Thanks for the bump!

I can honestly say I don't feel that I've lost 27lbs. If I was to base it off of feeling, my number would be somewhere around 5lbs. I too had the altered view of myself when I was bigger. I would look in the mirror and be in complete denial about what and who was staring back at me. Now, I think that view has become more realistic. I'm not the thinnest kid on the block, but I'm no where near where I was before. I've got the size 14 pants that are too big to prove it.

I'm a firm believer that this whole process is not just a diet, it's a change in your self esteem. We're worth it to help ourselves out by losing the weight. I didn't realize that until I proved it to myself that I could stick to this...and that my life was worth it to.

....just my own 2 cents.

Great feeling, isn't it? So empowering to know you have so much control, and you feel so proud that you did this yourself... YOU! How awesome is that?

Having been thin most of my life I don't think I really comprehended how big I had become until I could no longer buy clothes at regular size racks. My stomach had become so huge it would not fit into even the size 16 pants anymore. I had also stopped weighing myself, because it always made me feel awful.
On this plan I quickly lost the stomach first so I did notice it right away- there were toes down there! I think that is what has really encouraged me. The rapid weight loss and fitting into smaller clothes.
My daughter came home for a visit yesterday and looked at me in my pants and said " Mom you need to get some new pants! Those look really saggy. are you holding them up with your belt? I bet you could fit in my pants. Here, try on these size 12 skinny jeans I just bought"
I figured NO WAY! Well they did fit although I still have a bit of a muffin top in those low cut jeans. But wow, who would have guessed!

Gotta love IP!