struggling, keep going! The end result is SO worth it.

Stay tuned for less of me.

Event Driven Goals

I seem to spend a freakish amount of time reading blogs lately. I'm fascinated (and perhaps a little obsessed) with the morsels of fact and opinions that I get from my fellow bloggers. Especially my fellow low carb bloggers. So, today I read a post by Deb over at Confessions of a Jersey Girl about the whys of weight loss and she made a comment about event driven goals.

Hmm.

Have I ever successfully dieted without an event driving it?

Let's see.

NOPE.

The last time I lost 40 pounds low carbing, it was for my 20th high school reunion. I was one of the planners of the event so choosing not to go wasn't an option. And you know how things like that are. Afterwards, all anyone remembers is which girls got fat and which guys are losing their hair. If you've ever been to a reunion, you know that I'm only exaggerating a little.

In any case, I was determined not to go to the reunion in a size 16 dress (as if we wear the dress size on the OUTSIDE of the dress, right?). So in January of that year, I set out on Atkins and by November I had taken off 40 pounds as was down to a size 10....Where I stayed for about 5 minutes before I went back to eating the way I'd eaten before. Not immediately. But a little bit here, a little bit there and before I knew it, 30 of those 40 pounds had crept back on.

So fast forward a few years to this year and the now-infamous cruise I'm going on next month. Once again, my motivation for this life change was not being the fat girl in the family cruise photos.

And I jumped back on the low carb bandwagon. It worked before, it can work again.

I had that date circled on the calendar as the driving force to "get there" by THAT DATE.

OK, so don't get me wrong. I am jumping-out-of-my-skin-happy that I've taken off these 33 pounds. But I have a number in my head that I'm trying to reach and that would mean losing another 7 pounds (or at least 5 more) in the next 2 weeks. And rationally, I know that may not happen.

So am I a failure for not reaching my "event driven" goal?

Of course not. (she says with some conviction).

But I sure feel a little like one. And even as I type those words, I know how RIDICULOUS it sounds to even THINK that.

I mean I've lost 33 pounds. THIRTY THREE. And even if I don't lose another ounce before the trip, I can proudly say that I lost 33 pounds and went down nearly 4 dress sizes. I am thinner now than I think I've been my entire adult life. I have more energy and feel like I am closer than I've ever been to the size I'm supposed to be.

But the true test of my success will not be the weight I've lost to get here but how well I keep it off after my trip. And that's the event we should all be driving towards.

Stay tuned for (a little) less of me.

It's all a conspiracy, I tell ya!

The goddess of retail was not with me today.

I did a little shopping for my upcoming trip at Kohl's. I really just wanted to pick up a few things since I obviously don't' have anything in my new size.

Ironically, everything I picked up was only available in 12s and 14s (my OLD sizes). All I wanted was a few pairs of shorts, maybe a pair of capris and a NEW bathing suit.

Ultimately, I did find what I was looking for in shorts and capris but struck out on the bathing suit front.

I just found it incredibly funny that when I was a 12 and a 14 and a 16, all I saw on the rack were's 6s and 8s. And now that I'm a 6 or an 8, all I find are 12s and 14s.

It's a conspiracy, I tell ya! Good thing there are still 3 weeks before the trip!

Stay tuned for less of me.

Who's that pretty girl in that mirror there?

I went shopping today for the first time really since taking off all this weight.

My husband found a merchandise credit in a drawer from Lands End that I can't even remember how I got. Well, Sears sells Lands End but I can't use the credit in the store...only online.

So off to Sears I went...to try some things on.

After the size 8 jeans experience the other day, I picked up a few things in an 8 but once I was in the fitting room, found that two of the items were actually a 6. Which I didn't notice until I had them ON. A SIX, are they kidding? Must be a fluke.

I quickly tried on something else in a 6...and it fit too.

How can this be? When I look in the mirror, I see the same person I saw 3 months ago. More or less. This is the same person who was squeezing into a 14. Is Lands End trying to play some cruel joke on me or it is possible that I am really a 6? or an 8? Whatever. I don't really care which.

Kind of makes me want to wear a big freakin' sign that says "yes, these pants are a 6!" But no one would care but me...and perhaps a few friends and family who know how hard I've struggled with my weight.

Next, I ventured to the (gasp) bathing suits. Lands End carries these great tankini separates that are actually cut for grown ups. I picked up a size 10 top (because, ironically, I couldn't find one smaller) and a 6 bottom. And yes, the 10 was too big and the 6 fit perfectly. I'm seriously still in amazement that the size 10 top was too big. I'm standing the fitting room thinking...."they must've labeled this wrong"... or "some bigger girl tried it on and stretched it out."

But what if that's not it?

What if I really am that size?

Why don't I see it?

I mean, I know what the scale says. I know that I've lost 33 pounds. And I know how badly the clothes in my closet fit me...so why am I having so much trouble accepting what is staring me in the face in that fitting room.

When will my brain catch up with my body and see what is staring me in the face?

A thin person.

Stay tuned for (a little) less of me.