For me, it's the way my pants fit - particularly the favourite pair of pants that I wear to work. I've been buying the same style for the last few years and can count on them to show me if I've lost weight or if I've stayed the same - or warn me if any weight is trying to creep back on. My real joy? When it's time to buy a new pair in a smaller size.
That's what we're supposed to do, right? If your pants start to get tight, it's supposed to set off an alarm in your head that it's time to watch what you're eating more closely or get more exercise.
That's a pretty basic concept - but it's not something that I paid attention to back before I started moving. I put on a lot of weight slowly and steadily over a number of years, and never once changed my eating habits because of the way my clothes fit. If my pants were tight, it was a sign that it was time to go buy a bigger pair. I certainly didn't take it as a warning that I was eating too much junk and too much food overall.
Why?
Why was I missing that basic lesson - that our clothes are a good barometer of our changing shape and size, that they show us if what we are doing is working or not? And that we need to change our habits appropriately if it's not?
Something to ponder. Maybe I just liked food too much to care.
No sense in being annoyed that it took me so long to figure this out. Better to be happy that I've got it sorted out now.
On a related note - I mentioned a week ago that I have joined a weight-loss challenge at my office. It's only been a week, but I'm off to a good start, back into the routine of planning my meals, taking my lunches and snacks, and tracking my food on My Fitness Pal.
And I noticed yesterday that my pants seem a bit loose.
That's pretty fabulous. Here's hoping that it gives me the motivation I need to stay the course!
Here's this week's recap -
Saturday - my ziplining adventure; 1.5K dog walk
Sunday - Beautiful day! Took the kids and the dog on the ferry across to the Toronto Islands. We had a lot of fun playing at the beach with Stella as well as generally exploring and strolling around for a few hours.
Monday - stairs to 7 in AM, 2K dog park walk, Curves, 1.5K walk before bed
Tuesday - 2K dog park walk before dinner, 1.1K walk before bed
Wednesday - stairs to 7 in AM, 1K dog walk; Zumba + twice around the Curves circuit + 25 pushups after dinner; 2K run-a-block/walk-a-block before bed.
Thursday - 2K dog park walk before dinner; 2K dog walk before bed. Just a thought - that may be part of the reason why my pants are getting loose...
Friday - 2K dog park walk after dinner.
For me, waiting for my clothes to feel different takes too long. Being tall, it doesn't seem to be significant until my weight changes by about 10 pounds. I've gone back to keeping a close eye on the scale.
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