Back To the Routine!  Reflections from 1999-2011....pretty interesting!

Well, after vacation and a holiday week, I feel as though I am getting back on track.  I will end this week with about 10 unused activity points with WW.  So not stellar, but better than ending in a negative!  I have learned that you don't go from using all your points and a good 20 extra per day while on vacation and on holiday to return to a perfect point week- it just doesn't happen, you gradually get back into it.

I have been a busy girl with activity though and it feels good, I have taught 5 classes since Monday, I have gone walking twice and still have 3 more classes to teach in the next 2 days.  I am starting to feel in control again- except for the Holiday M&M's that I ignorantly filled into the cute little Christmas Tree shaped candy dishes.  Why didn't I just wait until our party next weekend?  I've killed the peanut butter M&M's and won't buy them ever again.  Well, at least not this holiday season.  They are too good!   I am hopeful for a slight scale move in the right direction tomorrow for the official "weigh in day".   I am super soar today, I decided to walk to meet Diane for our walk.  So I did a good 2.6 miles on my own, mostly uphill and then she & I did our 3.4 mile loop.  I could have walked back home, but was running out of time and was also in need of a bathroom.  Subbing Body Pump the next two days should be a challenge since my legs are already fried!  But when you are instructing, you just push through it- you have to for your participants.  

I kept seeing the BODYPUMP Facebook page posting for people to post their Before/After pictures on their page and for some reason, today I decided to break out my 1999 "before" picture that I have carried in my wallet for years and years.  I ended up posting two pictures to the site from each WW Journey:

Journey #1 back in 1999:

I look at these two pictures and am actually in denial that either of them were once me.  I just look so darn FAT in the before picture and I look so damn HOT in the after picture - that is the body that I am in search of now with my WW journey #2.  I can't believe that it's impossible, but it sure is hard to get there again- age is not a nice component to weight loss journeys.  

Journey #2 - May 2011 - until present (work still in progress)

I couldn't get the pictures to be in the "correct" order- so it's the "current me" and then the "before me" and the things I notice are smaller boobs and tinier/defined waist.  Still not the previous bikini "after girl", but still looking better.  I think until you really put these pictures side by side, you never really understand your progress.  You can look at current pictures of yourself and think "oh, I'm looking good", but in your head you have this battle of what you really see. 

So this got me to take this one step further and I put side by side both "before" pictures:

What is amazing to me is that in 2011, I started Journey #2 weighing 3 pounds heavier than I did in 1999 for Journey #1 - but I don't look it.  In 2011, I started as a fitter fat person because I was still active- maybe not teaching the 18+ classes a week that I had been 7 years ago, but still teaching 3-4 times a week and going dancing 1-2 times a week.  I wasn't completely INactive...vs. the 1999 "me" who was a serious couch potato.  The OTHER thing I noticed in these two pictures is the level of happiness in my face or in 1999, the lack of happiness.  I really look so uncomfortable in my own body in that picture vs. 2011 where I'm not happy with my weight, but I am happy with my life.  The MAIN difference at these two points in my life-  THE HUSBAND.   I am now married to a man who loves me UNCONDITIONALLY, he never once has ever called me fat, has never once threatened to leave me if I "blimp out" or said other mean things to me.  He is just a sweet, kindhearted man, who has also gained some "happy fat" over our time together- so what does he do?  He joins WW too and loses 25 pounds.  He's a true partner & best friend!  I'm a lucky girl.

So busy weekend ahead- we are on the fence about going dancing tomorrow night.  The Saddle Rack has a guest band and more times than not, that means dancing sucks.   The guest bands tend to be very one dimensional and you can only do so many line dances to a two step beat.  Add to that, the worst DJ they employ is spinning the tunes - he has his programmed playlists that he rarely deviates from and again - just not super conducive to line dancing.  So not sure what Friday will bring.  Saturday I am up early to teach Body Pump at the OFJCC, will make a Costco run on the way home and then start to clean the garage for our party the following weekend.  We then go for Church Portraits before going to our first Holiday party at Molly & Andy's house- should be fun and we are really looking forward to a good time.  Sunday, I will go to church and then hopefully relax and watch my 49ers clinch the NFC West!  Going to help Michael with his College Apps that evening.   

I made a dent in the Christmas present wrapping today, I will get some more done tomorrow - maybe all of it (hoping).  I am really excited for people to get their presents this year- I have found so many cool gifts for people.  I love giving.   I saw a few people post today on Facebook "what is on your Christmas list this year?" - people looking for ideas and honestly, I couldn't think of anything that I need or want.  I am truly blessed and have everything I could possibly want.  

Enough rambling for me...time to get to bed.  ZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz