18 And Over... For Now

Tonight I decided to try on some smaller sized pants. My jeans have been feeling slightly loose the past week or so and I figured it was time to test the waters. At my highest weight, and still when I began this official journey back in August, I wore a size 24W. Today I bought a pair of 18W’s!

I tried on about ten different pair of pants – some my typical casual denim and some nicer slacks. A little over half were size 18 and three or four pairs were 18W’s. I could do up every single pair! Now, to be fair, not all of them fit terribly well; most of the 18’s resulted in some major muffin tops. There was one pair though that I seriously debated purchasing (I absolutely loved how they made my behind look) since the stomach rollover was significantly less than it was with the others, but I decided not to overshoot just yet.

Every pair of the larger pants fit perfectly though. I can’t believe it! I am officially out of the twenties and into the teens! Never again will I have to look for bottoms with a tag that starts with a two and has another digit following.

Something else incredible about this particular shopping excursion was that I was in a larger department store and started off considering clothes in the regular sized area. Granted, the 18W’s that I ended up purchasing were still from the plus sized section, but I was actually able to look around at the normal clothing with more than wishful thinking. It made me realize that the next time I am out with friends I may actually be able to try on a few things from the regular stores.

It’s crazy to think that three months ago I wouldn’t have been able to pull any of those pants up over my hips – possibly not even over my thighs – let alone get them all done up like I did today. I still have a lot more work to do, but it is great to know that I am chipping away at myself. Sooner rather than later I will return to buy those flattering regular 18’s, and I will continue happily proclaiming that it's all downhill from here.

FOOD & BEVERAGES:
- 11 glasses of water throughout the day
- 1 cup of red and orange peppers with fat free Rancher’s Choice dressing
- 1/2 cup toasted seasoned spaghetti squash and pumpkin seeds
- 1 banana
- 1/2 cup steamed broccoli
- 1 cup tortellini
- 1 beef dip sandwich on a white bun with Miracle Whip, beef, and beef broth
- 1/2 mug white hot chocolate
- 2 cups broccoli, red pepper, cauliflower, cherry tomatoes, and celery with fat free Rancher’s Choice dressing

EXERCISE:
- 30 minutes on the recumbent bike
- 4 sets of 30 stomach crunches (2 straight, 1 right, and 1 left)
- 5 push ups
- 4 sets of 15 lunges for each leg
- 4 set of 15 squats