Weight Loss Makes You Taller

Okay, so weight loss may not actually make you taller, but it makes you seem taller in several ways.

1.  Weight loss causes increased confidence which in turn causes one to have better posture creating the illusion of being taller.

2.  Weight loss decreases or eliminates foot and joint pain, causing women to be more likely to wear high heels when they didn't before.

3.  When you aren't as large around, especially in the hip, butt and thigh regions, your clothes don't need to stretch as far and your pants suddenly become longer. Because your clothes fit better, you'll appear taller.

All of the above are strange but true. Amazingly, I'm no longer having to seek out "tall" length pants for my 5'6" self because average lengths are now appropriate and no longer look like flood pants.

My "Short" Pants

A while back, my sister gave me a pair of her size 12 Molly flair jeans from Maurice's. At the time she gave them to me, I couldn't quite fit into them but held on to them for the future.

Last week, I wore the the jeans for the first time in public and thought of them as my "short" pants. I typically wear long length jeans but my sister always wears average length. I was convinced these jeans looked and felt too short, but when you forget to do laundry, you run out of options.

A friend said they looked good and that they were actually the perfect length because they covered the heel of my boot without dragging in the mud. Then, I went to the boyfriend's house and he couldn't keep his hands off of my rump, saying the jeans looked awesome. Whether the jeans actually looked awesome or whethey they just looked better than the size 14s that are extremely bagging and falling off of me, is up for debate.

Regardless, I've added my "short" pants to my regular wardrobe.

All of the above brings me to another point. Wearing clothing the right size is the key to adding self esteem and confidence! I can't stop checking myself out in the mirror while wearing my "short" pants!

Weekend Follow-Up

On Thursday of last week, I posted my plan for staying on track for the weekend. Surprise, surprise! With potlucks both Saturday and Sunday, I can't say I was as good as I would have liked, but I wasn't as terrible as I would have been in the past, either.

However, I did get most of the exercising completed that I planned on, most of it being horseback riding and all that goes with it (catching, grooming, saddling the horse). I did not do the running or tennis as anticipated due to soreness from Thursday night's Cardio Max workout. Well, that and the fact that my tennis partners (family) had their own plans last minute.

Although today is only Tuesday, I'm starting to think ahead to my plans for the weekend and how I'm going to compensate for another potluck and/or drinks at a bachelorette party. I think for me, planning is key because I feel guilty when I am not sticking to my plans.

Sure, I gained a little last weekend, but what I gained is almost gone already and I'm looking forward to Friday with hopes of seeing a loss.

A Weekend Plan

One of my "weight loss sisters" challenged me to behave this weekend. There seems to be a common trend of doing a great job staying within daily calorie goals and exercising during the week, only to backtrack on the weekends by having cheat meals or even cheat days and being somewhat lazy. I know I repeatedly have this problem.

Sometime in the past two months, I lost my motivation. I made it to my half-way point for my final goal and felt somewhat content with my progress. In my mind, it was time to reward myself by indulging a bit more and taking it easier with the workouts. I'm sure you can guess what happened. I gained back about five pounds and bounced those same pounds around for a while.

Fast forward to last week, when I saw 198.4 on the scale for the first time since March, when I saw it briefly one morning. Now that I've seen movement on the scale again, I've found my motivation again which brings me to the weekend challenge. Yes, I mean challenge because there are a few events this weekend that will test my willpower; that being said, here is my plan. I'm posting it here in hopes that it will make me more accountable to sticking to it.

Thursday (today): My meals are planned for the day with a little leeway for snacks should I get hungry this evening after volunteering. I plan on doing a boxing video after volunteering.
 Friday: I will plan my meals for the day in the morning and be sure to stick to it. For exercise, will with ride my horse and run or play tennis.

Saturday: Will go running or horseback riding in the morning. My challenge will be to really watch my eating at the birthday party will be attending in the evening. The hosts are fans of Leinenkugel beer and so am I! Beware!

Sunday: Walking, running or workout DVD in the morning. My challenge will be to watch the eating during the potluck lunch at the barn where I board my horse. After the potluck, I will be horseback riding with others from the barn.

Still Running...

What seems like eons ago, I started the Couch to 5k program because I always hated running. To me, the program was the ultimate challenge both mentally and physically. I told msyelf that once I got through the program, I would never have to run again if I didn't want to.

A strange thing happened. I finished the program. I'll admit, it took me much longer than nine weeks because some workouts took a few attempts to complete, then I'd take breaks from running. I always came back, though, which surprised even me. I figured I'd surely give up before completing the entire program; that's what I always did with weight loss or exercise programs. Why was this time going to be any different?

Thanks to my "weight loss sisters," many of whom also completed or are currently doing the program, I stuck with it because I held myself accountable. Whenever I'd be doing one of the workouts, I'd tell myself I HAD to finish because I didn't want to let them down. Granted, they would have been supportive regardless of what I did with the C25k program, but I told myself I needed to do it for them. Suddenly, this made it easier.

I officially finished the last Couch to 5k workout the first week of June, yet I continue to run at least one day per week. I don't have a gym membership and have found it's a great way to burn a lot of calories in a short time. I've learned that for me, running is more mental than anything else. I'm now capable of running 30-45 minutes without stopping as long as my thoughts stay positive. It still amazes me that the "chubby girl" actually passes other joggers occasionally! I've learned that the "runners high" exists and for me, it's the pride I feel toward myself when I've finished a run.

Women Don't Hike?

It absolutely amazes me than many of the places that carry inexpensive hiking boots do not carry them for women. Walmart and Target, for example, carry hiking boots for men but do not have a single pair for women. It makes me wonder if there is really such a small number of women who hike and spend time outdoors that these stores can't justify carrying these items.

I was lucky enough to find a sale on an inexpensive pair of waterproof hiking boots at a sporting goods store, but they cost double what my boyfriend's waterproof hiking boots cost at Walmart.

Not only are so many stores not carrying hiking boots, but many of them do not carry various other outdoor apparel for women that they do carry for men. It sounds to me like more women need to get out and enjoy the outdoors or need to let these stores know that we'd like outdoor gear, too!

Retiring

I've come to the conclusion that I need to officially retire my size 14 jeans. They've been big for a while, but comfortable and familiar. Afterall, I've been this size for quite a while now. I own a few pairs of size 12 jeans that fit better, but the 14s have been hard to give up.

This morning, I've realized that the size 14s no longer look good on me. They sag in the butt, hang off my thighs and are practically falling off even with a belt. The size 12s are here to stay and even those are loose now and will soon need to be replaced with size 10 jeans. The size 10s at the store fit, but I'm more like a size 10.5 and I'm not allowing myself to actually spend the money on the 10s until they look good. Just a few more pounds...

Another realization hit me this morning. I'm wearing a size large tshirt that was much too tight when it was given to me two years ago. I've been wearing it off and on for the past few months and didn't give it much thought other than the fact that it was no longer tight. This morning, though, I am wearing a long-sleeved tshirt under my size large tshirt and *gasp* it's loose. Could it be? Can I really start wearing size medium tshirts?

Now, I've always been a window shopper but never got too excited about shopping unless it was for shoes, horse equipment or I got a heck of a deal on something necessary. However, this weight loss is turning me into someone who enjoys and looks forward to going shopping. Who knew that being able to fit into things at the store and feel confident in them would change one's outlook so much? I'm thinking I need to do some shopping this weekend!