Thursday, July 7, 2011

proof in pictures

i went to the doctor today. turns out i have bronchitis. a mild case, but bronchitis none-the-less. i'm glad i went. my chest has been hurting for days and i had a feeling it was more than just a little cold. i'm on antibiotics now so hopefully things will clear up quickly. but alas, this is not the reason for my post.

i used to hate going to the doctors and that was primarily for one reason. the dreaded scale. what is it about those scales at the doctors offices that's so intimidating? i think it probably has to do with the fact that a perfect stranger is standing there adjusting the scale to find your dreaded number. suddenly it's as if you're sharing this intimate moment with someone you just met. after all, for some of us our weight is one of our deepest darkest secrets and God forbid someone knows the truth. please tell me i'm not the only one who has had these thoughts?

all that to say, today i had none of those feelings. when the nurse called my name she apologized and said that i would have to get weighed today because i hadn't been there in so long. i told her that was fine and happily jumped up on that scale because i'm proud of where i am today. i was extra excited when it was only a pound different from what my scale at home said before i left. sometimes i swear those digital at-home scales are way off, but mine is actually right on.

so get ready. i'm about to share one of my deepest, darkest secrets with you...

i snuck a peek at my chart to see what i weighed the last time they weighed me there (it was 2008 btw- i'm so bad about going to the doctor). it said 221. yup, that's 221lbs. and when i weighed in on my first day of weight watchers this past january? 224. oh dear jesus, hold me now. did i really just put that out there on the web? i guess so.

today their scale said 184. yeah that's 40 lbs people. no wonder i was so stoked to jump on that scale. my doctor was absolutely thrilled with my weight loss and encouraged me to keep going, which i thoroughly plan on doing! and even though 184 sounds great when compared to 224, i still have more journey ahead of me. i can't wait to bust into the 170s and so on and so on. honestly, i cannot tell you how great it feels to be in control of my body in a positive way. i am changing for the better and it is so much fun! this week i fit into size 10 shorts from the loft. i haven't worn a size 10 since i was 20 and i'm almost 29! at target the other day i snagged a dress off the clearance rack in size medium and IT FIT! who is this girl? seriously? you mean 16s and XLs aren't in my clothing vocabulary anymore? wow. i'm just amazed.

if you would have asked me back in january if i thought i'd feel this good about my body today i don't know what i would have told you. every day i get more comfortable in my skin. every day i am shrinking in size, but growing in confidence. sometimes i get this crazy irrational fear that maybe i haven't actually lost weight. maybe it's in my head. yeah, that's a bunch of nonsense. just look at old pictures, sue. you have done this and you are going to continue to do this.

i browsed through some photos and found a couple full body shots... one from 2008 and one from january of this year. below that you'll see a couple shots taken at the beach last week. i'd say the change is pretty obvious. these are definitely not before and afters because i'm still in the middle of this weight loss journey but i think it's good to stop and reflect on how far i've come and to encourage myself to keep at it. see for yourself.

so the proof is in the pictures i guess. i'm not crazy after all! haha!
thanks for all of your support and encouragement as i keep on trucking through this!


 

24 comments:

Katie @ Loves of Life said...

Um, A FREAKING HUGE DIFFERENCE!! I love you and you are doing so so amazing! Thank you so much for going through all this alongside me too! It DOES feel so good ;) xo

Trina said...

Congrats! You look fantastic :)

Brittany said...

Susan, you're amazing! You look GREAT!! :) Keep it up, girl! So excited for you!! :)

Erin said...

AMAZING!!! look at you rock star!!!

Unknown said...

INCREDIBLE!!!!! You look so beautiful **of course you always did** but healthy change is always a good thing:) You are truly an inspiration!

lg2006 said...

Dude you look incredible!! Way to go! I think it's awesome you are sharing your journey bc it's so encouraging for others!!

Jo-Anne said...

You're my hero! You look so fabulous!

BTW I am totally with you on the dr scale dread. I swear I don't sleep the night before I go just because I'm THAT worried about it.

Erin said...

You look so great - and 40 pounds is a LOT! Girl, I weigh less than you and only DREAM of being a medium!!!

Jim Witmer said...

Keep it up! Words can't express how proud I am of you. To think that our whole family has lost nearly 240 pounds in the last 2 years is amazing!

Cheryl said...

You look wonderful!! Keep up the good work!

Jess said...

The difference is SO obvious.

You look amazing. You and Katie are freaking rockstars.

Laura said...

You are beautiful in both sizes! Congrats on the weight loss! It's tough and I can definitely see the difference in your photos. You rock!

Michelle said...

Yay, Susan! Good for you! You are seriously so gorgeous, then & now. I'm so excited that you're feelIng more confident. Our insecurities definitely hold us back. Thank you for your honesty & for being an inspiration.

a blog full of weldons. said...

you are so beautiful susan! how awesome for you to look back and literally be able to see all of your hard work paying off!!

Unknown said...

you are awesome! way to go girl!!!! seroiusly you are so brave to put the numbers on the scale. keep us the AWESOME work!!! oh and yes, the doctor scale and sharing the numbers with them is scary! its just awkward, they write down the number and send you in, no comment, not knowing what their thinking is scary!!

Sarah said...

You are so beautiful...and your smile just shows how excited and proud you are with your amazing accomplishment!!! Keep aiming for your goal...your doing an awesome job!!!

Biz said...

You are so amazing. And not just because you look it, but because of the changes you have made and the strength you've had. I know that taking the weight off is the biggest part of this journey, but SUE! you've taken years off! The bottom pictures? Look like you're in high school. Just, wow.

Keep it up, as long as YOU feel good then you're doing the right thing.

Hailey @ Me and My Boys said...

Those bottom pictures? You are positively GLOWING. You look so amazing, and I'm so excited for you!
Oh, and I totally understand the dreaded doctor weigh in. I HATED getting weighed in when I was pregnant, because it was guaranteed that my weight would only be going up. Even if it was for a good reason, it's still not fun having to share it with a stranger.

All that hard work is definitely paying off! Keep it up!

ps. I'm almost 29 too! Ack! :)

Amanda said...

You look AMAZING!! SO encouraging!! Keep it up! WE can do this!

Ruth Witmer said...

Susan you are absolutely beautiful, inside and out and always have been. But to see the joy you now have and the shining confidence of what you are able to accomplish has been awesome to watch! Keep it up girl! So Happy for you and your sister and that you've had each other through this journey! You girls ROCK as they say!! :)

Tatiana said...

Woman you are so amazing! I'm so impressed by how far you've come and your strong will! You look so beautiful!!!! Keep up the good work you sexy thing

Melanee said...

way to go! you are inspiring me to get off my butt!

Charbelle said...

So I come by way of Katie, and I think I found her through Jess, you know how it goes. I remember praying last year when you were in Africa and then I was so excited for you when I heard the news earlier this year and then in reading discovered the broken promise and then I read this post and I wanted to comment.
I love that in your comments people have remembered to state that you are beautiful, regardless of what size you are. I know how hard you have worked, it's a journey a process. If you haven't found her yet Keelie at Real Fat is a wonderful encourager!!! She's also a Christian and I have so appreciated her posts. You truly are a rock star!!!

Kristen said...

You look SO great! I've actually just made a goal to lose 40 pounds by January! Awesome to see what a difference 40 pounds makes!!!!