By this time, South Beach is no longer a fad for us. It’s truly becoming our way of life. I’m amazed at how easy it’s been to transition into shopping the perimeter of the grocery store: produce, meat, dairy, with a few purposeful strolls down select aisles. I’m learning how to read labels with a different perspective. We’ve grown accustomed to a whole new way of eating. And though I haven’t lost my sweet tooth, I’m finding that more often than not I’m making better food choices and enjoying the results immensely.
And what are the results? This was an exciting week for us both as we both reached significant milestones. The totals thus far are:
Matt – 24 lbs. (he narrowly missed reaching #25!)
Debbi – 20 lbs.
We are both closing in on the halfway point to our destinations and though we’re losing more slowly now, the loss continues to mount. There have definitely been moments of weakness in the past week, and times when we’ve strayed from the strictness of our plan, but we’ve been focused enough not to stray too far or for too long. Matt’s 25th reunion was this past Saturday and we ended up buying him a whole new outfit for it – every piece a smaller size than he had been wearing previously! He looked GOOD. Yum. Though I wasn’t able to find anything I liked, I did find myself trying on jeans a full size smaller than I’ve been wearing…and I even had to ask the salesperson to take the large top back and get me a medium. A MEDIUM! Though I ended up not buying it after all, the thrill of actually fitting into a medium size top was enough to get me through the night feeling pretty darn good about myself. And I think Matt was pretty proud to show me off as his wife, too.
As further validation for my disbelieving self-esteem, I even double-checked myself at the doctor’s this morning. Yes, it was time for “that” appointment again and when she simply asked how much I weighed without actually checking, I couldn’t stand it. I had to see for myself. So when the nurse wasn’t looking, I stepped on that doctor’s scale. Sure enough, it was higher than my scale at home…but only by two pounds, and the reading was undeniable. Nearly 20-lbs. lighter than the last appointment. With a satisfied smirk on my face, I stepped off the scale and allowed myself a well-deserved pat on the back.
We’ll get there. It’s going to take time, but we’re making progress. And we’re looking better all the time.
What exciting news. And how nice to be so svelte for Matt’s reunion. You’re on your way to becoming his “bikini babe” – yes, I still check out his blog.