Shifting

So what is the best measurement of success when it comes to dieting and weight loss? Is it the numbers on a scale? Is it the size of your clothes? Or is it what you see in the mirror and you suck it in and shift from side to side?

Maybe a little bit of all of the above? Hard to say and I guess for me it depends on the day. I do know I could about tear my hair out some days waiting for the numbers on the scale to move. If that was my soul source of accomplishment I would have lost it long ago! It is definitely satisfying to move into a size I have never worn before. Just today I put on a XL t-shirt to work out in and could not believe how baggy it felt.I had to look and see if it was one of my 2XL's or above just to make sure. The fast that my size 14 pants are getting pretty loose, well that is just crazy. It just is.....

The mirror is tricky for me though. It is a fickle friend of mine to be sure. Some days I catch myself in the right light and with the right angle I can be pretty happy with what I see. But most of the time I still see more of what is wrong than what is right. That won't change for a long while but I am working on it.

I guess the other very cool measurement is to see the wide eyes of the people who see the before and current versions of my progress and see the genuine pride that shines through as they look at me.

Oh yes.....and speaking of looks. The best look of all is from the sexy guy who walks in my door and lights up as he sees me, really sees me and likes what he sees. Pretty cool.

So some of these are quantifiable and some are a matter of opinion so let's review some hard numbers shall we?

I went and had another BMI (click to check your own) measurement taken to compare against where I began and here are the results.

When I started my diet my BMI was 69.6. Today it is 34.5 (which is still considered obese btw) so I have reduced it by half!

My percentage of body fat was 51.1% so half my body was pure fat....today is it 32.8% and the desired range for women is 21-33%!!!!!

My fat mass was 213.51 pounds...so I was carrying over 200lbs of just fat around with me everywhere I went. Today it is 68 pounds of fat...so there is still some work to do but not so bad...

So those are the numbers and all in all I have to say I am pretty happy with them. Of course I am, anyone would be (or should be) but the reason that I wanted to get them checked was because I want to let them all got for now....

I really feel like I have hit the part of my journey where the numbers don't really mean much anymore. The numbers on the scale don't tell me what I really want to know mainly because of the x factor of all my loose skin. It is no exaggeration that I could easily be 30lbs or so lighter right away once I get my body suit tightened so what will the scale really tell me with that kind of wrench thrown into the works?

What was important for me to know was the percent of body fat....to me that is the only number worth tracking now and the only one I can control. At this point there isn't much I can do to lose more weight beyond surgery (plastic surgery that is) and the number on the scale isn't important. It was when I started cuz you need something to shoot for but now my focus has shifted from weight loss to fitness. I figure it is my job now to do the very best I can do to strengthen and tone and work out so I can build a very solid core so when I do get nipped and tucked it will be pulled taunt over a very nice frame that it now hiding under yards of excess skin.

I am hitting my workouts as hard as I can and Michael (my friend and trainer) are building better and more complex sessions for me as well as doing cardio and of course my beloved yoga .

It's really freeing to be able to be comfortable letting go of a number on a scale and I was never ever hung up on that....it's just time to jog my last few miles before I cross the finish line and look and feel as good as I possibly can when I get there!!

See you on the other side.....