About a year ago, I lost fifty five pounds, and was finally closing in on a healthy BMI - a weight I could only dream about, been overweight since childhood. I had been fairly physically active in the spring with volleyball, walking to class or for exercise, and a full-body workout I was doing maybe twice a week - my fat ratio was likely the lowest it’s ever been. Plus, my butt looked great.
Cut to today. I’m 5’5”, and have been tottering between 172 and 180 for the past four months (180 is obese territory). My waist and stomach have each gained 2.5 inches over the course of a year, and my activity levels are abysmally low as I only leave the house maybe three times a week, and maybe go on one walk (only exercise) every eight days. My motivation has been at an all-time low.
To me, I look huge. My clothes are tighter, some of the smallest “skinny” pieces I bought a year ago are useless right now, my face has lost some of its narrowness under my cheekbones and jawline, and the cellulite on my legs and butt is so noticeable. It seems like despite all my efforts last year, I’ve completely backtracked, and I feel like everyone I see is constantly judging how much weight I’ve gained.
However, weirdly enough, my weight loss is still noticeable to others. Sure, my 55 lb weight loss is now only a 35 lb difference, but that is still a difference.
-
Three weeks ago, a new friend was scrolling through my Instagram pictures beside me, and suddenly looked up. “You’ve lost a lot of weight!!”
-
I happened to see the parents of an old friend at a church service, and they both said that I was “looking great” as they gave me a once over.
-
My sister did my senior photos two years ago at my heaviest (215), and a couple days ago mentioned that we could do another professional shoot to have more accurate shots of what I currently look like. “To show all that hard work you put in in the gym”
-
And, shopping for the first time since Christmas, I can still purchase medium tops. My heaviest self would die to be able to do this!
—
So, I guess what I’ve been realizing is that even though I’ve gained back a lot of the weight that I worked hard to lose, I’m not nearly at my heaviest, no matter what my mirror tells me. Since a year ago, I’ve been having this defeatist mindset because I wasn’t losing weight fast enough, which led to plateauing, and even gaining it back.
But now, I’m starting to see that I can still be proud of how far I’ve come. My bikini body may not be exactly how it was last year, but it’s so much better than two years ago. And I don’t want to lose sight of that.
Hopefully this will be helpful to hear for others who have “fallen off the wagon”. Here’s to a healthy and enjoyable summer!!
[link] [comments]
from loseit - Lose the Fat http://bit.ly/2ZyEI0p
