70 Gains & Victories

Here is the Full List of 70 Gains and Victories referenced in this blog post.
       1.       One time, I saw my reflection in the window of a retail store and didn’t recognize myself.

2.       Having to retire my favorite pair of pants (that used to look painted on), because they would no longer stay up. 

3.       I rode the zipline at my parents’ house.  I had tried to do it in the past but couldn’t support my own weight.  This was especially rewarding because it was on my list of reasons to get healthy.

4.       I took the kids to Urban Air and played dodgeball.  Not just as the parent who wanted to be out there to have fun with the kids, but I was able to COMPETE.  I did have fun, but as an athlete I reveled in having the ability to get out there and go head-to-head with the dads and high school boys.

5.       When I try on a pair of jeans and they do not fit correctly, it doesn’t breed insecurities about my weight.  I know they simply weren’t made for my body type.

6.       Looking at old pictures of myself and experiencing feelings of disbelief.  Knowing that before I would look at the pictures and have disbelief in the sense that I couldn’t admit that I was that overweight.  But now, I look at them and cannot believe how far I have come.

7.       *Personal*

8.       The day Matt told me that he had NEVER seen anyone lose weight like I had by simply making healthy eating choices.  That he would not have believed it was true if he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes.

9.       Inspiring others to pursue better health.

10.   Going to California and Kaiden whispering with surprise, “Mom, Mrs. Laura is skinny.”

11.   Getting to play volleyball again. 

12.   Playing sand volleyball and the league director calling me a “quick little sh*t.” In SAND!

13.   Coaching volleyball and being able to impress my team with my skills, not embarrass myself.

14.   Hearing everyone at Sunrise comment to Matt about how he must be enjoying my new look.

15.   Knowing that guys are checking me out.

16.   Going to the lingerie store and not being mortified by the prospect of one of their employees coming into the dressing room to take my measurements. Standing there with confidence.

17.   I went a store and griped because it was so hard to find size Medium tops.  “This store is only for tiny people!”  Finally found one, tried it on, and needed a small.  I had to admit, I am one of those tiny people.

18.   Being able to beat the kid (teenage boy) at basketball.  This was also on my list of reasons to get healthy.

19.   Digging out clothes from when I was in High School and wearing them.  And they FIT!

20.   Going to my High School Reunion and everyone saying, “You look the exact same.”  Many of them not even knowing that I had gained and lost 60+ pounds.

21.   Ordering an omelet at a restaurant and having the waitress comment that she didn’t expect me to finish the whole thing because, “…you are so tiny.”

22.   The satisfaction of knowing that I didn’t pay for these results.  I just have to keep making healthy choices.

23.   Being compared by innocent children to people smaller than me, people that I consider tiny.  Prior to my weight loss, I had a kid compare me to someone I considered HUGE.  They meant absolutely nothing negative by it, but it was humiliating and very eye opening.

24.   The level of respect I have gained in the eyes of others. 

25.   Discovering new recipes that I love.

26.   Learning about how my eating decisions have a snowball effect.  One good food choice leads to another good choice. One bad choice leads to another bad choice.

27.   Recognizing that my body is in a place of simply craving good food, not being hungry and unsatisfied by poor nutrition choices.

28.   Learning that dairy is a fat trigger food for me.

29.   Being forced to face my own contentment issues.

30.   KNOWING that food is no longer a potential idol in my life.

31.   Being called to Eat Like a Champion. 

32.   Being excited to answer that call and enjoy it.

33.   Learning that sugar affects my emotional stability. 

34.   Seeing kids around me trying “healthy” foods and ordering water instead of soda at restaurants.

35.   Spending more time in the kitchen with my family.

36.   Having my husband support and encourage me.

37.   My husband regularly sending me new Whole30 recipes to try.

38.   Pants size 14 to 12.

39.   12 to 10

40.   10 to 8

41.   8 to 6

42.   Buying size 4…  FIVE pants sizes different.  (And they are a little loose.)

43.   Buying that pair of Miss Me Jeans.  I had my heart set on a pair of Miss Me jeans back when we lived in Seattle.  They were a $100, which was far more than I was spending on pants at that time.  Worse yet, the store did not even carry them in a size big enough for me.  I told myself that when I lost weight, I would reward myself with those jeans.  That pair has long since come and gone.  I have moved across the country twice, and even gained more weight since that day.  But I lost that weight and then some.  I went to shop for jeans one day and there they were, Miss Me jeans that actually fit, were a better color/design, AND they were on clearance!  Still more than I typically spend on jeans.  But these weren’t just a pair of pants.  These were a celebration!  A celebration of the transformation that had taken place in my life.

44.   I no longer despise and hide from cameras.

45.   I no longer dread when someone wants to document a memory with me in it with a picture.  I don’t worry about the “right pose,” stretching my neck out, etc. in hopes of noticing something other than being extremely overweight when I look at the picture.  Instead, I simply stand there and smile with confidence.

46.   Hearing other people casually group me with the “super-healthy,” “super-disciplined” people in our lives.

47.   Being able to draw from my experiences to encourage other people to adjust to their own dietary modifications.

48.   Rebuilding relationships with people from my past simply because they have been inspired by my story.

49.   Recognizing my ability to influence and inspire others.

50.   Learning that Food is my drug.

51.   Identifying the ways that my relationship with food was unhealthy.  I recognize when I look for food to make my bad days good.  I catch myself when I am about to let my circumstances over rule my nutritional priorities.

52.   Surprising myself when I work out.  Videos that used to make me feel like I was going to die, now don’t even make me sweat. 

53.   Casually going for a run (I am NOT a runner) and running a mile without stopping, simply because I was not tired.

54.   My relationship with food has changed, and will continue to improve.

55.   I don’t HATE shopping for clothes anymore.  I am looking forward to spending all of my birthday money on clothes, because I am in a place to enjoy investing in my wardrobe. 

56.   Wearing a shirt tucked in, because it actually looked better that way! As opposed to leaving everything loose and untucked so as not to draw attention to my fat rolls.

57.   Increased energy levels.

58.   Overall increased happiness and willingness to just laugh and have fun.

59.   Running into people who do not recognize me because I have lost SO much weight.

60.   The kid independently asked to pack a salad to take to school for lunch, and made it himself.

61.   We save money every month because we are eating out less.

62.   With increased emotional stability I am better equipped to handle the trials that come my way.

63.   Caffeine has become my secret weapon that I rarely have to use.  I can pull over during a 15 hour drive for a glass of tea and know that it will keep me awake for the rest of the drive.

64.   Being excited to buy a scale that could calculate my BMI, because I had set a new goal to get in the “healthy BMI range.”

65.   Actually hitting that goal!

66.   Telling everyone that, with our combined weight loss, my husband and I have removed a third person from our marriage. 

67.   The day my weight dropped below 150.  I celebrated as I reflected on the days when I believed this was straight up impossible.  I thought my weight would NEVER start with the digits 1 and 4.  It still feels surreal that that 4 has been replaced by a 3.  It’s NOT the number that matters.  What matters is, this forced me to recognize that I had underestimated what was possible, what I was capable of, and what could happen.  Furthermore, it gave me concrete proof that if I am consistently faithful and obedient to things God is calling me to, the results will exceed even my wildest dreams.

68.   When I started, I thought my end dream size was to get down to a size 9.  Here I am, at less than “half” of that.  Again, I underestimated myself.

69.   I am no longer concerned with decimals on the scale and which way I round.  Compared to the wins and non-scale victories, the pounds hardly count.

70.   Knowing that this isn’t just a fad diet or a season of life.  Having confidence that I will not gain this weight back, because I have changed my relationship with food.  I have changed what I eat, and how and when I eat it.  For example, I cannot even remember the last time I had a coke, I used to drink 3 and 4 cokes a day.  Now, it does not appeal to me and I even have some negative emotional reactions to their advertisements that I see EVERYWHERE.