Like Chipping Away At An Iceberg

On Tuesday, it will be four weeks since I started using Medifast.

I was hoping I'd be able to tell you that I'd lost a full 20 pounds, but I think I'll still be just under that. Still. Nearly 20 pounds is amazing and great and incredible, right?

IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE.

But let me tell you the single most difficult thing about agreeing, finally, to really really do something about my weight.  It is not figuring out what to eat, or being hungry, or managing mood swings, or trying not to drink booze (although that would be the second hardest thing).

The hardest thing is facing exactly how far I have to go.

Once I left the land of the "normal-sized" clothing options and ventured into the plus-sized world, the landscape changed.  I stopped being concerned with which items were the most fashion-forward and became concerned with which items sucked the least.  I abandoned pants with buttons for the comfort of the elastic-waistbanded yoga pant. Long shirts with empire waists became my best friend for dress-up, (assuming I could find any that actually covered my boobs instead of having the girls fall below the waistline).

You know what the problem with these sorts of fashion decisions are? They are very forgiving. Too forgiving. You can gain 5? 10? Maybe even15 or more pounds and not really know it, not really notice it because your stupid comfortable clothes still fit.

I have heard (and seem to remember from my own experience) that, very broadly speaking, you can go up or down in sizes every 10 pounds or so.  I think that might be true when you're talking about the differences in non-plus sizes. 10 pounds can absolutely be the difference between a size 6 and a size 8.  Maybe between a size 8 and a size 10.

But apparently, this is NOT the case with the over size 14s.

I'm almost 20 pounds down and the clothes I own now are NOT falling off of me.  They're fitting better, sure. But they are still fitting.

DO YOU KNOW HOW RUDE THAT IS?

My point is that, at one point in my life, 20 pounds gone would have been a much bigger, much more noticeable difference than it is now. And of course it's still a big deal, and I'm pleased to have made such incredible progress in such a short amount of time, and I know -- believe me, I know -- that you have to start somewhere.

But man. Man oh man.  This just puts it all in perspective.

* * * * * * * * *

Decades. That's what I'm calling each set of 10 pounds.

Like, say I weighed 136 pounds (I do not). That's one decade. The next decade is anything in the 120s. Then the teens, etc.

The good news about these stupid almost-20 pounds I've lost is that I'm already in my third decade. My first numerical goal is to hit that fourth decade. I feel confident that I haven't seen those numbers on the scale since I moved here, and I am pretty sure that by then, my weight loss will be noticeable -- to others and to my friggin' closet.

Comments

  1. Kristy,

    It's amazing how far you've come already! Congratulations, I can't wait to hear that you've met your next benchmark.

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  2. Congratulations on your progress!

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  3. I don't care who you are...20lbs is a BIG deal! Good for you!

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  4. 20 pounds is HUGE but I get it. I lost 60 this last year and it seems like nobody noticed or should I say actually said something to me until 40 gone. so f-ing rude. and discouraging. and made me want booze.enough about me.

    keep it up and those damn empire waist shirts will need to be donated somewhere.

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  5. YAY you, I am cheering you on ALWAYS!

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  6. 20 lbs (or right around it) is an amazing loss and if you keep sticking with it, those decades will fly by!

    Renee
    PR Coordinator
    Medifast, Inc.

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  7. Kristy, I'm having a parallel experience to yours, I'm doing Weight Watchers and I started on Dec 30th. I'm down nearly 25 lbs, and have finally gotten to where my size 24 pants are starting to feel like they will fall off.

    What helped me a lot was to examine the seams in the jeans that I wore constantly (this will probably work well with yoga pants too). When I looked at those seams, I could see where they were not in good shape because I was actually stretching the pants larger by wearing them when they were technically too small.

    So, check your seams, see if there are any that look extra worn, especially in the seat area. Maybe that will help.

    And keep going! You're doing the right thing, and more importantly, you're doing it for the right reasons for you and your family.

    Yay, you!

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  8. Stretch denim and empire waist blouses = best and worst inventions ever.

    I estimate 20 pounds per size over a 14. I have documented proof of this from my various weight loss attempts because I track every number imaginable when I'm on the weight loss train.

    When you hit the 20-pound mark, you should go try on something in a size smaller - preferrably in a nice department store because those designer clothes none of us can afford usually have a better cut. However, here's a reminder to be prepared. Remember, "normal" clothes don't feel nearly so comfy as our comfy fat clothes so even though it may feel tight, it probably isn't.

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  9. Almost 20 pounds in just one month?! Am I ever going to get there?? You have such will power. I'm just starting (after having a baby 6 months ago and my metabolism completely refuse to help)... You give me hope. Lots of hope. THANK YOU for sharing. Your words mean so much.

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  10. I just 'found' you through and email link from your new job and after poking around this here blog a little, um...I think I might love you. Either that or we were separated at birth. One or the other-I'm quite sure.
    For today though-seriously, 20 pounds is a big damn deal and I know that because I too have magical "traveling pants" size 14s that never cut me any slack when I lose weight either.
    Here's to your efforts! They are huge, even if the pants don't tell you that, I will.;)

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  11. Congrats, Kristy! You are doing great! And you are SO RIGHT about the clothes issue...

    Several years ago I lost ~60lbs, but it wasn't until at least 25-30 of those pounds were gone that my clothes were noticeably bigger; I didn't have to buy new clothes until almost 40lbs lost.

    In contrast, after reaching my lowest weight ever last year, I moved from the country (where it is easy to live like an exercise- crazed monk) to the city where I actually have a social life (and bars and actual restuarants that I can walk to) and, as a consequence, gained about 5-7lbs over the course of the year. This means I now must jump off the roof into my jeans in order to get them on my body. Clothes are frustrating no matter what size you are.

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  12. Kristy - I was intrigued by your MF journey and did more research after you started it. Now I am on Day 3 and have lost 4 lbs in just two days! Yes, it's crazy to be measuring the first few days, but for the effort of getting into "mild ketosis", I was SO hoping there was a corresponding reward!

    I wanted to let you know that you influenced me and I could not be happier or more excited right now - I just know this is the one I can continue on with (esp after trying the zucchini pasta recipe on the boards last night - you must try!), and that will get me into shorts at last this summer, and ready to strut my bikini!

    Please keep the updates coming - I've been watching "She Just Reviews It" and this site as well! Congrats on your loss! You are on a roll now and the rest is just execution!

    Karla

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  13. My bff's dad explained it this way (sizes, that is): they're all a bunch of concentric rings. They all have the same width, but as they get bigger, they hold more. So, they bigger the size, the more pounds must be lost to get down to the next smaller size. As you lose more weight, you will switch sizes faster.

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  14. 20 lbs is a fantastic start! And iknow what you are talking about in terms of losing weight and getting frustrated that you haven't dropped a size. I was on a weight loss bulletin board last year and while everyone else moved into a new size after 10 lbs, it took me twice as long to move into the lower size. Keep it up and you will get there!!

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  15. Congratulations, Kristi!!

    I've got A LOT of weight to lose but I'm down almost 45lbs and have yet to feel my clothes feel looser. I can totally understand.

    I watch this show called "Ruby" and she had a fat chair, the only chair she could fit her body into. She was saying the same thing about how our environment doesn't discourage weight gain because there's always a bigger size, always a "fat" chair. I realize that is SO TRUE! Especially with clothing. I commend you on talking about these issues. Maybe somewhere down the road, asshats who discriminate will somehow learn something. (I've got high hopes!)

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  16. Look at it like this: you said you have 100 pounds to lose. That means you just have to do what you already did four more times, and you've lost that 100 pounds.

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  17. Kristy,

    Don't listen to the clothes. Instead, go to the supermarket and look at something tangible to realize how much you have already lost. I'm thinking something like this--4 bags of sugar or flour. Pile them all into your arms and realize just how much success you have already had--anything in the produce section will work as well.

    I'm cheering you on, and you have encouraged me to pick up my older, much better, habits as well.

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  18. Woohoo! You're doing awesome. Don't focus on sizes, focus on fit and how the clothes make you feel. There is nothing universal or standardized with clothing size, so it's all relative and more than a little ridiculous.

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  19. I feel like the more I focus on weight and # of pounds to lose, the more slowly it comes off. What the heck! Then when I think less about it, and just don't go overboard/try to eat more healthy, it's easier to feel better and lose some weight.

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  20. good for you! that's a lot of weight that you've lost that you don't have to lose again!!

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