Friend of Julie: A Year of Change

It's been a year that I've been on Julie's weight loss program and this week I've been thinking about the ways my life has changed since the last week of January 2011....

I am no longer consumed by thoughts of when I'll begin a diet or feeling like a failure because I started a diet and gave up after a few days or a few weeks - or I never started at all. I no longer think about the infamous "tomorrow" when I'll begin to eat right and exercise. Eating right and exercising are now part of my lifestyle. I'm not sure when those all consuming thoughts left me, but I'm happy they are silenced.

I am confident that I will reach my ideal size. I've never felt this way before. I don't know how long it's going to take me, but I don't need to focus on that anymore either. Last January I thought I would have lost a hundred pounds by now. I'm really okay with the fact that I haven't lost a hundred pounds. The weight has come off at a pace that feels natural. Some days I don't feel like I've lost over fifty pounds, because it has come off slowly. I only need to look into my huge closet full of clothes that are too big to realize how much smaller my body is than it used to be. This week I'm wearing a coat my friend Aime gave to wear in Alaska in June. At that time I could zip it up, but I couldn't move for fear it would rip open. It's my new favorite coat and there's room inside for a heavy sweater inside. Time to sell off my favorite red coat that I had altered in October--it's too big.

I used to think "If I lose x amount of weight per week, then by such and such a date, I will weigh XXX." In fact, last night I heard myself trying to work this equation aloud with a friend. "I'm this size now and if I keep going as I have been going, by my vacation in April I'll be a size.... Wait! This formula doesn't work any more!" In April, I'll be whatever size I am and there isn't a formula that's going to project what size I'll be by then.

At my recent refresh class, I was reminded that  plateaus are not only a part of the process, but that we should embrace them. When we're in a plateau, our body locks in our weight  so that it becomes our new high, which helps us in the end to maintain our weight. At the same time, I need to assess if I'm in a rut vs a plateau. A rut is when I'm eating the same foods with no variety. A rut is when I am sliding, eating too much cheese, an imbalance of protein to veggies, or anything else that I "allow" that is a slippery slope and if I keep it up the plateau will turn into a weight gain. Although some weight gain is also part of this process, I need to be aware if I'm doing something to cause that or if it's just part of the ebb and flow.

I've learned that the longer I'm on this program, the stronger my resolve is to stay the course. Exercise helps take the weight off faster, which is the reason I began to exercise, but I didn't start exercising until October. I love how I feel when I exercise, which makes me happy to have this be a part of my lifestyle.

Like many of you, I often struggle staying off the scale. However, I really get how knowing numbers can mess with my head, so I continue to stay away from knowing how much I weigh. In a recent blog post, I commented on my thoughts about the scale:

• Think about the scale as old technology: outdated an obsolete. 
• It no longer fits our needs. 
• It does not measures our success. 
• It does not define who we are. 
• Using the scale sets us back. 
• We are more than the sum on the scale.

I've learned to measure my weight loss success in new ways. I have more energy than I did a year ago. I'm five sizes smaller than I was a year ago. I can run a 5k in under 45 minutes. I bought binoculars so I can take up birding this year.  My creative juices are flowing once again.

When I put together my year of photos, I realized I hadn't taken that many photos of myself over the past year. Most of the photos I found were from previous times I had started a diet and wanted before and after photos. I didn't take a before photo in January 2011. My first photo on this program was in April when I was on vacation. All the photos I took last year were from vacations with the exception of Aug. 2011 and my Jan. 2012 photos. The one in August was when I was in a store and tried on a new outfit and wanted a second opinion, I took a photo and sent it to a friend. I bought the top, but took it back a few days later.  I took the January photo so I could have something to compare to the older photos. In taking that photo and adding it to all the others - I was then able to really see how much weight I've dropped.

It is because I am not consumed by this program/diet that I haven't taken photos along the way. Photos are a good way to measure success, so I'm committed to taking a photo at least once a month until I reach my goal size. This is a good way to measure success.

What about you? How has your life changed since you began Julie's program? How do you measure success? And what about a clothing exchange - how would this work?