Tag Archives: weight loss

Number one!

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I have a confession to make…I am a magazine junkie. One in particular that I absolutely love is Consumer Reports. I know, not what you expected was it?

I have purchased many items based on how something was rated in Consumer Reports. Weird? Maybe. But I don’t care. I figure, “Why not let someone else do the research for me!”

Well, we received our February 2013 issue recently and as my husband was perusing through it, he was quick to point out an article he knew I would be interested in…VERY interested in, as a matter of fact.

It’s just another example of why I am so thrilled/excited/blessed to work for such an awesome company – Weight Watchers – the best weight loss/healthy living plan around (at least in my opinion!).

Not only are we rated the number one weight loss program by U.S. News and World Report, we also now received the highest score in the commercial weight loss plans in Consumer Reports. Yeah!

I know, I am probably not supposed to do what I am about to do, but I am super excited about the article, so I am sharing all with you! I tried highlighting some of it, but when I scanned it in, the highlighted part doesn’t really show up. If you don’t want to take the time to read the whole article, at least look at page four, where the headline reads: “Get the most out of Weight Watchers.”

It’s AWESOME information!

So, without further ado, here’s the article (all four pages of it!):

Page 1

Page 2

Page 3

Page 4

So, that’s it. Pretty cool, huh?

November 19, 2008…when it all began!

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So, I guess it’s been awhile, huh? Wow! I guess I let life get in the way. Or, maybe it’s because I’ve been lazy. Or, maybe it’s because I didn’t feel like I had anything else to say. Or, maybe I did’t think anyone was really interested anymore. Whatever the reason, I decided to come back. At least for now. :-)

Although I really don’t want to make any promises, I am going to try – really, really hard – to post at least once a week. Okay? Sound like a plan? Tell you what, I’ll make you a deal…I’ll post once a week if you, my dear readers, promise to check in on me and read what I write and maybe, just maybe, comment once in awhile. Provide me with some feedback. Is it a deal? Yes? Good.

Then, let’s begin.

November 19, 2008. Four years ago today.

Who knew back then how much my life would change? Who knew that walking through the door of my very first Weight Watchers meeting would make that big of a difference? I mean, really, it was supposed to be “just another diet.” Because, let’s face it, I had tried just about every other diet under the sun, why would this one be any different?

Let’s just say, it was different. WAY different.

For starters, it isn’t a diet. I repeat…IT IS NOT A DIET! It is one hundred percent – 100% – a lifestyle change. And if anybody thinks any differently, they don’t want/need it bad enough. That, my dear friends, is the difference.

A DIET. This is where you just want to lose weight as quickly and as effortlessly as possible. No change, really. No learning. No adapting. Not long term. No work. No effort. No desire. Nothing, really. Just get the weight off…fast and with very little effort. Truly, I don’t think I have met one person who has “dieted” and kept the weight off that they lost. Really. Truly. We’ve all been there. We’ve all done that.

A LIFESTYLE CHANGE. This one, on the other hand, takes work – HARD WORK, determination, desire, dedication, a willingness to change, much effort, support, trust and oh-so-much more. Truly, it is one of the hardest things to do short term, let along long term.

I can’t even begin to explain how grateful I am that I decided – FINALLY – to do the lifestyle change and not “just another diet.” It has been one of the most rewarding journeys I have ever taken. Truly. Honestly.

CHANGES over the last four years:

  • No more high blood pressure.
  • No more high blood pressure medication.
  • No more high cholesterol.
  • No more yelling stern talks from my doctor.
  • No more diabetes lingering.
  • No more obesity – yes, I was in the obese category.
  • A healthier body mass index (BMI).
  • Less fat and more muscle.
  • More energy.
  • An expanded, healthier diet – as in the foods I eat on regular basis. (Don’t get me wrong, I still eat my favs – cake, ice cream, cheese, crackers, cookies, chips, etc. Just not on a regular basis.)
  • A more active lifestyle – I am now a runner. (In 2012, my husband and I will have competed in 27 races, ranging from a 1-mile sprint to 5K races, to 10K races, to a 10-mile race, to our first half-marathon!)
  • A new career – I quit my job of 12 years as a newspaper reporter to becoming a leader with Weight Watchers. I now try and do what my leader did for me – give me a life, a much better life.
  • A different and better attitude.
  • More confidence.
  • A better relationship with my husband. (Not that it really could have gotten better as we have a pretty awesome relationship the way it is.)
  • A better outlook on life.
  • An active YMCA membership.

I know I could go on and on with all the changes that have taken place, but I won’t bore you any longer. All I know is that I am glad I walked through that door the very first time and I’m glad I kept walking through it, week after week, year after year. As cliché as it sounds, Weight Watchers truly changed my life. And I know, it’s only going to get better.

 

 

Hitting home

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Wow, this week’s topic in my Weight Watchers meeting sure hit home…not just for my members, but for me as well.

The topic was being kind to ourselves and how easy it is to beat ourselves up when we think we have failed. We talked about how we tend to turn to food when things turn ugly…we skipped the gym, we made a bad decision, we’re feeling depressed, we’re celebrating, etc.

I have to say it was my best meeting so far. It was the kind of meeting that really made my members – and myself – think, dig deep into the heart of our feelings and so much more. Yes, some of my meeting rooms were awfully quiet this week, but I didn’t mind. I could almost see the wheels turning inside my members’ brains.

I loved it. Sometimes, we touch on the surface of our eating problems or we just give tips on what we can do to pump up our exercise or change up our food, but sometimes, we got to get down and dirty, we have to get to the nitty gritty of our food issues. And that’s what they are. Issues.

At the end of the meeting, I read a saying – the author was unknown – about what food CAN do for us and basically what it can’t. It was AWESOME! Which, is the reason I am sharing it with all of you. My hope is that it hits home for all of you, like it did for me…especially the last one!

Here it is:

Please take this to heart!

What did I do?

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As the weather warms up, I finally realized it’s time to buckle down and get back on track. Before we know it, summer will be here and that means just one thing – swimsuits!

I am not sure what kind of slump/funk I was in, but I think I have finally snapped out of it. I do blame the weather for putting me there in the first place, which I guess is kind of weird considering we – those of us living in central Minnesota – have had a very pleasant winter. But it seems like the older I get, the more I despise winter. It truly gets me in a bad funk. I need the fresh air – WARM, fresh air. I need the sunshine – the warm, bright sunshine. I just feel better, eat better (as in healthier!), sleep better, exercise better – well, pretty much do everything better in every other season, but winter.

Well, spring is here apparently and I am loving the weather we’ve been having. It has been gorgeous! Summer IS right around the corner, I can smell it and taste it and feel it.

This past weekend, the hubby and I were in Minneapolis. We had a 7K race on Saturday morning and decided to spend the entire weekend in the cities. We had a blast. We ate, we raced, we visited with my brothers and families, we ate, we walked around downtown Minneapolis, we ate and we shopped. We didn’t do a lot of shopping, but enough to please both of us.

There is one purchase I made that SHOCKED me. I. Bought. A. Swimsuit.

Yep, I did it. I went ahead and purchased a new swimsuit. Why? Not entirely sure, but I did. And not just any ‘ol swimsuit. I. Bought. A. (insert throat clear here) BIKINI!

Yep, me. I did it!

First off, keep in mind, that I don’t even wear shorts in the summer. Ever. Yes, even though I have lost 50 pounds, I still don’t wear shorts. I will wear capris. But never shorts. Even when running, I don’t wear shorts. EVER. Second thing to keep in mind, I don’t think I wore a swimsuit once last year. And my husband’s family has a summer cabin on Lake Ida, a beautiful lake near where we live.

So, what possessed me to purchase a new swimsuit, let alone a bikini? I can’t even tell you. I have no idea. I haven’t worn a bikini since I was probably 19 years old. But, I guess I just thought it was time. I still may not like my body, well, it’s more that I despise all the disgusting stretch marks I have. But I also don’t hate it anymore. Yes, just like everyone else, I have flaws, but I’m okay with it. My flaws are me. They make me who I am. They give me character. Plus, really, who am I trying to impress? My husband loves me. ME – not anyone else! And, he loves every last one of my stinking stretch marks.

So, will I wear my new two-piece bathing suit? Maybe. Probably. Hopefully.

Will it be at a public beach? Doubtful. Unless, by chance, I am on vacation somewhere where no one knows me!

If you are wondering what this new swimsuit looks like, I am sorry to disappoint you, but I will not be posting pictures of me in it. I am an open and honest person as many of you know. I will tell you what I weigh (143.8 as of this morning!). I will share my struggles and my triumphs. I will tell what I eat if you ask. I will let you know when I have eaten half a container of ice cream. But there are just some things that can be left alone.

But in case you are really, really wondering what kind of bikini it is, here are pictures I copied from JCP, which is the store I bought it from.

My new bikini top

My new bikini bottom (keep in mind that it actually goes over MY belly button!)

Where have I been?

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Wow, it has been a long time since I last blogged. Time just kind of got away from me. So, I suppose you would like to know how things have been going. I don’t even know where to start!

How about I start with a photo comparison of me? I just posted these pictures to my Confessions of a [former] Fat Girl Facebook site, which you can find here. Check this out:

Yep, this is me.

Okay, so now I got that out of the way. Well, kind of. Sometimes, when I look in the mirror, I see the person on the left. It’s when I look at pictures – side by side – like this that I can actually see a difference.

I am proud of myself, I won’t lie. And I won’t lie and say that it’s been easy. It hasn’t. I have good days and then, I have bad days – well, weeks. Sometimes, I need reminders, like the picture above to prove to me how far I’ve actually come.

So, I suppose you’re wondering why I haven’t posted in such a long time. I guess it’s because things haven’t been the best. I have been on this downward spiral since probably Christmas. One of my Weight Watchers members made me realize this week as to why I have probably been in this slump. Two words: My sister.

As many of you know, my oldest sister, Donna, died last year – January 31, 2011. I went through a really rough time after her death – I thought eating my way through the pain was going to help. It didn’t. It made it worse. Well, this past Christmas was our first Christmas without her and it has been since then that things started going down hill. Then, when the one-year anniversary of her death came, I didn’t realize it, but it really hit hard. Again, I tried to mask the pain with food. And again, it didn’t help. It only made it worse.

I reached my highest weight in a long, long, long time…I hit 149.2. So. Not. Cool.

I realized I hit rock bottom when, while traveling back from St. Cloud, I stopped at a grocery store and bought this:

 

Yep, this is what I bought.

I ate half of it before I even realized what I did. When I got home, I wrapped the box – the evidence – in  some plastic bags and then threw it in the garbage – the outside garbage – so no one would know. Well, now all of you know. I think that has been my problem lately, is that I haven’t been honest – with myself – or with others. I have been “closet eating” again, which is why I haven’t felt like blogging.

In the last few months, I have had good days, but I have had some really bad days. One of the things that I think has saved me from gaining even more weight is that my husband and I have been going to the YMCA. So, at least I haven’t lost that part…I am still exercising. Thank goodness.

But, I am back on track. FOR REAL! I have lost about five pounds and am working on five more. I would like to stay right around 138-140. That is where I feel the best. And I know I can do it.

Thanks for all of your support. And I apologize for being MIA for so long. I will try not to do it again. Thanks for reading my blog and remember, you can keep up-to-date with me on my Facebook page, which you can find here.

Take care and remember, even when you feel like you can’t continue, you can. You can do anything you put your mind to. Baby steps. One foot in front of another. YOU CAN DO IT!

Is it time for a new start?

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The new year is almost here, which is always a great time to jump on board the healthy living train. But nothing says you have to wait until the new year. Why not start now?

If you have ever thought about joining Weight Watchers, why not come to a meeting to check us out. Everyone is always invited to attend one meeting for free. So, what are you waiting for. Come visit me and my staff to find out about the program – which by the way was rated as the number one weight loss diet (Yes, I despise this word, but whatever) by U.S. News and World Report.

Below, I have listed all the meetings that I do each week. You can also go to the Weight Watchers website and click on the “meeting finder” to find one if your area. Click here for more information.

Okay, so here is where you can find me each week:

Monday

CentraCare Clinic, Melrose – weigh-in starts at noon and the meeting starts at 12:30 p.m.

Senior Center, Sauk Centre – weigh-in starts at 5:30 p.m. and the meeting starts at 6 p.m.

Tuesday

PrimeWest Health, Alexandria – weigh-in starts at 6:45 a.m. and the meeting starts at 7:15 a.m.

University of Minnesota-Morris – weigh-in starts at 11:45 a.m. and the meeting starts at 12:15 p.m.

Morris Community Library, Morris – weigh-in starts at 4:30 p.m. and the meeting starts at 5 p.m.

Wednesday

Senior Center, Alexandria – weigh-ins start at 7:30 a.m., 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. and the meetings start at 8 a.m., 10 a.m. and 12:15 p.m.

Ambulance Garage, Wheaton – weigh-in starts at 3:30 p.m. and the meeting start at 4 p.m.

Thursday

Encore Capital Credit, St. Cloud – weigh-in starts at 10 a.m. and the meeting starts at 10:30 a.m.

Wolters Kluwer, St. Cloud – weigh-in starts at 12 p.m. and the meeting starts at 12:30 p.m.

Glacial Ridge Hospital, Glenwood – weigh-in starts at 5 p.m. and the meeting starts at 5:30 p.m.

Friday

Weight Watchers Center, Waite Park – weigh-in starts at 11:45 a.m. and the meeting starts at 12:15 p.m.

If you have any questions about Weight Watchers or the meetings, PLEASE send me an email and I will do my best to answer! You can send an email to celbeam@gmail.com. I would LOVE to hear from you!!!!!

6.6

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I knew I had a reason to be excited to weigh-in on Wednesday. Why? Because I knew I would lose. But I didn’t expect it to be the number it was.

Last week on Wednesday (June 1), I weighed in at 146 pounds, which was almost a 10-pound gain since my first weigh-in in April, which was on April 6. I was at 137.4 .  This Wednesday (June 8), I weighed in at 139.4 – a 6.6 pound loss! YES! SIX POINT SIX POUNDS!!!! I was ecstatic. Almost in tears really.

So, why? What did I change? What did I do?

A couple of things.

For one, I have been drinking lots of Vitamin Zero Water and Sobe Lifewater. Both zero calorie drinks, but unfortunately, that doesn’t equate to 0 PointsPlus values for Weight Waters. I found out that the Vitamin Zero Water has 2 PointsPlus values per bottle and there were times I was drinking two or three per day. And the Sobe Lifewater is worse…or at least for the flavors I was drinking. The pomegranate cherry and the orange tangerine Sobe flavored Lifewaters have 5 PointsPlus values per bottle. FIVE!!!! YIKES!!!! Again, there were times I was drinking two or three a day. You know how fast those points add up! Scary.

Lesson learned. Don’t assume that because something is flavored water and it has zero calories that it is healthy for you. It’s not. Plain and simple.

Lesson learned. ALWAYS. ALWAYS. ALWAYS check the PointsPlus values of every single item. DON’T ASSUME anything.

I also cut back on the all sweets I was eating. May not sound like much, but if you saw the amount of sweets I was eating you would understand.

I also cut back on the amount of sodium I was consuming. Pizza. Chinese take out. Chips. Processed foods. Yep, it all adds up.

It’s amazing how the littlest, simplest things can make such a huge impact. AMAZING!

So, I am back on track and hopefully looking for another loss next Wednesday. My goal is to stick closer to the 136-range. This is where I feel my best. I will let you know next week how I do. In the meantime, have a great weekend! AND watch those points….don’t let them sneak up on you!

And as always, remember, you can look me up on Facebook by clicking here.

Where have I been?

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Hello. So have you been wondering where I’ve been? No need to worry anymore, I’m here. I’m back. Well, at least for today anyway!

What’s been going on, huh? Have you been wondering why there haven’t been any blog posts from me? To be honest, I hope so. I hope you’ve missed me. I’ve missed you. Really, I have.

I suppose you would like some more honesty, huh? Okay, here goes.

I guess I have to admit I’ve been avoiding posting anything because things, well, haven’t been the best lately. Meaning, I started gaining. I am not sure what happened. Well, other than the fact that I kind of lost control for awhile. For some reason or another, I adopted the nope-I-don’t-care-attitude. The nope-I don’t-give-a-rats-behind-attitude.

Not good. Period.

So how much did I gain. Well, let’s take a look at the numbers. You know I have never been shy about that. I have always been honest with my numbers, my weight. So, here ya go. I will start back in April, when things were going pretty good…April 6 – 137.4; April 13 – 139; April 20 – 138.8; April 27 – 142; May 4 – 141.2; May 11 – 139.8; May 18 – 139.6; May 25 – 142; and June 1 (just last week) – 146.

WHAT? 146? YIKES. Since the beginning of April, I have gained 8.6 pounds – that is nearly 10 pounds. TEN!!!! I know, not a big deal, right? Wrong. It is big deal. To me, it is.

So, why? Honestly, there are a couple of different factors. One, the weather. Yes, I blame part of it on the weather. I was getting so pissed off (sorry about the language) because we didn’t really get a spring and I didn’t get to see the sunshine much. It was crappy, cold, wet, miserable and I let it get to me. I let the weather win.

Two, my attitude. Like I said earlier, I developed the I-just-don’t-care-anymore-attitude. I wanted to eat and I didn’t care about what I was eating. I just ate. Plain and simple. I didn’t track. I didn’t do a thing, but eat. Pizza. Cake. Cookies. Chips. Ice cream. Cereal. Waffles. Fast food. Greasy food. Fatty foods. Salty foods. Whatever was “bad” for me, I ate. And I didn’t care a thing about portion sizes. I ate until I was stuffed silly. Miserable, really. Gut ache and all.

Three, my sister. I think the death of my sister finally really hit me. It finally hit me that she is gone. For good. She is dead. I know, it sounds weird – awful, really. But I really think it finally hit home. Hit my heart with a big, ol’, BOOM, POW! I got mad. I got sad. I got angry. I got depressed. I got stupid. I thought food was going to help heal my heart, my sadness, my soul. But I know better than that. It won’t. It didn’t. It made it worse, to be honest.

It seems like everything I have been preaching to my Weight Watchers members, I should have been preaching to myself. I guess the ol’ saying, “Practice what you preach!” really fit perfectly with me.

In all actuality, I kind of felt like a fraud. Yes, a fraud. I know this is stupid, but because I am now a Weight Watchers leader, I feel like I have to be a “PERFECT” role model. Even though I know I don’t have to be. Yes, I have to be a role model, but I don’t have to be a PERFECT one.

In truth, I am still a Weight Watchers member, just like the rest of my members. I have the same struggles and battles as the rest of my members. Even though they may not think so, I do. I am still me on the inside even though the outside of me is different. Does that make sense?

Well, I finally woke up to the madness. I am back on track. I am back to eating healthy – well, for the most part! I have never totally given up any of my favorite foods and I don’t ever have any intention of doing so. But, and this is the biggest BUT of them all…I just don’t eat them all the time. AND, I am back to having control over my portions. If I want something, I have it. Maybe not a ginormous amount of it, but I still have it.

I may have had a temporary setback, but I look at it as feedback, not failure. I am learning from it. I am gaining valuable information. And, I am back to being in control over my food instead of my food having control over me. And that really is key. It’s okay that we have a little misstep once in awhile, but then we have to gain that control back. And I feel like I have.

I actually can’t wait to step on the scale tomorrow morning in front of one of my Weight Watchers co-workers. Yes, I do this every week…no matter what the scale says. Just like my members, I am not only accountable to myself at the scale, I am accountable to someone else! And yep, she has been watching my weight climb, which, again, just like my members, is not a fun thing to happen. I feel like I have disappointed her, as well myself. Even though I KNOW I haven’t disappointed her.

I know I am NEVER, EVER disappointed in any one of my members in the 13 meetings I do each week. They never disappoint me no matter how bad of a week they may have had. Why? Because I have faith in every single one of my members. And I always tell them they need to have a little faith in themselves. Which, I guess I did practice what I preached. I found the faith in myself that I lost for a little awhile. And it sure feels good to have it back.

We ALL struggle from time to time, but it’s how we deal with it that matters. It’s whether or not we decide to get back on that horse and ride or say, forget, it’s not worth it.

I know it is ALWAYS worth it because I am worth it. And so are each and every one of you. Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. I certainly appreciate it. And I also appreciate any feedback you want to give. If you feel like sharing your own story, do so. You can submit a comment below or feel free to send me an email – send it to either celbeam@gmail.com or confessionsofaformerfatgirl@gmail.com.

And remember, you can always check me out on Facebook, which is kept up-to-date a little more often than my blog lately! You can view my Facebook by clicking here.

Thanks and take care!

Not a good week : (

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So, you are probably wondering how my week went, right? Well, I will tell you it wasn’t very good. At. All. (Insert HUGE frowny face here!)

I won’t bore you with the actual details, but I will just let you know that I ended up with a sinus infection and had to go in to the doctor. Let’s just say I love the Z-Pak (the wonderful five-day antibiotics that doctors use nowadays!).

It is Saturday and I am finally feeling back to normal. So, that means, yep, you guessed it, I did not get any of my running in this week. Not one single day. And that makes me mad AND sad. Especially, because the weather actually shaped up and I would have loved to be outside soaking up the sun and breathing in the wonderful fresh air instead of being cooped up inside my house on my couch feeling miserable. Boo.

As for my eating? Well, let’s just say I am guessing the first day of being sick I must have had a fever. Why? Because isn’t there a saying that goes like this…starve a cold, feed a fever. Well, that was me the first day. I couldn’t get enough food shoveled inside my big ol’ mouth. (I found out that a single scoop turtle sundae from Culver’s is 17 WW points!) But, luckily, the next few days were better. One, because I couldn’t taste anything and two, I couldn’t breathe while I was eating and that just made me not want to eat. I did, however, have TONS of Vitamin C.

When I am sick, I love to drink hot Tang. Yes. Hot. I boil some water and then mix it with the powdered Tang drink mix. I LOVE HOT TANG!!!!! It is so soothing and just plain ol’ awesome. I also drank plenty of Vitamin Zero Water, the orange kind. I love that stuff, too. But cold, not hot.

Well, now that I am feeling better, I plan on getting back on track and am going to work on getting in at least three runs per week. Even though it is kind of gloomy out today, I plan on going for a run this afternoon. And…I cannot wait!!!!! It just killed me this week not to be able to get out there and run, but I am the biggest wimp and wuss when I am sick. The couch is pretty much where I spend my time. YUCK!

So, so much for not boring you.

Maybe this will help. Last night, my husband and I had our typical “date night.” Yes, we usually have it on Saturdays, but we have other plans for tonight so we decided to have it last night. Both of us LOVE mahi mahi. It is probably our favorite fish, although I have to say that yellowfin tuna is right up there at the top as well. Anyway, my husband found an awesome recipe online, click here for recipe, called grilled mahi mahi with black bean salsa.  OMG!!!!! It was awesome. Perfect.

So, here is a couple of photos from our date night for your viewing pleasure.

Grilled mahi mahi with black bean salsa

Here is what the fish looked like when I cut into it. It's meaty and thick and dense. This is good, not bad. I love MEATY fish, not flaky and slimy.

And of course, when we have date night, we have to have our wine. Here are pics of the two bottles we enjoyed!

We love Coppola wines. We have never had one we didn't like. This one, however, was much better with the food than it was sipping it by itself.

Another awesome wine. We have also had many Cline wines and have never been disappointed. This, too, was awesome with the food.

So, until next time….have a wonderful week everyone! And, as usual, you can keep tabs on me by checking out the Confessions of a [former] Fat Girl Facebook page. Just click here.

How do you measure up?

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Quite awhile ago, I wrote a blog about my measurements. Or at least I think I did. This morning, for some reason, I decided to get the ol’ tape measure out again and measure three key areas – my  hips, my waist and  my chest/bust.

When people begin a healthy living journey, one thing I think they should always do, but almost never, ever do, is measure – as in using a tape measure, not the scale. People often gauge their progress just by the numbers on the scale. And sometimes, those numbers may not budge or they may not budge according to what the person wants. And if that happens, they often get depressed and think that they are not making progress. That is why measuring with a tape measure is so important.

So, my advice to everyone who is just starting this journey, is to grab a tape measure and measure your hips – yes, at the widest part – along with your bust/chest and your waist – at the narrowest part. Then, maybe every two months or so, measure again. See if anything has changed. I am betting the results will shock you. And, maybe give you that motivation you need.

I actually can’t remember the last time I measured, but I do have numbers from February 18, 2009 – nearly two years ago to the day. At that time, I had already lost nearly 16 pounds so my measurements weren’t accurate from when I actually started. But at any rate, my measurements on February 18, 2009 and my measurements today, February 21, 2011, are as follows: chest/bust – was 39 inches, is now 33 inches – a difference of 6 inches; waist – was 33.75 inches, is now 27 inches – a difference of 6.75 inches; and hips – was 44.5 inches, is now 38 inches – a difference of 6.5 inches.

In addition, my body fat back in February of 2009 was 37.9 percent. Today, it is 24 percent. That’s a difference of almost 14 percent body fat. CRAZY!!!!

My weight back on February 18, 2009 was 174.6. My starting weight, which was on November 19, 2008, was 190.2 and my current weight, as of this morning, February 21, 2011, is 136.8. The difference from when I started until now is 53.4 pounds. WOW! There are times I still don’t believe it. There are times when I look in the mirror and still see the old me. BUT, there are also times, when I see the new me and wonder, wow, when the heck did that happen? Who is this person staring back at me?

So, starting today, I would like all my readers to grab a tape measure and measure your success not just by what the scale says, but also what your body says. If you have done this already and would like to share your success, please leave a comment. I would love to hear about it. Or, send an email to confessionsofaformerfatgirl@gmail.com.

And, as always, you can find Confessions of a [former] Fat Girl on Facebook…just click here.