A Year in Inches

One year ago today I walked into the gym with huge hopes and dreams.

OK...not really. My hope was actually quite small, but that just doesn't sound as good for a opening sentence! But, one year ago today I did walk into that gym for my first "fitness assessment" with the personal trainer, Becky.

During this "fitness assessment" (in where, I'm fairly certain it was discovered that I had NO fitness whatsoever...) my measurements were taken.

I am a 5' 6" female.

That has not changed in the year since I walked into the gym. However, the rest of the measurements have changed.....oh, how they have changed!

First of all, in this year I have lost a total of 70 pounds, getting to 195 at my lowest. Unfortunately, the past 6 weeks have not been good for me (eating-wise) so I have gained and lost and gained and lost. Today's measurement puts me at 205, which is still nothing to be unhappy about.

I have lost 60 pounds in those 12 months. If I take my (very tall) 4-year old daughter and a Kettle bell, that shows me what 60 pounds is. For Thanksgiving I usually cook a 20 pound turkey. If I tossed 3 of those into a laundry basket and carried it around, that is what I lost. Wow....that's heavy.

Today Becky was here for our weekly butt-kicking so I asked her to measure me again. This is the big news....this is pretty cool, if I do say so myself.

A year ago, my arms measured 15.5" inches around. That is the part of my upper arm that sits 5" above my elbow.

Today that measured 12.5". Three inches gone from my arm. Wow...that's pretty cool.

A year ago, my chest measured 47.5". Today that measured 40". That's a loss of 7.5". Not bad!

My waist, a year ago today was a shameful 46" around. That's just shy of 4 FEET around. Well, today, I am so happy to report that my waist is a wonderful 10" less, measuring at 36". WOW...36"! I am very happy about that!

And, finally, a year ago my hips were 46.5" around...baby got BACK! Well, today, I have less "back" measuring in at 39.5" for a loss of 7 inches.

That, folks, is a lot of inches.

3 left arm
3 right arm
7.5 chest
10 waist
7 hips
30.5

Thirty and a half inches.

Thirty and a half inches, adding up to 60 pounds of fat and flab gone from my body.

Twelve months ago I went into the gym wearing a 22/24 pant and a XXL shirt. Today I wear a size 14 pant and a Large shirt. I have even bought a few 12's and fit into them!

Today I am leaner, healthier, and more active. A year ago today I was embarrassed to walk into that gym, let alone let someone assess my fitness and take my measurements. Today I reminded Becky to bring a tape so she COULD do measurements!

A year ago I thought if I could just drop 10 or maybe even 15 pounds then I wouldn't be edging uncomfortably close to 300 pounds. Today I am focusing (once again) on getting below 200 and then getting a nice, comfortable distance from 200 so that if I bounce around 10 pounds, that bounce won't put me over that dreaded 200 mark!

Today I am not going to focus on the disappointment that I have in those 10 pounds I gained over the holidays, but I am going to focus on the 60 pounds that I did lose and the 30.5 inches that left on the same bus outta Lori-ville.

Weight loss is not going to be a temporary thing for me; the last 6 weeks taught me that so clearly. Old habits are easy to fall back into, so I will spend the rest of my life being vigilant and being mindful of what I am eating. I often razz my good friend, who on a "bad" day probably wears a 6. To me, she is TINY. But, to hear her complain about gaining 10 pounds and struggling to get those off so that her pants aren't' tight was just downright irritating. Being in that very spot right now is kinda humorous. And, I can see that for me, I need to get to that comfortable place. Maybe my comfortable place will be in the 170's....and if I get up into the 180's, I know that I've hit those dreaded 10 pounds and it's time to be very careful. Time to be very vigilant. Time to be very mindful. But that is OK, because 2010 was the really tough part for me....2010 was the year that I went from being out of control to grabbing the wheel of my own destiny again. I am now in charge, the weight is NOT. I am no longer looking down the barrel of "almost 300 pounds", which is exactly what 265 felt like to me. At that point I thought it's got to be 35 pounds DOWN instead of 35 pounds up because if not, there will be no turning back....I will feel totally lost.

So, here I am...205, and I'm OK with that. I could probably stay this weight forever and be OK with myself, but for ME, I need to get a comfortable distance from 200. For now I am going to celebrate what I accomplished over the last 12 months and focus on doing more great things in the next 12.

I hope that if even one person out there reads this and identifies with it they will KNOW that they too can make big changes in their life. So for that person, whomever you may be out there reading, you CAN do it. You CAN lose the weight. You CAN get your body to a healthier state. You are stronger and more dedicated than anyone when it comes to YOU. And above all, YOU are totally worth it and YOU deserve it! Good luck!