Inspiration is...

my mother, Wednesday's Child.

Last January my mom decided she was ready to make a lifestyle change. At first I had no idea, she kept her plans to herself and as she has mentioned in her blog, the changes did not show up at first although they were happening. But once the changes started being visual, Mom shared with me that she was cutting her calories and walking. My parents got Riley, the uberfabulous pup, shortly after the beginning of the lifestyle change who provided a much needed walking companion and incentive as he always wants and is ready for a walk.

I watched my mom be the incredible shrinking woman. She kept me posted of her progress and changes, how she wrote down and figured out the math of recipes, the things that no longer fit and fit again, creative ways to make 1200 calories be enough, how to avoid her favorite food bread, and by July she was tiny in my eyes. She told me she wasn't at her target yet, but I thought she looked simply amazing.

So I thought long and hard about what she was doing and how good she looked. And in July '07 I made a decision to make a lifestyle change myself. If Mom could do it, there was no reason I shouldn't. Laziness and whining about my own overweightness wasn't working and I was unhappy.

I had to be realistic about the change. Mom has much more time during the day to walk and she has Riley who needs to walk multiple times a day. Mom is also much more disciplined, more of a stickler for details, and she likes way more veggies than I do. She is also less dependent on sweets than I am. So I decided I would stay between 1200-1400 calories, record what I ate each day, and add walking to my day at work (by getting up after each page printed, walk across the office, across the hall, across the next office to the printer, and back to my desk).

I didn't notice changes right away either, but by the time I had my doctors' appts at the end of August, there were some changes. My clothes fit a little better and the scale at the drs were no longer where I started which was 190+ 2 or 3 pounds (and wearing size 14-16). Both of my doctors praised me for my start.

And while Mom kept on losing weight and looking better and better, I was too. Not as fast or as dramatic as her coz I wasn't staying right at 1200 and I wasn't walking nearly as much as her, but doing a decent job. I inspired a co-worker to make a life-style change of her own with the changes she noticed happening to me.

By Christmas '07, Mom was 70 pounds smaller and all of my What Not to Wear make over clothes that I'd bought for my birthday two Augusts ago were loose, I needed a belt for all of the bottoms, the belts I bought last May that I could wear on the last hole were now notched to the third and fourth hole depending on the jeans or skirt, dressy shoes from years ago fit again, and I felt better, more like myself in a long time.

My friend, J, came to visit around New Year's. She hadn't seen me since last Christmas and she was very very complimentary about the change in me. She said the last time she visited that she thought my "spark" was gone and I didn't seem happy. Now I had my "spark" back and seemed to be my old self again. So much so she dared me to go out for New Year's with her and her daughter and her daughter's boyfriend.

I said yes. Let the musical wardrobe begin. I have bins in the basement of clothes from my party era (and a little after) that didn't fit anymore pre-change, but I went down and tried a bunch of stuff on to come up with a confident "I feel good" outfit. I was surprised at some of the things that fit and some of the things that almost fit. I took a few of the fit things upstairs and tried them all on in front of the mirror. I ended up wearing a wonderful chenille AnnTaylor sweater with my favorite Gap low rise tightish (but appropriate tight, not sausage tight) jeans that make my legs look thinner than they are. The sweater hasn't been worn in years. It looked great. J thought I looked great, her daughter did too. I caught some guys staring at my ass. I had a wonderful time out.

Recently I've been feeling like I've not been doing a very good job with sticking to the lifestyle change but when I put my just-purchased size 12 EddieBauer low rise jeans on yesterday to go visit my friend J2, they were no longer TIGHT, but good. I just had to take pictures.

So here's me, about 30 pounds lighter, wearing size 12, and feeling much better about ME.

Thanks Mom, I wouldn't have done it if not for your wonderful example!

Yeah Me!

I love you, Mom!