160 lbs differences

1.  My purse doesn't fall off my shoulder anymore because there is SPACE between my elbow and my waist.

2.  My buoyancy in the pool has changed dramatically.  Before, I was my own fat, floating island.  Now, I have to work HARD to tread water or I sink like a rock.

3.  I can fit in all the rides at the amusement parks.

4.  I can go in just about any women's clothing store and buy off the rack, instead of having to special order from mail catalogs.

5.  I don't have to check the weight limit on step stools, ladders, or chairs.

6.  I fit through turnstiles- before they would have to open the side gates for me.

7.  I can reach to paint my own toes.

8.  Shaving my legs and under arms is much more precarious because my knees are knobby and my under arms are concave.

9.  I went from a size 9 wedding ring to a 4.5

10.  I went from a size 32 pant to a 12.

11.  I used to have to buy earrings with extra long posts because even my earlobes were fat, now they hang out of my piercings.

12.  I can run steps for hours.  Before, just getting off the couch would have my heart pounding.

13.  I used to have cysts and nodules develop between my thighs and on my butt on a regular basis- sometimes two or three at a time.  I can't even remember the last time I got one...years now.

14.  I used to get sweat rashes between the folds of my skin.  Not anymore.

15.  Children could not fit on my lap because my stomach took up too much space.  Now my two kids both fit easily.

16.  I wore a 3X shirt before.  Now I wear a medium.

17.  I wore a 44 C bra.  Now I wear a 38 B.

18.  I used to worry about being forced to buy two seats on airplanes.  I never did have to, but the fear made taking trips terrible.  Now...I understand the annoyance of having to share such a small place with someone who takes up more than their share.

19.  I get complements on my skin and hair now.  Before I was constantly fighting with pimples and thinning, scraggly hair.

20.  When I walk into a store, clerks often ask me if I need help, etc.  Before, that never happened.

21.  I get MUCH more eye contact, smiles, and greetings from strangers.

TO be continued...

Trim Tuesday

Exciting this happened to me last week, Wendy from Daily Dose of Del Signore contacted me to link up and...um, DUH...I said YESSSS!!!  Come check it out!

No underwear comments! ;-)

Rewarding my Achievements

Look what I managed in my yoga class this morning?!!  I am SO proud of myself!  This is more difficult than it looks, I assure you!  It takes a lot of muscle control and balance.  Yes, I need to work on it more, I can see I'm listing a bit to the right, but just being able to get my legs up there and hold them that way is a big friggin' deal!!

I cried in my car afterward looking at this picture.  It is just SO far away from Fat Cole who could barely get up a flight of steps right-side-up.  Had I not asked my instructor to take the picture, I would have been making excuses as to why it wasn't as awesome as it really was, and I never would have told anyone else about it.  But here is the proof.

I am amazing.

I felt the need to reward myself for it, and of course Fat Cole's first idea was to stop at the local Dunkin Donuts I have to drive by, but I white knuckled the steering wheel and headed straight home.  My husband has recently decided he might like to start running with me (inside SQUEAL!), but needed some new sneakers and shorts.  So we headed out for the afternoon and along the way, I snagged these beauties.  Some things really should just come with a person's name written on them, because these were made for me.  I love everything about them and for $10, they became an AWESOME reward for my new accomplishment.  

A Soldier in the War on Obesity

Today, at the suggestion of friends, I opened a Facebook group called "Habitually Healthy."  I'm not sure I know what I'm getting myself into at this point, but so many people ask me on a daily basis, "How'd you do it?" that it just seemed easier to send out mass messages, which is what brings me here as well.  I've had several different blogs at this point detailing my trek to the other side of the scale in losing 160 lbs, the most popular being The Evolution of C. 

Now that I have reached a point of satisfaction with the number on the scale, I'm ready to focus on honing the heathy day-to-day habits and decision making skills I have developed these past 3 years, and share the tips and tricks I've established and come upon with the rest of the world.

I see myself as a soldier on the front lines in the fight against obesity.  I won't rest until I've poured out every last hope and idea I've got to help other people struggling to survive in a world of too much and plenty.

Here goes nothin'...