inches lost so far

laugh if you must but i just have to write and post about my latest motivation to continue my strategy.  the first time i had the courage to measure myself was about a month or two ago.  i wanted to know the extent of my gain in inches.

back when i was single and at my fittest [ i can't say thinnest or even slimmest as i've never been thin or slim] i measured 36-27-36.  at that time i already despaired at my BIG waistline.  i managed to make it smaller for a while, 25 inches, but then i was starving myself so i stopped.  i accepted my genetic fate and kept it at 27 inches.

i don't remember measuring myself ever again after giving birth to Guela.

i have a tape measure hanging in the wall of my bathroom and when i measured myself the first time i was not surprised to read 42-36-42.  yuck, but that is the truth.  a whopping 6 inches gain on the chest and the hips and a disgusting 9 inches on the tummy region. Gawd, i wanted to puke there and then.

this morning after waking up and washing my mouth, i measured myself again.  40-33-41.  not bad, not baaad at all. yipee!

now, what do i do with my kangga pouch?  the joeys have long transferred to their new abode.  the pouch is empty but has still remained a pouch. how do i get rid of it?

the most delightful thing

an unexpected reason for rejoicing happened today.  i never knew that ill-fitting clothes could make me smile uncontrollably.

although most of my colleagues at work are family members: my sister, brother, brother-in-law, sis-in-law-to-be, we decided that to look more professional and more credible as school adminstrators, we had to wear respectable uniforms to work.  so we surfed the net, browsed through magazines, and even copied an actual blouse to come up with un-uniformly uniforms.  the designs we came up with were so chic that we couldn't wait for them to arrive, so we could start wearing nice clothes without having to worry about not knowing what to wear every time we reported for work.

our uniforms arrived today.  we were measured just a few weeks ago and boy was i surprised to see that my set of 3 blouses and 2 pairs of pants were all too big for me.  i couldn't believe what i saw in the mirror.  and i rechecked with the dressmaker if there was a mistake somewhere.  she checked the measurements she took of me against the finished uniforms.  each piece had the correct size, in all areas.  it meant only one thing.  i lost weight!

hurrah!  i lost 2 and a half inches around the waist and an inch or two everywhere else.  i happily gave back the uniforms to the dressmaker for readjustments.  i didn't care that i would be the only one not in uniform tomorrow.  this is totally worth the wait.  i'm looking forward to losing more weight soon!

seven pounds down, 43 more to go =P

the only time i weigh myself is when i visit the kids' pedia.  she shares a big clinic with my ob and 3 other doctors so they have one weighing scale which is the kind that also measures your height, not the bathroom scale most of us have.  so it's the only place where i weigh myself because i know i am going to get the most accurate reading.  the last time i weighed myself was around a month ago and this afternoon, i had to bring maxie to the doctor because his cough refuses to go away.  and since the clinic was nearly deserted by the time we arrived, i had the courage to go ahead and weigh in.

i was pleased with what i saw.  i guess the pill really works. i hope i am really on my way now. =D

a jumpstart of sorts

Since a regular work-out schedule is not possible just yet, i decided to take the plunge and try the weightloss pill which was recommended to me. I've been taking it for a month now and i'm happy to say that i am seeing some positive results, albeit slowly. i've lost 2 inches on the waist and i do feel lighter. i have no idea if i finally lost some weight as i have no scale in the house [i weigh myself when i go to the doctor for check-ups] but the inches satisfy me for now.

this pill has changed my appetite, the amount of food i need to satisfy my hunger and it has even changed the way i eat sweets. i no longer need to have huge mounds of rice on my plate and i can't even finish a slice of chocolate cake by myself. i also easily feel full. of course, there are side effects: my mouth feels constantly dry so i try to chug a lot of water. some types of food and drinks also taste different. and until recently i felt a bit light-headed towards the end of the day [ i'm not sure if this last one is a side effect or is due to the terrible heatwaves we constantly have].

i don't intend to take this pill for a long period though as i don't want to become dependent and besides, i really want to start an exercise regimen soon. a friend and i started to do some walking in a nearby park, after work but we've been successfully doing it only once every week. it's not enough. there are two diet programs i also want to try out: the south beach diet and the carbohydrate addict's diet. i've read both books and i find the programs doable and quite possible to maintain for life.

i'm giving this pill another month. if the weight doesn't budge by the end of the next month, it will be time for me to up the ante and move on to my next plan of attack.

p.s. in case you're wondering why i'm not naming the pill, i didn't because i don't want to influence anyone to try it out. it might not have the same effect on others.