Autumn has arrived! Which means that life is back to normal – school’s in, my schedule is busy, and obligations abound. But I won’t use those as excuses to slack on my goals. The great thing about fall is that the weather is cooler, which means that those wonderful fall fashions will keep me motivated. Plus, crisp temperatures mean that it’s never “too hot” to workout. I’m going to relish my nightly cup of steaming hot tea as another way to keep my water intake up. I look forward to all those hearty, satisfying and wls-friendly soups, stews, and crockpot meals that I’ll create for myself. This year, the changing season will mark new milestones that I haven’t seen in 5, 7, 10+ years! Bring on fall 2013 – it’s time to reach new heights! Sunday weigh-ins will keep me accountable through the weekend, and will give me a positive goal to begin each new week. Throughout the fall, I’ll be giving Sunday progress updates called Fabulous Fall Weigh-Ins.
Week 20 brought with it a bit of a break from the craziness of the week before. I decided to take Monday off to catch up on errands and housework, and I even got a new ‘do. This week I also had some shopping NSVs.
I weighed in this morning at 220.0, which is a loss of 2 pounds and a loss of 57 lbs since surgery! I’ve lost a total of 95 pounds from my highest weight!! I’m really pleased with this week’s weight loss, because I’d taken the week off from working out. My body seemed to need it, especially after all I did last week, and besides that, I had my period, so it seemed like a good week to take a breather. I made really healthy meals for myself, and paid attention to my water and vitamin intake. I’m also glad to see a loss with a “2” in front of it this week, because I’ve been losing around a pound for the past couple of weeks. Since I have 5 pounds to go to be down 100 pounds, I’m going to push to make that milestone before the end of October.
One of the meals that I made this week was Eggface’s Butternut Squash Casserole. I changed it a bit by adding sage in with the sauteed ground turkey, and it was a delicious touch. I highly recommend this dish because it’s hearty and filling, yet so good for you. I had it several times this past week for lunch and dinner. Plus, I have half of it left in the freezer.
Monday I got a haircut, and I feel like a brand new person! I’ve mentioned before how much hair I’ve been losing, which is normal after surgery, because of the hormonal changes caused by the rapid weight loss. It lasts from month 3 – 6, and I just couldn’t take it anymore. Not only was my hair getting thinner, but it was also completely changing texture. My hair has always been dry, but now it’s super-dry and much frizzier. I hated the way it felt. So I decided that it was time for a major cut.
These were some of the inspiration photos that I brought into my stylist:
And this is the great cut I walked out of the salon with…
I love it! It’s sassy and short, and because so many inches were cut off (at least 4 or 5, I think), the hair is so much healthier. Plus, because it’s shorter, when the hair does come out in the shower, it seems like less because it’s not as long. I got a ton of compliments at school, on FB, and in person. It was time to make a change. In the past when I’ve had shorter hair, I was always really self-conscious because my face was so full and my body was so big, and I felt so exposed. I don’t feel that way at all now. My face has changed so much since the last time I had a short cut, and I don’t feel like I need to hide behind long hair to somehow balance out my body. It’s very freeing.
The other major NSV this week came at Old Navy. I’d gotten a coupon for 30% off, and since I’m in desperate need of some new clothes, especially tops, I figured it was a long overdue excursion. The thing is, I’ve never been able to shop inside an Old Navy store for myself before. Their plus sizes are online only, so this would be my first attempt to fit into normal sizes in the store. I really wanted get some sweaters, but I didn’t like the choices I saw. So I ended up with a 49ers long-sleeved thermal and a fleece hoodie. Both are in XXL, which I guess could be considered plus-sizes, but I’m just so happy that I didn’t have to be relegated to a plus-size store to get them. The XL fit, too, but was a bit too tight for me to wear out, so I went with the larger size. As you can tell with the 49ers shirt, it fits well and I don’t have to worry about washing & drying it. (If it shrank a bit, it would still be fine). As I was in the dressing room trying on clothes, I was struck by just how far I’d come. There were times in the past when nothing at Torrid fit, and when I was almost out of sizes at Lane Bryant. I’m wearing a 14/16 top (highest weight = 26/28 that was tight) and 18/20 pants (highest weight = 28 tight). I can’t wait to be solidly in the normal sizes in pants, too.
Another shopping NSV hit when I realized that I’d donated all of my warm pjs, and literally had nothing to wear now that the weather was turning chilly. So I went to Kohls and found two sets of pjs in XXL (18/20) that would have NEVER fit me last year at this time.
I know they’re really similar, but I love having red pjs for the cold-weather months. The first have cute little Scotty dogs and the other is a classic plaid. I got each of the sets for $18.99, which is unheard of in the plus-sized clothing world. That’s just another little perk of being able to wear clothes from the normal stores – I can find such great deals, and the clothes are more reasonably priced.
This coming week I want to get back to my workouts, up my water intake to 10 glasses a day, and keep enjoying the fun fall menus I’ve been making. Life is so good right now, and I hope my weekly weigh-in posts don’t sound boring, because I feel like I write that all the time. But those of you who have been with me for a while know just how far I’ve come. Today’s quote couldn’t be more apropos. THIS is the place I always knew I could get to, and it feels fabulous to finally be here and be able to enjoy each and every moment.
Until next Sunday, my friends. I hope the scale treats you well, and that you have a wonderful week!
Your transformation is awesome Bella! You continue to look more radiant each week. As always I’m so impressed with your steady consistent weight loss. Congratulations on you NSVs! You always seemed to wear your clothing well and you have such a keen eye for fashion, but how much more fun is it when more and more things fit!! I really love your hair.
Most impressive of all is how you really listened to your body this week, and although you took time off from exercise you were very attentive to the other aspects that impact weight loss.
Thank you so much for such a thoughtful comment. You made me smile!
The recipe looks yummy! You’re looking fab! 🙂
AWESOME!! You are looking fantastic! Keep up the good work 🙂
Damn! What progress. The haircut is adorable. Good quote – very inspiring.
Love, love, love the cut! Your success is radiating. Can’t wait to catch up on the posts I missed but happy to see you’re on a roll and seemingly unstoppable!