Being Amazing

In the past few months, I've done some amazing things.

Which is where my weight loss comes in.

Infertility, being rejected from an adoption agency, preparing for a home study, the adoption process itself, not to mention ups and downs at work and school and life all added up to a couple of years of stress. 

And when I'm stressed, I eat. 

To be fair, I eat when I'm not stressed. Food is, in my mind, one of the greatest joys of living. 

Mmm... food...

It's just that when I'm stressed, I eat regardless of whether I'm hungry. 

That's me on the right. 

So when the dust settled after an emotionally difficult season, I decided it was time to see what I would feel like if I only ate when I was hungry. 

At my heaviest, I was 160 pounds. Because I'm 5 foot 7 inches tall, this basically tipped me to the very age of a healthy weight. 

Thanksgiving 2013

Body Mass Index (BMI) is one measure of a healthy weight range. A BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 is considered to be healthy. 

At 160, my BMI was 25.1. Right over the edge into the "overweight" category. 

Date Night

Now there are flaws with the BMI system, including the fact that it does not account for muscle weight and that the cut off point for a "healthy weight" actually differs by race/ethnicity. 

Regardless of the limitations of this tool, there was really no reason for me to be in an overweight category. I didn't have pregnancy weight to loose nor did I have a medical condition like PCOS or thyroid disease. 

I just eat when I'm stressed. I also eat when I'm happy. And when I'm sad. And when I'm scared. You get the picture. 

Playing dress-up with my son

My goal was to be 147 pounds. I figured that's how much I will naturally weigh when I only eat if I'm hungry. It's a kind of arbitrary number but it's the one I set as a goal. 

So I started with what I knew worked for me. Thanksgiving day, I started using Weight Watchers Online to help me with portion control. Simply writing down what you eat, like in a food journal, can help you lose weight by making you aware of what you're eating. 

I didn't tell anyone I was starting, not even my husband. I didn't want to make a big deal about it. I started to lose weight. I was smugly proud that all through the holiday season, when others were getting more plump, I was slimming down. 

Sophisticated as always in Target

All was going well. In January, I was 152 pounds. Slow and steady weight loss is the only way to go. If you lose weight too quickly, you will likely put it right back on as soon as you change your habits. My goal was to lose a half pound a week. And it was really working. 

My son and I at my nephew's baptism

And then I unexpectedly changed jobs. Instead of working in an office with a regular routine, I was working from home. Which meant no one could see me eat. And if no one can see me eating two cheeseburgers, they don't count, right? (That's not really how it works.)

Eating crawfish with my aunt

I went back up to 156 pounds. I was stress eating again and feeling rebellious. 

Paddle boats with my son

My contract work from home started to become more predictable. In July, I started making a list of everything I need to do before graduation. I love lists. I was getting my organizational mojo back. I started tracking my food and losing weight again. 

Getting ready for a job interview

Trying on professional clothes

It's mid-August, and I'm at 149 pounds. 

A photo for "trying on" glasses online

No product in my hair, but lovely as always

For a number of reasons, my family has started a new diet that is grain free. (More on this later.) So I've stopped using weight watchers to track my points, and my new diet is basically fruits, veggies, meats and nuts. It's a little crazy, but it's helping my husband lose weight (tracking was never that helpful for him) and I'm enjoying the challenge of eating differently. 

I'm excited to see where this new diet will take me in terms of my overall health and my weight. 

I've already noticed that strangers and acquaintances treat me differently now that I'm thinner. Which is complete and utter nonsense. I was just as awesome at being amazing at 160 pounds as I am at 149.

I'm sure I'll fluctuate plenty in my life. No matter my weight, I hope I'm always able to convey confidence in my ability to be my amazing self. 

Good times