I have one to add..

Yesterday I had to get dressed up (doesn't happen that often as I work from home!)..

I have this lovely, lime green blouse I bought last summer as an incentive piece.. it's just so pretty.. It has lace, short cap sleeves and beadwork all over the front.. and a very sexy V neck :o I just fell in love with it and had to have it.. even though it was WAY (like two sizes) too small at the time.. I saw it sitting in the back of my closet yesterday and decided to try it on (sure I could still not fit in it).. and IT FIT! and it's not even "barely fitting" it fits perfect! it is a size 16 (a real size 16!)- (I have gone from a size 24 to a size 16 blouse!)..I almost cried.. man.. I feel great..:carrot: :carrot: :carrot:

Lifeguard I can't tell you that losing the weight will solve all your problems, because, well, that's just not the case. I am a wife and mother of 3 teenaged daughters and we've still got lots of "stuff" going on in this household. Lots. As we all do no matter what stage of life we are in. That has not changed. But I am just overall - happier. Incredibly so in fact.For myself I had a lot of worries tied directly to my weight and those of course have been greatly alleviated.

I get soooo much joy from things that many people most likely take for granted. Waking up and starting the day out at almost 300 lbs was to put it mildly - extremely - unpleasant. I now can't wait to start the day. I love showering and moisturizing my body - something I never bothered with in the past. And picking out my days clothing. I even love my new PJ's. All right, I even love looking at my smaller, much smaller undies. Every morning when I put them on I still can't believe they fit me, that they're really mine. I love all the added energy and just the way I walk now. I really - MOVE, with ease, despite my bad knees. Life is just much easier for me now that I am lugging around 120 lbs less of me. And yes, with much less worries. I can go on and on about all the joys I am experiencing now, but I'll spare you. I don't think you should spend time worrying about whether or not you will indeed enjoy your new slimmer self. Because if I was a betting person and I was down to my last $500.00 bucks or $5000.00 bucks or whatever number you wanna pick - I'd bet the whole kit and caboodle that you too will enjoy your slimmer self and find have more joy in your life in general when you lose the weight. Have no fear. It will happen for you. :hug: :hug: :hug:

I was able to wear one of DH's sweatshirts.

Now this may not sound like a big deal if you are married to a big guy but...

DH is 5'11, 135 lbs. He wears a small and it is really hard to find clothes for him because he is small. I needed a warm shirt to put on to go outside. I couldn't find mine but I looked at his. I was going to amuse myself by seeing how far off I was. I was shocked when it was fit, loose up top, a little snug on the hips. So I figured it was one of his shirts that was a couple sizes larger and he wore it anyway, maybe a size Large. When I took it off, I looked at the tag and it was a size small.... Crazy!

We had a birthday party at work today....cake w/ choc frosting, ice cream, chips and soda. I wished the birthday girl a happy one and politely declined the goodies. She was so astonished, she called me later to ask me what kind of diet I was on.

Then I took my daughter to dinner, Japanese. First time I've been out to eat since my journey began. I shared my meal with my daughter, she got my rice, I kept the veggies. And I quit eating when I felt full, not when the plate was licked clean! Then I sent the leftover rice and shrimp to her dads house!

On of my friends dropped by earlier today so I could help her with her computer. We meet when we both started law school in Sepetember. This was the first time she had been too my aparment and she was looking at the pictures of my family. She looked at pictures form my undergrad graduation which was taken shortly after I started loosing weight and was shocked. She couldn't believe that I had lost that much weight in a year.

RememberHowToSmile - You have lost a lot of weight! Congratulations!

Well.....after all this time, I finally have another NSV.:D Not only am I back on-plan after several weeks of putzing around, I also worked out today! Its been 5 weeks since I last worked out. Right before I left, I had a headache and almost didnt go. I'm so glad I went anyway. Now, I'm really pumped up to stay with the plan!

Yea! Rhonda! You go, girl!!! I'll bet you feel great about doing it, too!

Congrats, everyone! It's so inspiring reading these.

So guess what I did yesterday? I got my picture taken at the YMCA for my replacement membership card! Now I can go weigh in & see how I am doing. I am planning on using the weight room in the mornings when no one is there. There will also be some pool use if I have anything to say about it (and I have EVERYTHING to say about it since I am the one steering this ship), so that means I have to locate my goggles & swim cap. I can't wait to feel strong & healthy again. And I can't wait to find out how much I weigh, and how much I should lose in 2 weeks before going back to Mayo Clinic.

Robin - thank you for your last post. I think I may print it & post it - I find it so motivating!

My NSV is that the other night I was at a Girl Guide District meeting. I realized at the end of the meeting that I was speaking up & saying what I thought without a moments thought about what other people thought of me. But what is really exciting is that this is starting to become more than just an occassional thing - I feel like the real me is finally coming back. And I missed her!

So inspiring!
 

Good Morning!

I'm so glad this thread is hoppin'!!! LOVE to check in and read how we are noticing so many positive changes in our lives as we get more fit!!

Here's my NSV:

As many of you know, I have been doing HipHopAbs using the DVD set created by Shaun T. from Beachbody.com. It is SO much fun, and I actually giggle as I dance! Anyway, I was doing the DVD today, and Shaun told me to "strut my stuff" as I walked to the left and then walked to the right before I went back to the regular HipHop moves of the DVD. This time I put my hands on my hips and really strutted! Guess what? I actually felt the bones of my hips moving the rest of my legs! :carrot: Before I had had so much flab on my hips that I only felt FLAB, no BONE! I'm taking a break, and then I'm going to "strut my stuff" again!

Oh, the wonders of losing flab!!!:carrot:

I bought some misses size Large shirts and they fit!!

Woke up this morning and thought " I'm gonna try and get into a smaller size pair of jeans" And "voila" they fit!!!(42 to 40). We have pants retirement parties at our house. When jeans get too big-we fold them up and stick them in the "fat pants drawer" Gotta love it.

[QUOTE=Janny O;1659466] We have pants retirement parties at our house. QUOTE]

I LOVE THAT!!!!

I actually need to go through my closet and start putting more stuff in bags. There are so many things that I just don't wear because they are too big! :)

You summed up exactly how I feel too, Lifeguard! :)

My NSV is that a student athlete at my school talked to me yesterday about how much weight I've lost. She went on and on about how great I look, and she said she sees me running and she just thinks I'm like She-ra or something, like a powerful woman, because I've worked so hard! :lol: I thought that was really cute. But it also reminded me that I'm serving as a good example for students at my school, by showing them that you can reach your goals if you stick to it, not just with academics but in other areas of your life as well.