Me, a Pair of Jeans, & My Ideal Weight (Pictures)
Last week Sara asked if I ever got to my ideal weight.
I got into one of those “I want to weigh #” situations, but as I kept being unable to get there, I realized the number was pretty arbitrary anyway.
Getting to that number didn’t guarantee I’d achieve what I really wanted, which was to fit in this pair of jeans I’d been carrying around for 10 years. TEN YEARS!
I bought them back in 2005.
They were the last pair of a limited edition and two sizes too small. I knew I had weight to lose, so I bought the pants for “inspiration” and “motivation.”
Here’s me in the pants last week:
I first fit into them nine weeks after I decided to follow the meal plans and stop trying to wing it or do it myself.
I was so fed up gaining and losing the same 10 pounds over and over, that in mid-December (2013) I decided to follow the meal plans strictly.
I committed to nutritional excellence -- no more vegan junk foods “in moderation.”
No more getting caught without a nutritious meal or making excuses.
Within the first six weeks I lost the 10 pounds I was always regaining and chasing, but unlike all the other times, I didn’t relax the reigns as a reward.
I stayed committed and compliant.
I ended up losing another 5 pounds, which brought me below my high school weight.
That’s when I found my old (never worn!!) 2005 jeans in the closet.
Point is, I DID finally get into the pants (they’re still a little too loose…2 years later!! ) and I FEEL GREAT, but I never got to that number on the scale.
(I would have to lose another 10 pounds to reach it).
My email exchange with Sara reminded me that numbers on the scale are really just numbers on the scale.
It can be a helpful tool, certainly -- but it isn’t finite.
Your weight doesn’t say if you’re healthy or not, if you feel amazing or not, and it doesn’t guarantee you’ll get what you want (i.e. fit into a pair of jeans you wore a decade ago).
Sara replied to me, “I have been chasing a number that I am 30 pounds away from, but truly I just want to run without pain. If that happened at 140 or 160 and not 120 pounds, I wouldn't care. I just want to be comfortable in my body and clothes.”
What is it that YOU really want?
I want you to be like Sara and set a measurable goal that isn’t a scale number and share it in the comments below.
P.S. since I’m sure someone will ask ;) I don’t do crunches or any kind of ab work. We all have a 6-pack of abs, they’re just hidden under a curtain of fat. You gotta pull back the curtain with the right diet!
P.P.S. I’m going to reveal my biggest confession tomorrow -- check this space :)