Thursday, August 25, 2011

Dryer shrinkage

ok, you know the drill... you throw your jeans in the dryer after washing them... and poof! they seem to have shrunk 3 sizes!!!!   Well, I don't know about you, but my jeans are almost always like this (except when I lost that 20 pounds and I HAD to wash my jeans after EVERY wearing , just to try to tighten them up enough so they wouldn't fall down). Well, that's not normally the case with me, normally I don't wash my jeans after every time I wear them, because truth is they usually don't even get comfortable till after about the 3rd or 4th time wearing them. Then I wear them more and more, so hopefully they get the way I REALLY like them, just a little baggy. Then finally when its been forever, or if I spill something on them, I toss them in the wash and dryer and then start the process all over again. Dreading the first time I have to put them on again because they will be too tight and thus make me feel fat.
Well, this week, it was well overdue for me to wash three of my jean shorts. They were all so baggy it looked like my butt was dragging to the back of my knees almost! lol. These three shorts all happen to be identical. Same brand, same size, same style name, etc. Except one pair is a little darker and I like the way it fits the best. The other two LOOK identical, but for some reason one fits me much snugger than the other. Well, all three were way too baggy so I tossed them into the wash and dryer.
Now here's the good news...
I pulled them on to wear a pair this week (one of the lighter 2 pairs) and couldn't tell which pair I was putting on, the really tight pair or the semi tight pair (I told u they LOOK identical, I can only tell once I have them on which is which-usually I keep track of which is which by the belt that I just leave on them till I wear them again ha ha). Anyway, I went to put on one of the two typically tight pairs, thinking 'here we go, get to wear tight pants for 3 days till they get stretched out and comfy', and to my surprise....
they were loose!  In fact after I wore them that day, after just one day, they were already so baggy in the behind I probably should throw them back in the wash to shrink them up again! 

This is good news to me! I like looser, baggier clothes. Plus that means I'm not gaining weight! I am still holding strong and steady! My scale still says 145, but for these jeans to NOT be snug at all, I MUST be losing inches (and therefore gaining some muscle to keep the scale steady)!   That's great news. I'm happy, just wanted to share my happiness! Hope everyone is having a great day!

Sunday, August 14, 2011

staying strong

I am pleased to announce that after my 9day Isagenix cleanse three months ago, I am still staying strong at the weight I'd attained after the cleanse, which is 145. (Remember, I'm 5'8", not 5'2").  My clothes are all fitting comfortably (not tight, and even a bit loose in areas I like them loose, like my thighs and butt). Which of course is the best part and main goal, to have my clothes fit the way I like them.

I am in no way on any sort of 'diet'. I am simply living, and trying to do all things in moderation. Yes, I eat ice cream. (And last weekend on vacation I indulged in berry cake(divine), fresh cookies, ice cream, swiss rolls, chips, and even THREE apple turnovers at the Dixie Stampede!) Not something I normally eat in any 5day period, but I did there, and I had no sense of 'guilt'. I knew that moderation is my plan in everything, and that this was just a splurge while on my vacation and that my main meals were moderate and not gut-busters, so I wasn't 'completely off the wagon with no hope of return'.)

The main part of my moderation plan is portion size. I've realized that my family hates any 'healthier' version I make of any food so I am tired of the complaints and am no longer trying to use whole wheat pasta etc in my dinners. I am simply making normal dinners, but my portions are the difference. Instead of eating past fullness and getting stomach aches, I am eating less, and THINKING about it during a break. If I am still hungry after the break, I'll eat more. If I then realize I am full (usually the case because it takes a while for your brain and stomach to register fullness), then I don't eat more. It is working out well. Especially since my family is definately a 'restaurant' family. Yes, I usually try to get grilled fish or salads (because I like them, not because they are 'diet' foods). But some restaurants have only one genre of food (ie. fried food or pizza), and so at those restaurants , yes, I am eating fried fish and pizza. In fact, this week I ate pepperoni pizza twice. But the improvement for me is that I only eat 2-3 pieces and am completely full, versus when I used to eat 5 or 6.

This moderation, in normal every day food, is keeping me at an even weight level.
I have to admit also (don't get jealous--I am amazed myself), that my workouts are less intense and less time consuming than before, and I am STILL maintaining a good weight.
I am trying to do my treadmill everyday (like I used to), but it doesn't always happen. (The good thing though is... I don't freak out when that happens, like I used to!  I am so pleased to see this progress in my mindset --see Mindy, I told you I was working on being less of a gym rat!---- anyway, this is good progress , plus instead of trying to do at least an hour on the treadmill, I am fine if I can only fit in 20-30 minutes. During the summer I was able to do about 2, and sometimes 3 classes at the gym a week (the kids don't like going, so I didn't want to drag them there everyday, it was summertime and I wanted to focus on having fun all summer with my kids, not dragging them with me to the gym). I was planning that once school started (2days ago) I would be able to go to the gym 4 days a week. At the beginning of summer I was really looking forward to this, but for this first month or so I have a lot of stuff going on at school (I'm the PTA treasurer), and at my husband's companies (I am the bookkeeper, and there are a lot of new changes going on that require my attention right now). And quite honestly, now that the end of summer is here, I am looking at my schedule and thinking 4 days a week at the gym is probably unrealistic for me, unless I want it to become an 'idol' again in my life. Which I don't. So... all this to say...

I am not working out like a maniac, yet I feel good about this new moderation in my life.
I am not on a diet.
I am not restricting myself in any way, but am making wise choices, and using moderation in ANY choice I make.
And I am happy to say that this LIFESTYLE is working. My weight is not a yo-yo. I am at a good, comfortable weight, and I am STILL enjoying life  (sorry, but I can't handle deprivation, it doesn't work for me).
I really want to stay on this plan. I hate being yo-yo in my weight. I hate that 'weight' becomes a focal point because of yo-yo stuff. I want it to be a non-topic, just a part of life. Honestly, I am getting there. Now, this isn't to say I wouldn't mind losing another 5 pounds, but I am not focusing all my thoughts and time on that. If it slowly comes down, just because of wise moderate choices, that's fine. But I'm not thinking about that everytime I get dressed. I am doing good. This is just life for me. I want it to stay this way. I don't want this to be a 'phase'. I am consciously making it a longterm reality.

So there is my update, I haven't blogged in a while (like I said I was out partaking in summer activities with my kiddos), but here is the update, and its a good one :)

p.s. while on vacation, I was goofing off while changing into my swimsuit and struck a pose in the mirror. I was surprised... I looked GOOD! It was the whole "Daisy Duke" look, bikini top and jean shorts---of course my shorts weren't cutoffs with my cheekers hanging out, but you get the idea, at least they were jeans :) So I told my daughter to snap a photo of me, and I jumped on the bed and showed it to my hubby and said "look, you are so lucky, I am looking GOOD!", he laughed and blew me off and told me I was crazy. Which maybe I am, but I was seriously digging the swimsuit top and jean shorts look. I'm posting the shot here for proof that moderation works. "You can have your cake, and eat it too" (just a slice though, not the whole cake at once!)  lol  So, hopefully, this is inspiring to folks out there... if u can get your mind grasped around a concept, it can become a lifestyle, and not feel like a deprivation diet.