The one where I talk about losing weight

First of all, take another look at the title.  The word is "losing," not "loosing."  I'm no word nerd, but it kinda drives me crazy when people talk about "loosing" weight.  Really?  What are you "loosing" it from? Was it literally attached to a rope around your neck and you loosened the rope? Just think of "The Biggest Loser."  One "o," people.  It's not "The Biggest Looser," where contestants compete to see which of them can make their belt the loosest.  It's the opposite, in fact.

Just a point of note.

Now on to the REAL reason for the post:  My recent weight loss. About a month ago, we got some Carnation Instant Breakfast mix for Superman to take to work.  The day after we got them, I lost a crown.  (Yay.)  It was replaced within 48 hours, but I ended up drinking a lot of the instant breakfast drinks because I couldn't chew anything.  I was surprised by how rich and creamy they were.  I thought, "Well, if these are so good, I wonder about SlimFast?"

I remembered that Ashley had made brief mention of using SlimFast and losing a few pounds.  I really didn't have much to lose -- 10 to 15 pounds.  I have never "dieted" or even consciously tried to lose weight before.  I'm no size 2, but I've always been fairly content with my looks. I mainly just wanted to fit into my jeans for winter without having a muffin top.  For one reason, I like the clothes I have, and for another, I don't have money to spend on jeans!

So around Labor Day, I bought a canister of the SlimFast Milk Chocolate mix.  I was surprised at how great it tasted.  I was REALLY surprised at how filling it was.  I have a shake for breakfast at 8 am and then don't get hungry again till 11:30 or noon!!  It's incredible.  Before, I was always hungry again by 9:30 or 10. Even when I'd eat Grape-Nuts with raisins, hunger would return within 2 hours. But not with SlimFast.

I have a shake for lunch, too, then a snack or two in the afternoon.  An apple or banana, or a Fiber One 90-calorie bar.  (I like the chocolate-peanut butter flavor.) Then I eat whatever I'm cooking my family for dinner.  The "plan" calls for a "sensible, 500-calorie meal."  I don't count calories for dinner.  If I'm making chicken enchiladas for everyone, that's what I eat, too. Even pizza on Saturdays.  Or pulled pork on Sundays.  Superman and I like to share a bag of popcorn watching TV late at night, so I do that, too.  I don't follow the plan strictly because I tend to chafe under tight restrictions.

But in one month, I've lost TEN POUNDS.

It feels GREAT!!!!

While I give SlimFast some credit for the weight loss, I also give credit to Zumba.  I've been going to Zumba classes for nearly a year and LOVE IT.  It's a blast.  But because I'm a cheapskate, I paid for a membership to do Zumba regularly.  I've been going to one free class each week.  While I know that any exercise is good exercise, aerobic activity once a week just does not burn enough calories to make a difference in weight loss.

At the beginning of September, I entered a giveaway for a pass to a new Zumba studio close to home.  I won a month-long pass!!  This studio is great because they do morning and evening classes 6 days a week.  So I started going as much as I could.  I would say I've been doing Zumba 3-4 times a week for this month.  A cold knocked me out for a few days, but I've tried really hard to make good use of my pass. And each Zumba class at the new studio kicks my trash!!  "Latin Energy" is definitely a good name for the studio -- it is the highest intensity work out I've ever done!

So I've lost about 10 pounds.  (I say "about" because my scale is cheap and exact weight are hard to see. But I'm down 5 tick marks, and each tick is 2 pounds.  I think the math checks out.)  To be honest, I don't see that much of a difference in my body.  My mom told me to take measurements for a better comparison, and I wish I had.  But I can't find my tape measure, so I don't have measurements.  I am noticing clothes fitting differently, though.

I can button my jeans without holding my breath.  I spent 30 minutes the other day just trying on clothes in my closet.  They fit so much better than before.  I feel like I have clothes I actually look GOOD in again! I still have a little more flab than I'd like, but nothing a good slimmer can't take care of.  And really, after 3 pregnancies and massive amounts of stretch marks, I know that my skin can only get so tight.  One more thing -- I have had significantly fewer pimples this month.  That's one outcome I hadn't considered, but I LOVE it.

All in all, I give 1/3 of the credit to SlimFast, 1/3 to Zumba, and 1/3 to me for sticking with it.  In the past,  I've always had treats in the house.  Jr. Mints in the freezer, Chip Ahoy in the pantry, etc.  I've had some Veruca Salt-esque "I WANT IT NOW!!!!!" moments regarding that beloved creation from the cocao plant.  But really, I haven't had experienced anything like that for this entire month.  I think it's partly due to the fact that I've (essentially) been drinking thick, chocolate milk twice a day.  That satisfies my chocolate craving.  The Fiber One bars are great, too, and if I absolutely need something else, I grab a few semi-sweet chocolate chips.

When I go to the store, I don't even look twice at the candy aisle.  I don't want to throw away all the work that I've done for the day!  I don't NEED Jr. Mints! The other day my kids were begging for cookies for an after school snack.  So I bought them oatmeal cookies.  I don't like oatmeal cookies and therefore will not be tempted by them.  Honestly, going to the store is empowering now.

Though I confess, last week when I ended up with all 3 kids at the store with me, I told them I'd buy them a candy bar if they'd JUST hold onto the cart and not run around like banshees.  The bribe worked, and when we got to the checkout lane, they picked out candy bars.  Gum was on sale, so we got a few packs of that, too.  They each had a piece of gum on the way home and forgot about the candy bars.  I put them in the fridge and forgot about them as well.

Two days later, I found them.  And I absolutely could NOT resist the Snickers.  I ate it mid afternoon, all the while thinking, This is SO not a good idea.  I'm not really hungry.  This isn't going to fill me up.  What am I doing?  After dinner, I pulled out the Peanut M&Ms while watching TV.  And I kept thinking, What am I DOING?  These don't even TASTE that great.  I am going to be sick.  But what did I do?  I ate the whole package.

And I had a huge stomach ache afterward.  I honestly thought I was going to be sick.

It was SSSSOOOOOOOO not worth it!!!!!!!!!


So.  My plan from here is: Stick with the SlimFast. Once or twice a day, depending on how my clothes are fitting.  I am hoping to get to 3 Zumba classes a week, though I'm not sure yet how that's going to work -- if I'm going to have to pony up the cash for it or not. I will NOT be buying sugar-junk.  I know it won't be easy with the holidays coming, but Halloween candy has been out for a month and I have not succumbed yet. We'll see what happens when the Mint M&Ms hit in November.

But I love the way I feel.  I am more confident, and am stronger.  Most importantly, I've proved to myself that I can set a goal, work hard, and make it happen. And THAT feels the best of all.