Just a Number

(Source)

As I mentioned before, I gained some weight when J and I moved to St. Louis.  I fell off the healthy band wagon but am luckily back on it.  During that time, I gained about 25 pounds.  I have 11 pounds off, but the rest is kind of sticking around.  I struggle weekly when I go to weigh in.  When I did Weight Watchers in the past, my weight came off fast.  I lost 5 pounds the first week and 5 pounds the second week.  This time it has been 7 weeks and I have only lost 11 pounds.  It is frustrating.  I am doing everything the same so it should be coming off the same, right?  Wrong.  This week, I got on the scale and became even more frustrated with myself.  Instead of letting a number have me spiral out of control, I decided to do an evaluation of myself.  

How did I do the evaluation?  Well for one, I started looking a clothing.  I am mostly back into all of my smaller size clothes.  That is strange since I am still 14 pounds from my original goal weight.  The next thing I looked at was my body.  I am much more muscular than I was in the past.  Working out with my trainer since November has made me stronger.  My thighs are solid instead of flabby and I am seeing definition in my arms that I never saw before.  I also have a butt which I never thought would happen.  These are all great reasons, not to focus on a number.  But I was still struggling.  

So then I did a true comparison.  I started looking at my old logs from Weight Watchers.  Then, I started looking at my weigh ins from 2012.  I noticed a few dates where I am the same weight as I am now.  Luckily for me, I was doing daily posts on my old blog Fashion By Alicia.  These daily posts included outfit features from the days that I weighed exactly what I weighed now.  So I did a side by side comparison.  I decided to share photos in jeans as well as a dress to get a clear idea.

It seems crazy, but I really do weigh the same in the left photo as I do on the right.  I have been getting too caught up on a number.  I may not be where I want to be "pounds" wise, but I am happier with my body now that I have ever been.  I need to focus more on the results (being able to push 70 pounds on a sled, doing assisted pull ups, and running without my back hurting) than just a number on the scales.  

If you are going through a weight loss journey, remember it takes time to get where you want to be and you may never get to the number you want to get to.  Instead of really focusing on a number, focus on the results.  Maybe you are losing inches, fitting into a smaller size, or accomplishing fitness goals that you never imagined; these non-scale victories are just as important as just a number on the scales.  

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