50 Shades of Me

No, this is not going to be THAT kind of post....

If you've read the Fifty Shades of Grey books, you'll know that it gets its title because the main male character, Christian Grey, calls himself "fifty shades of [messed] up".  He uses a slightly more graphic word, but you get the point.  Aside from the naughty bits in the books, they are about an emotional journey he takes with a young woman and ends up working to overcome some deep seeded issues.  I don't have the major issues that guy has, but I thought I would use this post to talk about 50 changes I've made/noticed have naturally happened in the last 7 months.

Please keep in mind that this is totally stream of consciousness and in no particular order:

1. I have energy almost all the time.  This weekend I realized for the first time I couldn't sit still.  Usually I was so exhausted by the week, mentally and physically, that on the weekends I would mostly just veg on the couch.  While I did go to a movie, and I did watch some of the Olympics, I felt a little restless.  I got up and was baking in the kitchen while watching the games...I went for a long walk when I got bored...I don't know that I've ever had such an active yet still relaxing weekend!

2. I go for long walks...and by long walks I mean I walked 6.5 miles in less than two hours on Saturday.  I didn't set out to walk that much, but the miles kept getting added and I felt really good so I just kept walking!  I discovered that I can walk to my dentists office in about half an hour when it takes about 10-15 minutes to drive there.  I didn't even worry about getting too far away from home - I was trying to keep up a quick pace with my walk, but I knew that if I got too tired there was no reason I couldn't slow down and make a leisurely walk home...or if it got really bad there were about 20 people in town I could've called to come pick me up!

3. I can lift my feet to my knees.  I know that sounds kind of weird...you know how sometimes when you're putting on your socks or shoes you pick your foot up and cross your knee.  Well, for a long time I could only get my foot up so far then I would either grab my ankle or my pant leg and pull it the rest of the way up.  I'm sure I've been able to do it for a while now, but I just actually realized that I don't have to pull it up anymore...it goes the whole way on its own.

*I promise not all 50 will be this long...but these ones were new developments.

4.  I am a solid 16 now!  There was an older pair of shorts that at the beginning of the summer I couldn't get buttoned and I wore them to work the other day quite comfortably!

5. Sometimes I feel like running - I haven't actually tried it yet, but I think I might soon...and who knows, maybe there will be a marathon in my future someday - or at least a 5K!

6. It feels awesome when your clothes don't fit because they're too big and not because they're too small.

7. I can wear everything in my closet.

8. I can wear clothes I haven't worn since around 2005...and maybe even better than I did then!

9. I got complimented on my legs again.

10. I wear spandex in public!  It may only been to work-out in...but I don't feel as self-conscious about it anymore.

11. I have meetings in other areas and I don't even consider driving (except for one meeting where I was leaving for my WW meeting directly afterward so I had to...).

12. I LOVE seeing the looks on my friends faces when they haven't seen me for a while

13. I have started correcting myself so that instead of saying "I can't eat that" to "I choose not to eat that"

14. Aside from one chicken salad I had at a mall over the summer (and not including the Hot Dog Shoppe - which actually uses real potatoes for its fries), I haven't had fast food since January.

15. I don't miss fast food...except for Arby's - not once have I driven past McDonalds, Wendy's, Burger King, etc. and wished that I could go get a burger there.  Thankfully, the Arby's in town closed so it's not a temptation anymore.

16. I invite people to work out with me!  Noone has really taken me up on the offer...but I keep putting it out there!

17. I sleep better - it doesn't take me as long to get out of bed in the morning and I don't nap.

18. My "girl stuff" is more in order than it used to be...to put it delicately...

19. I still SUCK at tracking what I eat...but I'm good at working out.

20. I don't get disappointed if I only lose 0.2 in a week...because while it isn't much of a loss, it's still not a gain.

21. When people ask me how I am, or how my day was, and I say "awesome"...I really  mean it!

22. My body temperature has changed a little - I keep my apartment around 68-70 degrees so I don't get overheated when I work out...but then I have to use a fleece blanket, a comforter, and an afghan when I go to bed...

23. I have lost 5.5 inches off of my thighs

24. 10 inches off of my waist (holy cow!)

25. 2 inches off of my arms

26. 7 inches off of my hips

27. I finally bought some new underwear a few weeks ago...I forgot what it felt like to wear underwear that actually fit, or more accurately, I didn't realize that the ones I had didn't fit well anymore.

28. I don't feel bad for ordering what I want when I go out to eat because I know that I either earned it or I can work it off later.

29. I walked up the big hill on campus after dinner, while talking with people, and didn't get winded.

30. I spend lots of time each week trying to narrow down which topic I want to cover in my blog...and not just recount my whole week day by day.

31. I can't wait until I can go ice skating again!

32. My coworker who joined WW is also a regular dinner club member and he asked if we could make a rule about being diet friendly - I reminded him that I spent all of last semester participating in dinner club as the only one on a "diet" and had no trouble managing it.

33. I've actually started thinking about what exercises to do to work on certain parts of my body and not just doing exercise to get some in.

34. Pop is nice for an every once in a while treat, but I can go months without drinking it and not feel like I'm missing anything.

35. I am completely humbled by people who say I am an inspiration - I started this blog as a way to ask for YOUR help to hold myself accountable, but ended up helping others along the way, that is one of the best feelings.

36. I bought a new bathing suit once they started going on sale even though I didn't really need a new one...and I didn't hate shopping for it!

37. Shopping out of your attic is a really cool experience...though it also makes you stop and wonder why some fashions were popular in the first place.

38. I can blow dry my hair without my arms getting tired - I used to not be able to get through even a quarter of my hair without them aching.

39. I love dark chocolate - especially because it's so rich that I can just eat one little square and it satisfies my chocolate craving - it took me a week to eat half a candy bar!

40. Working out with others is more fun than working out by yourself - Zumba in my apartment is NOWHERE near as much fun as taking the class...likewise, "wobbling" by myself just can't compare to randomly "wobbling" with Sis and Bro #3 in the middle of the hallway.

41. It's just as satisfying to bake for friends and not eat what I made as it is to bake and eat it myself.

42. Walking is no joke!  My hips were sore for two days after I walked Saturday!  And I notice while I'm walking that my back and abs are getting a workout, too!

43. I don't care what I look like when I'm walking, and it's way more fun to put on some awesome music and dance while I walk...I'm sure I probably made more than a few people laugh.

44. I walk faster when there are other people around.

45. I haven't worn my contacts or my tennis shoes this often since I was in college!

46. I found Graeter's ice cream in town...which is a BIG DEAL (my Columbus people know what I'm talking about...).  I told myself that if I did well this week I could celebrate with some Graeter's...and I honestly forgot to.  I left my meeting and it never once crossed my mind to go get that ice cream.

47. I LOVE Greek yogurt!  Plain non-fat Chobani Greek yogurt + a little sweetener + some fresh fruit = excellent breakfast!

48. I just feel awesome.

49. I fidget - the last few days I just seem to have more energy than I know what to do with and I sit in my work meetings and my legs fidget...hopefully I'm not annoying people!

50. I am a happy person again - not that I was completely miserable before, but I just feel like I am happy almost all of the time...and it's a great feeling.

Whew!  That was more difficult than I thought it would be!


Initial weight: 257.2
Week 30: -2.2
Total weight loss: -50.8!!!!!
Current weight: 206.4

I promised a new picture at 50...

Original picture - Jan. 2012                                                                New picture - Aug. 8, 2012

And I got new bling!!  Here's my 10% keychain with my 25lb "weight", my 16-weeks clapping hands, and my new 50lb "weight"...they look a little scratched up because I actually keep them on my keys to remind me every day what I've done.