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Saturday, April 12, 2008

Goodbye, old clothes

Sixty pounds later, it was time to really clean out my closet. The old clothes are no longer in the house. Big Pile #1 is gone. Big Pile #2 is gone. The bottom drawer is almost empty. I say "almost" because I did not want to throw away these ginormous pants or what I used to think of as my "skinny jeans". I think it'll be good for me to have the pants around, and I am still a cheapskate who cannot throw away jeans that are only a size too big.

I'm not sure why I kept the old clothes around for so long. I would make plans to get rid of them, but I'd never do it.

This is all still very hard for me to believe. A lot of people want to talk to me about diet issues now, and I know that many of them have a lot of trouble losing weight. People are constantly asking me for advice. Not here on the blog -- most of you have never met me -- but people who know me seem to feel freer to talk about dieting than they did before. Maybe they were worried I would take it as a subtle suggestion that I needed a diet.

For me, the key was portion control: I used to eat healthy food, but I ate too much of it. When I cut back to a normal portion, I didn't miss the rest of it. I also made sure to treat myself every day with a little bit of chocolate or something else. I never felt deprived because if I wanted to eat something, I ate it. I can't promise that this will work for you, but it's what worked for me. I have friends who've done very well with low-carb diets or Weight Watchers, too. It all really comes down to calorie counting, but if Weight Watchers makes it easier for you and it's something you really want, go for it. Make sure you're doing it for yourself, not because you think someone else wants it. There will always be someone who is thinner than you are, and it's not healthy to measure yourself against other people, anyway. And remember that you can't change certain things about yourself. I was curvy last June, and I'm still curvy. I will never be "thin" in the same way some other women are.

I started doing this through the SELF Challenge, which is a free three-month eating plan. It was really my sister-in-law's idea: she was doing it and was looking for an online buddy, so I volunteered to sign up with her. Thanks, Princess. :)

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow, Megan--congratulations! Fabulous. (I am totally envious, of course, but am soldiering on. . .). I think you've hit the nail on the head about portion control, though.

Yay for new clothes!

Megan said...

Welcome, Mrs. ButterCream! The clothes I got rid of today were sizes 7 to 16. Hard to believe. It feels good to know that they're gone.

Ricki, I made tabbouleh with quinoa today and thought of you. :)

RedLivvy said...

Megan,
I saw you left a comment on our blog, so I had to come check yours out. 1st- I LOVE the title of your blog, very appropriate, such a great song. 2nd- Congrats on the weight loss! It is amazing isn't it? When I lost all my weight, I personally couldn't WAIT to get rid of all my "fat" clothes. I felt like they were my trophies, only I gave them out, as my "winnings." Plus, it kept from feeling like thee was a cushion to go back to those if I put he weight back on. But I did keep one outfit, and I can put my whole self in one leg of the jeans. It's a great way for me to remember where I've been and to remember what I've accomplished, especiallu on those days I'm scorning myself for letting 20 lbs creep back on. Well, anyway...there's my 2 cents, which always ends up a dollar! LOL Keep up the great work! :)

jen said...

Your awesome! Tonight I found myself eating muffin batter after getting irritated with the dieting battle. Perhaps I have a little more motivation to keep going now. I am going to check out the links!

Anonymous said...

Fabulous :)!

The key for me would be less Carbs and smaller portions.
I did it in Korea two years ago with lots of Sports combined.
But traveling and half a year vacation in Hungary brought me back to "normal" ;)
We will see if I can make it again :P

Anonymous said...

Congratulations....I love to hear stories like that. I've actually been trying to gain a little weight for the longest time so I know weight issues can be a big challenge, even though mine are in reverse. You should be very proud. It takes a lot of discipline and determination. Good work.

The Blueberry Princess said...

Well, you're very welcome, although we both know that I really had nothing to do with you losing weight! I'm still struggling to get fit. I'll do really well for 1 month and then stop for 2... I'll hit my stride though. Very nice work!

Megan said...

Nicole: "Normal" is a very good goal. If you're already there, you deserve a pat on the back. I don't go in for the scrawny look that's so popular on TV or in movies.

Princess: It would never have occurred to me to do this if you hadn't mentioned it. I did it on a lark to see what would happen, but it was all because you suggested it.

Anonymous said...

Hi Megan, thanks for stopping by my blog! When I get down to my goal weight, I'll definitely be keeping one pair of pants from my largest size . . . sometimes you lose sight of your accomplishments, so I think they'll serve as an excellent reminder. Congratulations on your weight loss success!

Anonymous said...

Well done. You are so right too re portion control. It's so easy to let the size of meals creep up. I do it. I used to be able to eat anything at all and stay skinny but not any more. If I eat too much and don't run, then I get a fat stomach.

I shall try to keep my meal sizes reasonable - it's not as if there are a shortage of other people to eat the food!!!