What 22 pounds will do

So you would think at my weight, a 22 lb loss would be a drop in the bucket.  But surprisingly, it makes a big difference.  My two pairs of size "8" Lane Bryant jeans (I know, right - I think it's the equivalent of size 26 or 28) are now pretty loose.  So I decided to see what was in my bottom drawer. 

I pulled out 2 pair of jeans that I wore last year before gaining 30-odd pounds.  One from Torrid and one from the Gap.  Both are size 20.  Pretty optimistic, right?  Well, the Gap jeans fit...barely!  I had to pack myself in there like blood sausage but they zipped!  So I wore them - with a long sweater so they didn't look as noticeably tight.  (Never mind that I had to unbutton them while I was in my car.)  I ran errands in size 20 jeans today! 

Weight today: 279.6

The accidental proselytizer

Usually when I am really excited about something new I find it difficult to prevent myself from attempting to convert the uninitiated to my fabulous discovery.  Maybe not the best habit, but there you have it.  When I realized that McDonald's Fruit & Yogurt Parfait was both insanely delicious and only a dollar, I brought it up whenever someone mentioned going to McDonald's (in a town with only 2 fast food joints, this happens more often than you might think).  When I discovered the skin care regimen devised by Dan Kern of Acne.org it was all I could do not to bring it up to friends who complained of acne.  Anyway.  You get the idea.

I have been on Medifast for just about a month and it is going swimmingly.  So you might think I would be blabbing about Medifast to anyone and everyone.  However, weight and diet are very personal, so no matter how enthused I am about Medifast, it is not something I enjoy discussing with coworkers and even friends.  Accordingly, I was not planning to mention it to anyone at work.  But my boss was on it last year with great results so I decided I would mention it to him.  Lo and behold, he blabbed to other people at work!  He is normally rather tight-lipped so I can only assume he didn't think I would mind him mentioning it.  I sort of did at first, but now I am ok with it. 

After a month of being on Medifast, people are noticing a difference.  Now two of my coworkers are going on it!  One of them told me today that after seeing how well I am doing, she decided to try it for herself.  So here I am, not mentioning how great something is, and people are wanting to try it.  I think it means I am making progress. 

I mean, I know that I am making progress, based on the scale and the fit of my clothes.  But I have had weight struggles for as long as I can remember, and as a result I no longer trust my own perception of my body.  When I went from 244 pounds to 184 about 6 years ago, I thought I still looked huge even at my lowest weight.  Conversely, when I gradually gained about 120 lbs over the next 5 years, I BS'd myself into thinking it wasn't that much and surely no one was noticing.   Probably something I need to address if I want to be successful at maintenance down the road...

Anyway, bad or good, there is nothing quite like other people noticing your hard work.

Weight today: 283.2

Organic Batter Blaster

I was at the grocery store today, dutifully bypassing all the delicious food and filling my cart with broccoli, veggie burgers, and low fat cheese, when I encountered a stumbling block.  Now mind you, I had successfully navigated the gourmet cheeses, the bakery, the cookies and crackers aisle, and even glimpsed the chip aisle, but I was not prepared for what awaited me in the organic dairy section.  I was reaching for a carton of Egg Beaters when suddenly I saw...this:

Organic Batter Blaster.  Multipurpose pancake/waffle batter in a can.  You read that right.  It's the Reddi-Wip of pancakes.  And it's organic.

Now, when I saw the Organic Batter Blaster perched one shelf above the Egg Beaters, two things crossed my mind.  First, I cursed my rekindled commitment to healthy living, which precluded purchasing items like Organic Batter Blaster.  Second, I wondered why no one had told me about this product before said commitment was rekindled.

I tossed two cartons of Egg Beaters into my cart and moved on, now feeling somewhat deprived and out of sorts.

When I got home, I Googled Organic Batter Blaster.  As evidenced by several enthusiastic reviews, Organic Batter Blaster has made some very lazy people very happy.  If I'm being honest, I hope to one day be one of those people.  But not today.

Weight today: 288 lbs.