My 1st Public NSV

Blog-lovelies, boy do I have some news for you!

Ok, many of you know healthy life-minded people know what an NSV (Non-Scale Victory) is but for those who don't, the way I define it is an exciting event that occurs on the journey that is healthiness related but is not in any way connected to the numbers on the scale. These events can be anything from sitting in a regular booth at a restaurant without feeling like your breath is being squeezed out of you to fitting into those a size of clothing that you haven't seen since middle school (or in my case, maybe elementary school).

Today, I had one of those experiences. Back in June on Father's Day weekend, Z & I went to Dallas to celebrate the holiday with his parents. We went to lunch and then stopped at a mall to check out a couple of things before heading back to their house. While we were at the mall, Z & I both found great deals on some clothes. At that time, I was all gung-ho on the weight loss train (still am, just the initial momentum has dwindled a bit) and I decided to do something daring. I found a pair of black leggings for $6 and had been wanting to try leggings for quite a while. I love the trendy look they give but also love that they are a modest option. Those leggings hung in my closet for weeks and I would see them every day and think about how great it would feel to wear them. Not only was my body image a bit too low to wear them with the confidence you need to pull off leggings, I also had no shirt that was quite right to wear with them except for a $7 one I had bought at the same time. When I tried that shirt on, it was a bit tight and not nearly comfortable enough for day-to-day wear.

So today as I stood in my closet trying to find the perfect outfit without wearing my 1 pair of summer pants I love or wearing shorts that I don't feel so good in. After going through multiple outfits, I finally decided to just try the leggings and shirt. To my amazement, they fit. And I looked pretty darn cute if I do say so myself. What do you think?

While this may not be my 1st official NSV (because believe it or not I have refused dessert and drank H20 instead of Coke and not had that 2nd helping of dinner), it sure has been a sweet one. And one that I'm proud to share with you today. In your face 305 pound BAP-21 pounds makes a difference!

Keep fighting,

Bethany

And The Journey Continues...

Hi friends Mom! It's day 1 of my 4 day weekend and gosh can I say I love working a summer schedule! 5 hours a day 4 days a week is such a reward from the 50-60 hour weeks I put in during the school year. Yesterday I even got kicked out of my office an hour early because our carpets were going to be cleaned. School schedules rock! (Remind me of that come September!)

This week has been a decent week for food intake & exercise. I missed 1 day this week of the gym and surprisingly, I was really upset about it. I felt so ashamed of not going and was frustrated with myself. I also overate a couple of days and am having trouble quelling my sweet tooth but I've only been over calories 1 day with the rest remaining within my limit or limit + exercise range. I can tell I feel so much better when I exercise and have kicked butt in the gym this week. Even though I still need to go to bed earlier, I have more energy.

One thing I am learning through this process is that every day brings a fresh start, a clean slate. If I happen to not do so great one day, it doesn't mean I'm a complete failure or that I am forever doomed. Even if I feel that way. It just means that I have to get back on track and make a more concentrated effort the next day. I think that's why I haven't succeeded in the past-because I would have 1 bad day of food choices or not working out and I would throw in the proverbial towel. But MFP really helps with that as well in that every morning I start out with 1500 calories. What I do with those is up to me, especially if I use them wisely and add to them through exercise or if I waste them on a temporary fix. I'm learning that beating myself up obviously hasn't worked so now it's time to be real and focus on one step, one choice at a time.

With our trip to NC 2 weeks away (YAY!), I'm doing some prep work in researching some exercises I can do since we won't be in a gym for at least 10 days. The good thing is that my parents have a treadmill and lucky for me, walking/jogging are things I can do outside if necessary (even in summer heat). I'm also checking out strength training and other exercises that will keep me on track while we are gone. We'll be at family reunions (w/huge meals) for 2 days and I'm already prepping for that-a spoonful of the things I want, not a plateful-and then we head to the beach for a few days. That part I can't wait for! We'll be going to the same beach where Z & I honeymooned and I'm looking forward to having some rest and spending some QT with my parents as well. Visits with friends as well as a surprise for Z will cap off the week and I can't wait. I only wish we had more time overall but 10 days is pretty darn good for a vacay. Can you tell I'm excited???

Guess I've gone on enough for now and Z & I have to leave soon for dinner/swimming with friends so...Sayonara for now!