It's Not Always About a Number on the Scale

I weigh myself every morning, and I never know what I'm going to see when I step on the scale  because my weight can fluctuate .5 to 1.5 pounds from one day to the next, for no rhyme or reason.  I'll battle that same pound for weeks at a time - up, down - up, down - so that when I do go down that half pound, I'm ecstatic.  It's often short-lived, though,  as I'll be back up a full pound the next day.  Frustrating!

I live in sweatpants and sweatshirts here at home, which is a good thing because I hate shopping for clothes.  No matter how much weight I might lose, I'll always have the big butt, so finding anything to fit even when I was a skinny chick eons ago was always a challenge, and of course it got worse the older I got and more weight I gained.

I did splurge on a new pair of jeans before visiting my son and his family in NC in September, and noticed yesterday that they were a little loose.  Not hanging off me or anything, but definitely not snug like they were when new.  I didn't think too much of it because jeans can sometimes 'give' a little the more you wear them.  

I'm headed to NC again this week to spend an early Christmas with them and wanted a decent-fitting pair of slacks for the trip, so I headed to Kohl's after church today.  After much frustration at not being able to find anything at all in a size 16 that didn't look like it was designed for someone in their 20s, I almost gave up.  I did find one rack that had a pair that I thought would be appropriate for a more matronly figure, so snatched them up.  On a whim, I grabbed a size 14 also and marched off to the dressing room.  Well whatdya know ... the 14 fit better than the 16.  I was jumping for joy!

I had put several pair of jeans in storage bags in the closet some time back, figuring that I'd never get into them again, yet still wasn't quite ready to part with them entirely.  I'd tried them on a month or so ago and couldn't even get my leg in them.  I dug them out tonight and ta-da!  The first pair I grabbed now fits (except they're very long ... rats) - in fact, since they fit so well in the butt, they're actually a bit loose in the waist!  I also found a pair of black semi-dress pants that fit well.  I haven't worn the black slacks probably since I was working 8 years ago or better, and the jeans even before that - probably 10 years!  It's a good thing jeans and basic black slacks don't go out of style.

The long-forgotten size 14 jeans fit great!
©Marie Anne St. Jean

If you know anything about me at all, you know that I hate having my picture taken because I'm not photogenic at all, so the fact that I'm sharing this selfie with you tells you just what a big deal this is for me.

I've not been so good about staying low-carb as I should, and I've had days where I didn't get my daily 10,000 step goal with Fitbit, but I haven't let it stop me.  I get my butt back on the treadmill the next day and do a little more.  Pushing myself up and away from this desk and doing some serious walking every day is definitely paying off.  It hasn't happened overnight, but it IS happening.  The pounds are coming off slowly, but to be able to put on the size 14 jeans that I never thought would grace these hips again is the biggest motivator for me, not a number on the scale.

So, fellow fitness fanatics and weight-loss wonders, don't get discouraged, no matter what your number is.  If you keep walking, jogging, swimming, or whatever your exercise of poison is, you will reap the benefits of better health, and you will look and feel better, and the numbers will catch up when they're ready to.  Don't be tied to that number on the scale, just know that whenever you move, you're doing something good for yourself.  And you're worth it.

~ Marie Anne