Thankful Thursday

For today’s post I wanted to share with you some of the things I am most thankful for.

1. The support of my loving husband. Here’s the thing, this may seem trivial or expected as he is my husband and is required by law to be supportive of me. I try to always remember to thank him for all of his help and make sure he knows how much easier this has been because he allows me to do what I want, when I want, and has totally picked up the slack. He doesn’t think it is a big deal but it totally is. I tell him that not all people are so understanding and accommodating. He doesn’t complain that we are eating differently, and normally around my workout schedule, or that I spend money (all the time) on things only for me like weight watchers, boxing, expensive sports bras. I have been fortunate that he finds the positive effects these things have on my life outweigh the negative impact it has taken on his life- like more housework, less spending money, and less time with me. These things require him to be selfless in order for me to be selfish. For all of his support I am eternally grateful.

 

2. All of my fantabulous blog readers/followers. I would have put this first but since Paul started reading my blog I didn’t want to offend him by putting him in the number 2 slot. Just kidding, Paul 😉 well, sort of. I cannot tell you how much you guys mean to me. The support I have received since starting this blog has been overwhelming. Your kind words and constant encouragement keep me going. I think of you throughout the day, like when I have a good workout or after a weigh in, and am so excited to report back to you what I have done.

On Saturday, after my record high weekly weight loss of 4.4 pounds, I was somewhat sad when I realized I had no one to share my excitement with. No husband or San Antonio friends to give me a hug or the pat on the back I wanted. But then I blogged about it and within minutes I had my first congratulatory comment and I was on cloud nine. It brought me to tears. I was so happy because of this community I have to share these achievements with; I am truly one lucky girl. Even more amazing is how these relationships have spread outside of the blog to emails, Facebook, twitter, texts and phone calls. I have gone from feeling alone in my world, to a life surrounded by friends- even if you are all over the world. So, again, I just have to say how much I love you guys! Thanks for drinking the Kool-Aid!

3. My increase in self-confidence. I am not sure if it is an increase in self-confidence or decreases in caring what people think but either way I have found it so much easier to do things that previously I would have felt too uncomfortable to do. It started with the boxing class; that was a huge step outside of my comfort zone.  Not only am I obese, I am not the picture of athleticism either so stepping into a challenging, cardio-intense class filled with super fit people was enough to cause anyone to have an anxiety attack. But I pushed through it and kept up with it and now I don’t care at all that I am the fattest person there (by far) or the slowest runner or the worst pusher-upper, yeah- that’s a made up word but I think you know what I mean. Now, I go in with my head held high, get my ass kicked for 55 minutes, and leave with a smile on my super sweaty, beet-red face.

It’s not just the physical situations that have gotten easier; I am also mastering situations that I had problems mentally overcoming. Like over this past long-weekend I went to the movies TWICE by myself, I ate dinner by myself and my biggest triumph, I went to the pool by myself. I was so nervous about going to the pool alone I was overcome with fear; would it be too crowded and I wouldn’t be able to swim? If I was able to swim, would people laugh at how bad of a swimmer I am? Will people stare at me while I am getting into the pool? A million questions were running through my head as if it would have been a different experience than if I was going with Paul, which of course it wasn’t.  I totally feel like he has become my security blanket in these types of situations. Good thing for me that the heat was so unbearable that I just said eff it, grabbed a book and a towel, and headed to the pool. Physical comfort trumped mental discomfort! To no one’s surprise, except maybe my own, it was no big deal. Actually for the most part I was alone and when a couple arrived I just kept doing my own thing; alternating between reading and soaking up the vitamin D and hanging in the pool treading water and my version of swimming laps.

4. New clothes. I haven’t gone shopping yet but I will soon so I guess technically I am thankful for the prospect of being able to buy new clothes. I am excited to buy new clothes for two reasons; A) I am fairly certain that I am a smaller size now which is exciting as I am not sure I remember a time where I had to buy smaller clothes, normally I am shopping to buy larger clothes and B) my clothes are becoming too loose and baggy that I am one misstep away from my work pants falling down. Although it seems wasteful to spend money on clothes that will hopefully only fit for a short amount of time I don’t really have a choice, I need for my clothes to stay up and on me at all times. I don’t think I could handle the embarrassment of a wardrobe malfunction. Also, I know it will make me feel good to have some new, better fitting clothes.

5. Local grocery stores and farmer’s markets. I am fortunate to live in a city that offers local farmer’s markets and has a plethora of grocery stores selling local, and often organic, fresh produce. It doesn’t hurt either that I live someplace that has two growing seasons which really allow us to eat fresh, local produce for a very large portion of the year. I have lived in other cities in other states where Wal-Mart or the local grocer were my only options and I was limited by the selection of what was offered and from where it came from. I do think that I owe part of my weight loss success to the availability of food items around me. It has made cooking fun, almost like an experiment, when I get to try out new foods. I thoroughly enjoy perusing the produce aisles and picking up whatever I think sounds good to me. It’s been a lot of fun but it has also taught me adaptability so I know when Paul and I move again that I will be ok if I don’t have this luxury anymore. I am only limited by my imagination.

I read this quote yesterday and though this an appropriate place to share.

“Good actions give strength to ourselves and inspire good actions in others” – Plato

Make sure to stop by tomorrow to find out all the details about second blog giveaway! Thanks for reading!