Picture Picture

Wednesday morning was the first time that I did a double-take when I passed the mirror. Despite the disappointment of finding out I gained weight at my meeting, I still feel like Wednesday was a success because I actually looked at myself and thought, "Dang! I look good!" I mean, I was shocked. I can't remember the last time I saw myself in a full length mirror and didn't immediately leap out of view. It was a weird feeling. I grabbed my phone and snapped a shot before heading in to work--where I was told by two people that I looked pretty. Who doesn't like to hear that they look pretty?! What a nice feeling.

Seeing the photo of myself was kind of a shocker. 30 pounds is a lot of weight. I really have lived in stretch pants and oversize shirts for years, so it's not like I've noticed my clothes fitting differently. I could probably pull my stretch pants over the couch and they'd fit. I haven't taken measurements (I just don't want to know how many inches it takes to get around my thighs) so my only real gauge so far has been the number on the scale.

When I was browsing through the Weight Watchers website earlier this week (during my Simply Filling debacle...I was looking for some inspiration to get me through) I began combing through the 100 pound lost stories. It's really nice to see so many people who have been where I am now, and who stuck with it and are enjoying life now 100 pounds lighter.

One of the women encouraged others to take photos along the way, as she regretted not documenting her own journey. I had been planning to eventually take a shot so I could see my progress but I hadn't actually taken one yet. Well, after snapping the picture in the mirror Wednesday, I was halfway to a progress shot. I just needed to find a good (and by good I mean terrible) "before" photo.

Finding a full body photo proved to be a lot harder than I thought--not because I photograph well (I don't.) but because I erase every. single. picture. that shows my full body. I hate looking at myself, and I don't think I've ever seen a full body photo and not gasped and grimaced and said "Ohmygod--doIreallylooklikethat?!"

I found two singular pictures from this year that had escaped deletion--I had to crop Theodore Roosevelt out of the first one (statue in Puerto Rico) and Willie Nelson out of the second (wax museum in Canada). I'm lucky I found either one. The first is from five months before I started Weight Watchers, when I weighed probably around 305 pounds (I started Weight Watchers at 304 pounds on August 8, but I hadn't been on a scale for so long I have no idea how heavy I was in March). The second was taken two weeks after starting Weight Watcher--I hit 298 pounds that week. The most recent photo, the one taken Wednesday, is possibly the first full body photo I've taken on purpose. And I kind of like it.

My Progress:

So, well, it looks like the effort is paying off. Even with a slight gain this week, I can't deny that my body is changing. My stomach is flatter, my waist is smaller, and I feel...almost hot again. It's a damn good feeling.