Weighin' in

Since we last "met," I was in the swirl of the stress bucket known as the end of the school year. When I am stressed, my thyroid goes a little nuts and it causes me to retain fluid. Not pretty, but it is something I am learning to navigate. So, those three weeks where I gained three pounds and then lost nothing were actually an encouragement to me. You see, I knew I was still eating really well for the most part, and that under the cosmetic puffiness (to use a nice term), I knew I was losing weight. Call it a little faith in myself for once--something I haven't had in a long time. Since last Friday, I've lost 11 pounds. I think that is a direct reflection of what stress does to me. Since January, I've lost the nice round number of 30 pounds.

I'm going to trust you all with a little secret. I'm going to show you some before and after pictures. I had emailed them to some folks, but I'm feeling brave for once. Some of you may know what it is like to get the "stares" of disgust or to be treated like you don't exist. I'm trying to get over that, so I'll post them.

This is me at my heaviest in Sept. '06. Reactions to medication and an unstable thyroid in addition to eating crud got me to that point. I even had to cut my hair because of what the medication was doing to it. One of the not-so-fun things about my job? The yearly picture. I cried when I saw this the first time; then, I just started praying for change.


So, that school year I tried to lose weight. However, I didn't really start losing the weight in a more consistent way until after this picture was taken. This is Sept. '07.


When the weight-loss challenge was made from Ssssteve to Wyatt, I quietly hoped I'd be asked to join in. I needed some people in the same boat as me. I'd been having a hard time with some stuff and my home life isn't the best, so losing weight was something I was beginning to think I would not be able to do; it was just one more thing to deal with. Sometimes dealing with the weight is easier to ignore, especially since I'm an emotional and stress eater.

So, when I was asked if I wanted to join the challenge, I decided that it was time to not only work on just losing the weight, but that it was also time to work on the psychology behind my weight--why I eat, and the impact of specific foods on my body. I'm getting better at both. So, here is where I am at the moment. I took these with my cell phone Wednesday night before the concert.



Now, while I probably won't look 16 again, this is my general goal. Hopefully, this time next year or (more realistically) Christmas '09, I'll have met my goal. I would consider that a major blessing and answer to prayer.


I will post about this one last time Monday. However, I will post monthly progress in my side bar until I reach my goal.