A bail of hay...

Yesterday I decided to go through my wardrobe as I was noticing that a few things we a little bit on the loose side (nice perk to loosing weight!) I had already had one clear out a few months where I had bagged some clothes that I had not worn for months and in some cases, years. Yesterdays clear out was different though...it was a freeing experience. It wasn't getting rid of clothes because I don't like them anymore, it was because through my hard work they no longer fit. I tried on dresses that had at one stage been too tight and found with delight they were now too loose! Another lovely feeling was trying on a few things from my "skinny" wardrobe to find some pretty items are now fitting me nicely! 

I bagged up all the items I decided I was dropping off to the charity shop and along with the items from my previous clear out it mounted to 5 bin bags of clothing! As I struggled to lift the bags out of my spare bedroom, I began to wonder how heavy the bags were. Curiosity got the better of me and I grabbed my scales & popped the bags on one by one...5kg for one, 10kg for the next..in total 20kg for my 5 bags. As I dragged the bags down the stairs..huffing and puffing all the way it hit me...June of 2012 I was carrying 23kg of extra weight around with me. No wonder I was tired all the time! I managed to drag the bags to my car and lift them into my boot and all the while I was thinking...this is some weight! It's the equivalent to a small bail of hay or a suitcase packed full of clothes ready to go on holidays! And I have never stopped and appreciated how much hard work it has taken for me to get this far...I have always been so focused on how much further I have to go.

I knew I had lost weight, but yesterday the reality of how much really dawned on me. And it got me thinking, as we are loosing weight, do we stop to realise how much lighter we are making ourselves? I know that as the lbs are coming off me I feel lighter in so many ways, not just physically. I feel happier, I feel more energetic and I of course feel more determined to keep going. I can do things now that I couldn't a year ago and I'm proud of that. 

I wonder when was the last time you stopped and praised yourself for how far you've come rather than focusing on how far you have to go? If you have lost 2 lbs or 500 lbs, have you stopped to consider how much that actually weighs and how much your body and you personally are benefiting from it being gone? An old weight watchers leader I had once got a school bag and filled it with mini bags that weighed 1 lb each. She got each member of the class to fill it with the amount of weight they had lost to date and got us to try and lift it...many of us couldn't or at least we struggled to. Why not try to lift the amount of weight you have lost...it will make you appreciate how far you have come!

I am making a promise to myself that instead of looking back and beating myself up for all the weight I gained, I am going to praise myself for me loosing it. 

I've come a long way...I've still got a way to go but I closer than I was yesterday.