Up 14 & A Ring

So, as you've all likely assumed from the blog radio silence of late, I did, indeed, go through with the whole marriage thing. Just a little over a week in and I'm loving it.

And, wow - the honeymoon! We ate and drank our way through Excellence Playa Mujeres in Mexico! So much so that you'd think I hadn't eaten in months...oh, wait.

So, now I'm up 14 pounds. When we first got back on Saturday, I was up 20...so, 14 is a gift. It also tells me that it's more water (add in my monthly friend that was here to greet me when I got home) than it is actual weight gain. By my guesstimation, the lack of working out plus the alcohol and overeating probably gave me a real five pound setback. I mean, hell, our wedding feast alone was enough to feed all of the food insecure families in the entire Tri-State area (God, I feel gross for having said that...even worse for the fact that it's completely and totally true).

But...screw it. Every morsel was worth it and I'm already back on the wagon. Did 60 of heavy cardio today and am back to counting calories. No more rest for me, since A.) I clearly am never going to be "out of the woods" when it comes to my weight and B.) I do still have a good amount of weight left to lose. In fact, after seeing the wedding photos, as happy as I am for getting to where I am...I am also rethinking where I want to wind up/down. I think I can (and should) go even farther than I initially planned. Not sure yet - but I really think it's necessary and more importantly, realistic. We'll see.

For now though, I'm just going to revel in the 151 pounds of weight loss I achieved before the "big day" and how wonderful it felt to be able to look the way that I did. I felt like me and I looked like me. Better still, I married the love of my life. You can lose all of the weight in the world and look your best, but you can't fake the look and feel of happiness. Want proof? Here it is.

I did it!

With just 3 days to spare, I hit my wedding goal weight loss of 150 pounds. Honestly, I kind of can't believe it. I even would have been happy with 149. What's not to be happy about with that sort of a loss. Still, 150 pounds is downright unfathomable to me right now...and, I only have 30 left to lose before I hit my final goal.

Un-be-freakin-lievable.

Oh, and I get married this week!!! Life is grand at the moment and I'm loving it.

14 Days And One Piddly Pound

I decided a few weeks ago (unofficially - seeing as I didn't share it with anyone but my mom) that I wanted to hit 150 pounds of weight loss by the wedding. Seeing as the wedding is two weeks from today and I've just hit 149 as of this morning...I think it's totally do-able! WOOHOO!

After that, it's just 30 pounds to go -- and there's no deadline on that -- it'll come. I know it.

In other news, I've experienced another major "shrink" over the past three weeks. Here are the numbers:

• Down another 1/4 inch in my upper arms (6 inches total loss)
• Shrunk a half inch in my chest (9.5 inches total loss)
• Burned another 1/4 inch in my chest (8.25 inches total loss)
• Lost another half inch in my saddle bags (13.75 inches total loss - clearly, I am a pear!)
• Obliterated a full inch from my belly (16.5 inches of total loss - holy shit!)
• Even lost another half inch in my thighs (14.5 inches of total loss)

The rest of my body is 'unchanged', but all told, I've lost 96.15 total inches since November 2009.

I predict my final stop with the tape measure will tally up somewhere around the 115-125 inch mark, cumulatively...but I am definitely in the homestretch...er, homeshrink!

Now, off to do some pilates/yoga with Ellen Barrett...or maybe some kettlebells.

102 Days Til The Wedding...103 Til A Bathing Suit

I'm down 126 pounds now. Back into the 230's...for the first time since...2002? I'm also of the belief that I am now a 'reasonably overweight' person for my frame as opposed to a just plain obese lady.

Now, I'm still obese by definition, but having been every number between 365 on down and knowing what I know about my body, how I look and how others react to me now...I'm really just overweight at this point. I'll never be what's considered normal for my height - around 135. I haven't weighed that since I was in like 6th grade. Even when I was at my absolute skinniest I was in the 150s and couldn't sustain the weight without working out at least 60 minutes per day and eating less than 1000 calories. My body just isn't built the way the charts and graphs decree it needs to be.

Personally, I think that somewhere between 165-185 is going to be my sweet spot. I'll know it when I get there. For now, my goal is to hit 185 ... preferably before my wedding ... but that's 54 pounds and the wedding is 102 days away.

Lately, I've been resigning myself to the fact that this number is completely unrealistic. Actually, 'resigning' is the wrong word. I've accepted it. If I've learned nothing over the past 126 pounds, it's that my body is in control as opposed to my wild and often unreasonable expectations.

So, my new goal: to weigh less than 200 pounds by the wedding. I don't care if it's 199.9...just to sink below that silly, and frankly, meaningless number will mean so much to me. (Yes, I realize the absurdity of that last sentence, but it's the truth!)

My other goal: to look reasonably good in a bathing suit by then. We're going to an amazing all-inclusive north of Cancun for our honeymoon and there are pools and beaches everywhere! I can't wait to swim again. It hasn't been since college that I've worn a bathing suit. I'm not sure which would be more of an achievement for me - losing a person and a half's worth or weight or wearing a bathing suit with confidence.

When I said this to a friend the other day, she immediately asked, aren't you as concerned about looking good in your wedding dress? My immediate response, without even skipping a beat, was NO! No matter how form-fitting the dress winds up being, I'll A.) still be more covered up than I would be in a bathing suit, and B.) will have Spanx under there smoothing, pushing, smooshing and holding everything in place. I might not be able to breathe, but I'll look fan-freakin-tastic.

My midsection is just about bathing suit ready. My arms are almost there too. My ankles and calves don't have too far to go...nor do my inner thighs. However, my rear end and my upper legs in general are as flabby as can be. No matter how much I lose or how hard I work out, those areas may shrink, but it seems like they're just revealing newer, flabbier unsightlyness underneath. Ugh.

I know I'll get there ... especially now that I've pulled kettlebells into the workout rotation and have really ramped up the elliptical training too. Things are quickly tightening up ... but the question remains: will I be bathing suit ready by mid-July?

You bet I will be!

Measuring Success: Inch By Inch

This morning, I decided to measure myself again. I'm trying to do it every few weeks now, since the toning work I'm doing is really starting to take effect. It also helps to take the edge off of some occasionally disappointing numbers on the scale. I don't think I'll ever be able to shake the unrealistic expectations I have for my weight loss.

So far, I've lost:

• 1.5" from my neck
• 5"from my upper arms
• 2" from my forearms
• 7" from my chest
• 5" from my bust
• 7.25" from my waist
• 9.5" from my saddlebags
• 11" from my belly
• 12.5" from my upper legs
• 6" from my knees
• 2" from my calves

That's 68.75 total inches lost across my body. 6 of those inches were lost last month alone! 

I think it's realistic to think I'm going to look damn good at my wedding in July! Just need to stay in the fight for a few more months...and spend the rest of my life maintaining. 

I. Can. Do. This!

108...Shopping For A Wedding Dress Without A Body

So, I'm getting married in July. Very excited about that. Only problem: I can't shop for a dress. Sure, I can window shop (online) and get ideas...but with so much weight left to lose and no real idea of how cooperative my body will be between now and July...I'm left with only one option: be patient.

HA! That's hilarious. Me? Patient?

But what choice do I have?

Of course, the fact that it's not a big wedding and is more of a cocktail party is a big help. I'm getting a dress, not a gown. That means I can head over to a department store or get one of J.Crew's absolutely gorgeous casual, beachy dresses.

By my best guesstimate, I'll probably lose at least another 50 pounds by then -- at least I aim to. That said, I might lose even more. The weight has really been coming off lately - due in great part to Medifast but also because of the more efficient and targeted workouts. With better fitness comes the ability to challenge myself more and to sculpt and tone. I'm really seeing the results of that work - both in the mirror and on the scale. Then there's the fact that my body and my weight aren't necessarily in sync. At the weight I am now, the last time I saw it (on the way up), I was two sizes bigger on top and one size bigger on the bottom. So, let's say I only lose 30 pounds between now and July - as unlikely as that is - I might be three sizes or even four sizes smaller just because of my muscle density and tone.

Yeesh!

So, here I am, doing my best to be patient.  I figure I won't be able to buy a dress any earlier than the first part of June...and even then, I plan to still be shrinking. So, hopefully my tatas will have stopped shriveling up by then and I can at least get away with an Empire Waist dress. 

A New Reason To Lose

So, this holiday season was a big shitstorm, with one MAJOR exception: I got engaged!

Oh, and the wedding is July 14th. No, not 2013...this July! So, now I have a whole new motivation to keep me on the wagon: wedding photos.

I did hit 100 pounds of weight loss before the end of 2011, by the way. Of course, that was because I was helping to plan and execute a memorial service and dealing with a tragedy, but hell, it was a silver lining to the madness. Unfortunately, the minute I started eating again - about 5 pounds came back. Still, I don't care - I met my goal at one point in the year and I'll take it, technicality or no.