dianaschnuth

I haven’t publicly posted a weigh-and-measure since February 2010, although I know of at least two times I measured myself since then (March and October 2011 — who knows where I scribbled those numbers down). Tonight will end that dry spell.

But first, some notable NSVs for February:

• Not taking an extra lick of pumpkin cream cheese as I was assembling my breakfast and lunch for the next day
• Choosing to use balsamic vinegar as a salad dressing when I was out of Points instead of using my Weekly Allowance Points
• Eating the half-donut instead of the one full donut that was left in the box when a coworker brought them to work. Related: cutting a paczki in half today and eating it after my weigh-in and workout.
• Planning dinner in advance (cheesy avocado rice and a fancy salad with craisins and salmon and orange balsamic vinaigrette).
• Almost forgot this one: Today I wore a very non-“body-conscious” workout top (read: my spare tire was noticeable to me) to the Strictly Strength class and I honestly, in my heart of hearts, did not give a single fuck. 😀 In fact, I felt really good about myself and my form and my newfound ability to actually do reverse crunches well.

In the notes I took over the course of this month, I wrote, “Sometimes I wonder if I should also log my non-scale fail-whale moments, like giving in to eating a box of mac and cheese after Connor went to bed because i was exasperated and eating an entire box of carbs while watching HGTV would certainly fix that.”

Probably not particularly constructive… but also not a bad idea to help avoid crash-and-burns like that in the future. I can look back on that now and realize that it was a poor decision, but in the moment, I didn’t have that perspective (or didn’t want to have it). In the same vein, I can look at the things that I’ve said make me happy or not-so-happy in my Happiness app and see that I’m happier when I eat healthy, exercise, and sometimes when I’m the right kind of hungry; I’m unhappy after I overeat.

Overall, this month has been a good month for weight loss. Reading my old blog entries last month really helped me recapture the feeling of success and accomplishment that I had back in my initial heyday. Knowing that the end result will happen makes it a little easier to keep myself in check in the evenings, and avoid eating my Weekly Allowance Points (what us old-schoolers still call “Flex Points” because it’s easier to say).

My official WW totals say I’m down 3.8 pounds over the past four weeks. Almost a pound a week? I’ll take it. How did I do it? Increased activity, avoided eating my Flex Points when I could help it, and maxed out my Good Health Guidelines every week — water, fruits and veggies, oils (yes, even those!), vitamins, and dairy.

I set myself a weigh-in mini-goal and a pair of reward shoes to shoot for, and that reward was enough of a carrot-on-a-stick to keep me away from the vending machines at work and to keep me ordering healthy meals while eating out and tracking on the weekends. I earned my new shoes, and now I’m shooting for a new, more professional-looking tote bag for work (if I can lose three pounds this week — I gained 0.2 pounds one week this month, and that threw off my lose-one-pound-per-week mojo).

There’s a lot more I’d like to say, but I think it’s going to go into its own dedicated entry, since it’s more about fitness in general than about weight loss specifically.

And now, for the numbers:

Weight (on the home scale): 185.8
Bust: 42″
Chest (under armpits): 38½”
Ribs (under b00bz0rs): 37″
Natural Waist (the skinniest part): 35″
Lower Waist (where my pants generally go): 40″
Hips: 45″
Upper Arm: 13¼”
Lower Arm: 10″
Thigh: 24¼”
Calf: 15″
Neck: 13¾”

If I compare these numbers to four years and ten pounds ago, I see the biggest losses in the bust, hips, and thighs. Everything else — well, I was going to say that everything else has stayed pretty much the same, but that’s a big lie, since I had a baby in the interim. So, it would be more accurate to say that everything else has gotten back to where it was, which is a definite win.

What’s a bigger win for me is that, when I looked in the mirror during today’s fitness class, the self looking back at me was someone who has been working out four days a week, who has some good-looking shoulders and pecs, and good form and posture, and absolutely belongs with all the other fit people in the class.

Comfortable in my own skin. (Sometimes.)