Operation Weight Loss The Incredible Shrinking Woman - Week 15

I can't believe this is week 15 in my journey! I have come a long way. This week I am down another 1.4 pounds bringing my grand total to 34.4 pounds lost and next week it will be 35 pounds! I am elated, can you tell? Please excuse my overuse of exclamation marks.

Week 15

I am now preparing all of my own meals and staying on task by tracking all of my meals and exercise on Sparkpeople.com. I love that site - free meal plans, exercise plans, what more can you ask for? Anyhow, try it out if you are looking for guidance and support too! I also am using a food scale to make sure my portion sizes are correct. I was sent the Eat Smart Precision Pro Kitchen Scale to try out and I am so happy because this thing is a life saver.



I no longer have to guess about the weight of a piece of fish or shrimp that I am eating/cooking. This scale was ready to go right out of the box and is simple to use - you just choose your standard of measure and place the food on it. It works up to 11 pounds for all of you pastry chefs out there! It is really inexpensive -at $25 you can purchase one on Amazon and get free shipping too. Really useful.

Another thing I did this week was purchase a pair of Joe Jeans. Not something I would do normally but this was a birthday gift and I figure a great pair of jeans was in order considering all of my hard work. The thing about the jeans is that they are GOAL jeans. I can't wear them outside yet, I have a serious muffin top when I put them on but another 10 pounds or so I should be golden. Having this pair of jeans is a great incentive to me, I think about them when I am exercising and the going gets tough! And who knows, I may not have to lose 10 pounds to fit them!

So my tips this week are - make a goal for yourself (other than weight) and when you achieve it reward yourself. We don't do this enough and little things make a big difference. My next tip is to get a kitchen scale and take the guesswork out of portion sizes. Finally, get moving - if you aren't exercising I hope I can encourage you to try even 15 minutes a day makes a difference!

Until next week, The Incredible Shrinking Woman signing off.........


Disclosure: I received the Kitchen scale for review but no other form of compensation was received and all of the opinions are my own.

Why I Rock The Red Pump on National Women & Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

Today is National Women and Girl's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day and I am rocking my red pumps to raise awareness about a problem that still is prevalent in the U.S. Currently the media focuses primarily on the International HIV/AIDS epidemic and it is very easy to forget that here in the United States AIDS is still an issue. This cause is near and dear to me because I spent well over a decade of my life dedicated to fighting HIV/AIDS both professionally and on a volunteer basis. In my last full time position I was the Georgia State HIV/AIDS Director, managing a staff of 35 and $170 million dollar budget focused on Prevention and Care for people at risk and impacted by HIV/AIDS in Georgia. Click Here to read more:

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GIVEAWAY - Be sure to enter my $300 Visa Gift Card giveaway courtesy of Sprint! Read my review and giveaway details by clicking HERE

Self-Love

self-portrait 3/9/10

Before I started my weight loss journey I didn't give much thought to how my body looked. I took the time to look presentable in public but I never lamented my thunder thighs or jiggly butt. I suppose I became accustomed to being a "voluptuous curvy girl" and accepted myself as a size 16. However, when I finally decided to live healthy and incorporate exercise and good food in my life on a regular basis things started to change. As the weight started to come off I became more and more aware of my body. The dimples in my thighs, the stretch marks on my stomach and the fact that I actually have a stomach become evident as the pounds dropped. When you are big all around it is easier to ignore the bulging tummy because everything is bulging and it is statusquo.

But as my waist cinches and my breasts get smaller I can see a change. My belly that was flat before I had my son is now puffy. The c-section and a prior surgery have left my stomach muscles weak and it is more apparent that I have a belly now. Although I never had this problem before, I sometimes have a muffin top depending on the fit of jeans. Despite my elation about losing almost 35 pounds, I find myself sometimes doing the negative self talk thing. Just today I told my girlfriend I wear a size 10 and qualified it by saying "but only in the stretchy jeans".

I look at my belly and think - "wow, it is big and I have so much work to do" rather than celebrating how far I've come. I see the stretch marks on my sides from birthing my son and think that I may never feel comfortable in a two piece again. Most of the time I am positive but like all people I have my moments. I recently started reading a book by celebrity trainer Kacy Duke called "The Show It Love Workout" and I am truly enjoying it. Unlike other exercise books this one begins by focusing on emotions. I am in the first chapter "I Am" and this chapter is all about being thankful for my body.

Thankful for this belly that held my son for 9.5 months and delivered a healthy baby. Thankful for these boobs that are droopy but who cares, they nourished my son for the first 13 months of his life. Thankful for this stretch marks that are evidence of the beautiful body I had when I was pregnant. And thankful for these thunder thighs that carry me on a daily basis and enable me to walk and exercise. I am truly thankful for my body - as it is. With this acceptance I can move on and continue my journey. I may or may not lose any more weight but I will be fit and healthy because I am committed to maintaining this lifestyle. Not because I want to change my body but because I want to live and be healthy for the rest of my lifetime. Scale or no scale.

And so, to celebrate my love of self, I am posting this picture. Here I am in all my glory, 167.6 pounds. I may lose a few more or gain a few more but I can honestly say that I am happy! Self-Love comes first and everything else will fall into place. Remember that. And if you are so inclined, post a photo of yourself too!