REASON NINE - To Shop In Regular Stores

For most of my life (since, I don't know, maybe grade 9?), I have been a size 16 or 18. There were a couple of years there that I was probably more like a 20. As a result, I did most of my shopping in high school and after at Cotton Ginny Plus, and other similar type places - stores that were merged with "normal size" clothes, so I wouldn't feel like I was shopping in a plus sized store - but really I was shopping in plus sized stores. And for pretty much my whole life, I couldn't just go into stores like Suzy Sheer, Smart Set, La Senza, Le Chateau, Bootlegger, the Gap, and others - except maybe for a freak chance where a size XL would be hiding somewhere and would just maybe fit me. Shopping was always stressful, never fun, and always made me feel fat and bad about myself. (As a side note, I think that's probably why I'm not a "girly" shopper - I don't like to linger and shop around and try things on. The first thing I try that works is the one I go home with. This bugs my mom, but I just can't stand spending an entire day in a mall. Drives me nuts. Sorry Mom)
ANYWAY, as I started to lose weight on Weigh Down (back in 2001) and then again on WW in 2006, I started to see that there is hope that one day I'll be able to go into a store, grab my size, and hardly have to try it on. And this has actually happened to me recently a few times. I bought my size Medium exercise clothes without even trying them on. And a few other things too. Crazy.
So, being able to shop with more ease and at "regular" stores is one of the huge perks and motivaters for me on this journey. I'm loving being closer to my goal weight and finding things to fit. Actually, a new problem is arising - and that is that very often, the size Medium clothes are the ones that sell first, and so I'm finding that my size is usually the one that is missing first in the store (wheras, size XL seems to be more easy to find...) But I'll take that problem anyday. :o)
Anyway, I'm looking forward to when I finally am at my FINAL goal (which is 138 lbs, by the way). I'm going to go on a huge shopping spree. In the cool stores. LE CHATEAU here I come! I never even used to have the self-confidence to step into Le Chateau... so dumb. So, I will go into those stores and I will buy the rockinest outfits ever. All I have to do is KEEP ON GOING. I can do this.

REASON EIGHT - To Be Like Leanne

I know I recently did a whole post on this - so I'm not gonna reapeat myself here. But I wrote this 'top 10 reaons I want to lose weight' list back in January, before I wrote that other post. And its true - it motivates me a lot to want to look like Leanne and to know that if my sister can be thin, so can I (DAGNABIT!) because we have the exact same genes. There's no reason I can't be the same as her - and I will be soon.
:o)

REASON SEVEN - For My Health

You know, you hear it all the time that being overweight causes a ton of health problems, but as an overweight person, that didn't really get through to me. It was only after I started to lose the weight the first time around that I realized that this would be good for my health for real. That and exercising - I'm so glad that I'm starting to get into it, because I just keep hearing more and more how keeping trim and exercising will help you to live longer and avoid a ton of different health problems. So, I can now say that my health is actually a motivator for me to continue to do this right.
I saw an awesome episode of Oprah during the week of her "Oprah's Best Life" series, where they talked about Health as the topic - you can read more about it by clicking here. I still have the episode saved on my DTVR because it was so interesting and informative. There is so much I don't know about my body and science and whats good for me. Its something I'm starting to become more and more interested in.
Anyway, our health is actually very important - I think we all tend to put it last - but if we don't take care of our bodies, and they fail us - all of the other priorities would be for nothing. We need these bodies we're in and so we must treat them with care.

p.s. Is what you want at the moment best for your body? Don't give up what you want most!!!

REASON SIX - For My Husband

I know that losing weight for other people is the wrongest possible motivation and so I'd just like to clarify that I obviously have many of my OWN reasons for this weight loss - as you can see from the 8 out of 10 reasons I'll be listing that have nothing to do with other people! :o) Also, you all know cuz I've said it before that Trevor is totally supportive of me and never has made me feel like I had to lose weight in order to be beautiful to him or anything silly like that. He totally loves me no matter what. (And I know that cuz I weighed much much more than I do now when he met me and when we were dating and when we got married!!!) So, that is awesome for me.
But still, I want to be the kind of wife that he is proud to show off (and of course, he'll always say that he's always been proud to show me off... ) but you know - its in my head to want to make him proud. ((if you haven't read yesterday's post about his co-worker not recognizing me, you should - its a good example of me being happy to make Trevor proud)). And secondly, I want to lose weight to be more ... well... (all family members please PLUG YOUR EARS!) ... to be more sexy. shhh. Don't tell anyone I said that. :o) But its true that losing weight and having more confidence are a definite bonus and I'm just saying...
And thirdly in this area - I've ALWAYS weighed more than Trevor excepting for a few months right before I got pregnant with Elan - and I've always wished to be "his little woman" if you know what I mean. And so, that is something else I'm motivated to work towards. I weigh 155.8 right now and as I've mentioned, he's usually 150 - but max 155 - so I'm ALMOST there again. And the day I weigh less than him, I'm gonna have a little party - cuz that's always been something I've wanted.
So, those are my thoughts about my motivation to lose weight in relation to my husband.
AND REMEMBER...
:o)
hee hee, I don't think I even have to type it - cuz you all know what I'm going to say!!

LETS NOT GIVE UP WHAT WE WANT MOST FOR WHAT WE WANT AT THE MOMENT!

Happy Wednesday Friends.

Finally Some Results!!

Okay, I weighed in today and I'm finally seeing some results from all my recent hard work. YAY. I lost 2.4 this week -- but I have to say that I gained 0.2 last week - so if you average that out, it was still my pound per week loss. I'm not sure I trusted last week's weigh in.
But whatever. I'm happy to have some affirmation that all of my point counting and attempts at exercising are worth it.

That and today, a guy I know saw me and I smiled and waved at him and he didn't really reply. Then, later Trevor was talking to him and the guy said to Trevor that some chick had smiled and waved at him weird and he didn't know who it was and Trevor said "oh it was probably colleen" and the guy said - no there's no way that was Colleen. And totally wouldn't believe Trevor until I came back in and started talking to him and then it was hilarious to watch his face when he realized it was me - only I had lost weight, got contacts, and got some confidence too. :o) I rather enjoyed it.

And so, I will continue to put what I want MOST first, and not what I want at the moment. We can do this, people. We can do it.

REASON FIVE - My Children

(I had written a post earlier today that has disappeared through a series of silly events, and so I'm stuck writing a quick re-cap instead!)

MY CHILDREN are one of my biggest motivators for this weight loss journey - for 3 main reasons:

1. I want to ensure that they learn to develop a healthy relationship with food, calories, fat, treats, exercise, and with themselves. I want them to learn to take care of themselve, but not to obsess about it. And I want to lead by example.

2. I want them to be proud of their Mama (even though they probably would be proud of me, regardless of how I look).

3. I want to have the energy required to keep up with them and to have fun with them - playing outside and stuff -not just telling them to exercise and play, but doing it with them.

I love those kids and I want to be the best Mommy possible for them - and for me that means pulling my food-addicted exercise-loathing self together and learning how to be a better person for myself first. Then I can share that with them.

xo

REASON FOUR - To Have Energy

I don't know how many of you have had the experience of losing weight. If you have, then you'll understand when I say that by losing weight you automatically have more energy. I think a big part of this is that everything you do when you're overweight is like having a bunch of dumbells attached to your body. For me - having lost 40 pounds - means that 11 months ago, I would have been walking around with 8 different 5 pound weights duct taped to my limbs and torso. That's a lot of weight! I just did my sculpting exercise routine, and used my 5 pound weights, and I can't imagine having 8 of those attached to me all day - while doing laundry, while walking up the stairs, while wrestling with my children, while doing the dishes, while carrying my 23 pound baby around in addition!! Now, how about those people that have lost 75 pounds, 100 pounds, or more!! WOW.
Anyway, all that is to say that losing weight gives me more energy. It's so much easier to do those daily tasks now, without the extra pounds weighing me down. In addition to that - the exercise I've been doing also gives me energy. If I get up in the morning and go on my treadmill before anything else, I will inevitably have a better, more energetic attitude and outlook that day.
So, that is reason number 4 for me. I love having more energy. And so, I will keep-a-going.

(DO NOT GIVE UP WHAT YOU WANT MOST FOR WHAT YOU WANT AT THE MOMENT!) (DO NOT GIVE UP WHAT YOU WANT MOST FOR WHAT YOU WANT AT THE MOMENT!) (DO NOT GIVE UP WHAT YOU WANT MOST FOR WHAT YOU WANT AT THE MOMENT!) (DO NOT GIVE UP WHAT YOU WANT MOST FOR WHAT YOU WANT AT THE MOMENT!)