Monday Musings - The Dress Fits!

 Monday Musings - The Dress Fits!

I haven't talked about my weight loss journey in a while, so I hope you'll forgive if I take today's blog post as an opportunity to do so, in that the public accountability goes a very long way in helping me stay the course.

We had a Hawaiian themed event to attend this weekend, on what initially was looking to be an 80+ degree day. In anticipation, I had set aside a shorter sun dress with Hawaiian flowers that I felt comfortable (i.e, thin) in.

But then the weather took a slight turn, and the highs for the event dropped into the high 60's/low 70's. Aaargh - what to do?

(And yes, these type of curveballs do throw me, because I use what I'll be wearing as an incentive to stay the course, calorie wise, in the days preceding.)

I went into my closet and started looking through my longer sun dresses, and came across one that I had purchased last year while we were in the Caribbean, but never worn, because what had seemed to fit just fine while on vacation, was actually a bit to tight to wear comfortably back home in my non-vacation life.

But, of course, that was 25 pounds ago. So, when I tried it back on over the weekend I was thrilled - it didn't feel tight any longer, and I happily accessorized and wore it to our event. And because I felt good/thin, I didn’t overeat as compensation. I stayed with my food plan for the event - water, protein, and vegetables.

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I feel like the shoes are too clunky for the dress,
however, I have an increasingly painful bunion on one foot,
and it has altered my shoe game considerably! 😄

The offset to being able to wear smaller clothes that I feel good in, and the somewhat unpleasant reality, is that I don't get to eat very much food. That is the honest and ongoing truth to how I lost and am now keeping the weight off - I only have a select number of calories I can eat on any given day, and when I reach the limit, I am done. Even if my brain doesn't always agree.

 

So, I'm increasingly particular (picky if you will) about what I'm willing to use those calories on. I want flavorful, high quality food vs low quality food, because I feel better overall when I eat higher quality food, and less hungry in between meals.

And that's it. I fought hard to lose the weight, and now that it's gone I plan to continue with the changed habits that got me here for the duration of my life. Because there has not been one single moment over the last year when I've looked back and wished I'd eaten something that I chose not to. Only the reverse. 

I have read the following Reddit thread many times since reaching my goal weight. It's full of thoughts and advice that I have found to be extremely helpful in changing my mental stance on eating: Cal Poly Study: Successful Weight Loss Habits. If any of you are on a similar journey, I hope you find it to be of some help as well.