July 2012 Non-Scale Victories

July 31, 2012 by 2 Comments
  1. Overcame inertia, excessive heat and bad storm to get in first Sunday gym workout in while
  2. Two — count them, TWO — servings of veggies by 10 a.m.
  3. After attending her first meeting with thee nutrition counselor, Sister said that she had new respect for what I had been able to do, especially on my own. She was also VERY appreciative at how I have shared what I cook with her and said that it made it easier for her to be able to start transitioning to clean eating.
  4. Walked 4 mph for 30 minutes, even jogged 1/2 a mile.
  5. Know that the $6.99 per lb. that the Pig was charging for cherries was absurd this far into the cherry season and went to Publix and saved $4.50 per lb. Saving the money was good, but the non-scale victory is me knowing that cherries are in season. I never knew thing like that about fruits and vegetables before my transition to healthy eating.
  6. Still shocked when size 10 anything fits me, like the shorts I bought at Oops today.
  7. Have overcome the cooking rut I was in for a while and have tried several new recipes this week; also have several new ones to try this week.
  8. Wore a pair of pants that were a little too tight to wear last summer when I bought them.
  9. Only second time ever of doing one hour on elliptical
  10. Instead of blowing it on dark chocolate covered almonds, which I can’t seem to have limited portions of, I shared them with the office (getting them out of mine!)
  11. Inner thighs noticeably leaner
  12. I can see my shin bones!
  13. 3.5 mph is the new normal on the treadmill, up from 3
  14. I did the rope, I did the rope! It killed me, but I did the rope!
  15. So honored and touched by the many sweet comments I received on my RCPL before and after photo contest entry (and did I mention that I won, too?)
  16. After four sick days, tired of ice cream (only thing I can swallow) and not working out.
  17. Someone saw me today and commented on my “little red dress.”
  18. Melvin. A City employee with diabetes and high blood pressure who 1) didn’t recognize me until I showed him a “fat” picture (he works in the field and is rarely in the office)…
  19. …and 2) asked me to help him as he tries to eat healthier.
  20. Now that  they have started at Doctors Wellness Center, both Sister and Mom have commended me for the hard work I’ve done. Neither realized how much the change to healthier eating consumes your life at the beginning.
  21. OK, it’s beyond a certain pair of pants. My tush is actually shaping up! Makes me hate those squats less.
  22. I have taken up a new “power food,” and a green one at that: green tea.
  23. I’ve started drinking green smoothies again most mornings
  24. Three meatless days in a row this week!
  25. I bent a few healthy rules while I was sick, including lots of ice cream for a sore throat, but didn’t go overboard or let it trip me up.
  26. Despite a small weight gain, can still wear my size 10p jeans.
  27. On what was originally scheduled as a rest day, did an hour of cardio.
  28. Sister said that my legs were getting bony, referring to my shins. I don’t take compliments (nor the backhanded ones) from Sister lightly as they are few, far between and very sincere. (Let’s just sat that one of the reasons she was put on this Earth to keep me grounded, LOL!)
  29. Sister looked at my arms and said,”Look at those muscles. That’s inspiring.”
  30. Have mastered, or at least gotten a lot better at, getting on the upside down Bosu ball for squats.
  31. Finally did the fitness ropes today! (Not many women do them at the gym; glad to now be one of the few!)
Filed Under: Changes and Milestones, Motivation Tagged With: ,

June 2012 Non-Scale Victories

July 1, 2012 by Leave a Comment
  1. Found part of last pre-weight loss swimsuit purchase: a size 3x black halter top. Last week’s swimsuit purchase was M (8-10).
  2. I could’ve taken a small in the black knit shorts; I almost “lost” the medium ones on an early morning beach walk.
  3. Planned to treat myself at our breakfast at the beach to — gasp — bacon, but once I took a bite, was surprised to find that I had largely lost my taste for it. So salty and the texture was a little off-putting.
  4. Someone I didn’t even think noticed said that he saw me the other day but didn’t recognize me. “You’ve lost a person,” he said. “Keep up the good work!”
  5. Overslept morning cardio. So tempted to just have a rest day, but something in me wouldn’t let me take it. Worked out that evening.
  6. My old Starbucks friends who I hadn’t seen in a while were so complimentary this morning. The one thing I remember someone saying is that I was but a mere shadow of my former self.
  7. A friend admired the way I carried my 30-lb. suitcase down the stairs, noting that when he met me, I didn’t take stairs.
  8. During the trip to Denver, I didn’t use one elevator, escalator or moving walkway — I did all stairs.
  9. Increased treadmill speed to four mph, which is fast for short-legged me.
  10. Jogged on the treadmill for three minutes.
  11. A clerk at DIA was the first to notice the picture on my current driver’s license is so 95 lbs. ago.
  12. A friend bragged on my health transformation while introducing me to his colleagues.
  13. I wore a baby doll top and wasn’t asked when I was due.
  14. Increased the # of four mph walking minutes on the treadmill.
  15. Back to the gym after two weeks away.
  16. At Take Action workshop one year later, so many positive comments on my weight loss.
  17. My size eight skirt was a little loose in the waist.
  18. Took all stairs in Asheville — no elevators.
  19. Splurged a little in Asheville, but still no fast or processed foods.
  20. Forgot my shorts, but wore some hideously large physical therapy shorts so I could get my cardio in. Would’ve been easy to skip, but made it work.
  21. Got my cooking on Sunday mojo back on, and it makes Monday (and the rest of the week) SOOO much easier.
  22. On a day I was feeling a  bit down, someone I didn’t know greeted me at City Hall with “Are you Mary Pat?” She said that Traci was just telling her about me and that she was glad to have someone who had done it to look to for motivation. That picked me up quite a bit.
  23. I couldn’t find unsweetened coconut, so I just bought a whole coconut and prepared it myself.
  24. I caught a peek of my calves in a glass door today and couldn’t believe they were mine. Like Traci said once, you can’t even tell they used to be fat! :)
  25. Sister said of a dress I recently wore,”If you can get away with it at 45, and you can, I say go for it.” LOVED it!
  26. Both Traci and Beth commented about how small I looked, which is especially nice since I’m up a couple of lbs.
  27. I have only had my standby Taco Soup once this week. Trying some great new recipes and really enjoying them.
  28. I have become a woman who can successfully cook three things at once, and I know that Gramma would be very proud.
  29. Working to get those veggies back in — starting with a green drink every weekday a.m.
  30. First Saturday gym workout in a while.

 

 

Filed Under: Changes and Milestones, Motivation Tagged With: ,

March Non-Scale Victories

March 31, 2012 by Leave a Comment
  1. Not having to worry that the “hair color smock” at the salon will be too tight
  2. Tucking shirts in becomes the norm over wearing them out
  3. Resisted having a small glass bottle Coke when I had the stomach bug
  4. Not quite recognizing myself upon a quick look in the mirror
  5. After being called out for a bad push up, trainer Danny did compliment me: “great triceps”
  6. Completing 16-months at Doctors Wellness Center and getting these results:
  7. Reducing my heart rate from 96 to 69
  8. Reducing my blood pressure from 135/87 to 112/78
  9. Reducing my BMI from 40.6 (Obese, Class Two) to 24.6 (normal)
  10. After my massage, I told my masseuse about having lost 90 lbs. He said that he’d worked on people who’d lost a lot of weight and that they usually have a lot of loose skin, some so much they were hard to massage. But he said that he would’ve never known I’d lost that amount because he didn’t see the loose skin. (Shout out to the trainers at Doctors Wellness Center for that!)
  11. Ordered a dress on line, and when it got here, it looked too small. I tried it on, and it fit! Fun feeling!
  12. Up for an early morning workout on a Monday, the Monday morning after “spring forward,” no less. First Monday morning cardio session in weeks; have been opting for an after work workout most Mondays.
  13. Second day up early, despite DST. Today, woke up at 4:15 a.m. on my own.
  14. Actually tried on a sleeveless shirt, and while I didn’t like the shirt, it looks like I may just be just to confidently go sleeveless this summer!
  15. Burning up in my office and am able to take off my sweater (sleeveless shell underneath) because I’m not embarrassed about how my arms look. What freedom!
  16. LOVE being able to dress the way I want to dress and not in whatever I find that fits. Buying new clothes and getting dressed in the morning is so much fun now.
  17. When I was doing bench presses today, someone comment on how flat my stomach was. I do still have some goosh, but it was still nice to hear.
  18. Trainer Danny said that I had taken a beat down well today, and when your trainer says it was a beat down, you know you had a beat down. (I was just happy to get through w/o throwing up or fainting.)
  19. Surprisingly, I experienced little to no soreness after yesterdays’ beat down.
  20. While I in no way aspire to run, I am now jogging just a little in one of my sets. It is only notable because 90-something lbs. ago, I could not and would not “jog.”
  21. I can now “see” my obliques.
  22. Noticing a lot of lower body changes for the better lately.
  23. Wearing the sled weight belt on the last notches.
  24. Now bench pressing 75 lbs.
  25. Now using 20 lb. dumb bells for dumb bell press; trainer reminded me that I started this exercise with 8 lb. dumb bells
  26. Ordered a black travel dress for upcoming trip and size chart indicated that I needed a small. Debated buying the medium, but trying the small at urging of a friend. The biggest NSV will be if it actually fits!
  27. And it fit! YAHOO!
  28. Tried on (and bought) a fab red dress that when I tried on, I literally saw a different person in the mirror
  29. Bought a great pair of Under Armour workout pants in medium (a medium anything that fits still surprises me)
  30. Tried on a small workout shirt — it was on sale big time – and it fit
  31. Bought a pair of knit travel pants, medium petite.

 

Filed Under: Changes and Milestones Tagged With: , ,

February Non-Scale Victories

March 4, 2012 by 1 Comment
  1. This
  2. Walked from downtown event to Vista blood drive instead of driving
  3. Wore a new Michael Kors belt, size medium, on the third hole
  4. Bought size tens, eights,  even one six at Dillard’s today
  5. In my first 36c sports bra
  6. Actually comfortably wore those size six slacks today!
  7. More a non-scale change than victory, I’ve noticed a pretty significant decrease in my bust line over the past two months.  Got into a B cup for the first time ever, but thankfully found C still fit best.
  8. The pair of Hue pajama bottoms I bought in a size medium are baggy. I really should’ve gotten a small.
  9. Because I like them so much, I DID order a small.
  10. Wearing a pair of workout pants that Beth gave me that until recently have been too tight to wear. Now they’re my favorite pair.
  11. Bought a size six dress today.
  12. Crossed my arms and could actually feel the change in my upper arms. Smaller and more toned.
  13. I can now pretty much buy a medium shirt w/o having to try it on to make sure it’s not too tight.
  14. One of our Solid Waste Superintendents asked me this, “Just how much smaller are you going to get? You’re already too small.”
  15. The big weight lifting belt I wore when pulling the sled this a.m. made my waist look extra small!
  16. Bought a new Kameleon ring. The size six was too big, but five too small. I ended up buying a thicker banded size six.
  17. I felt better than I have felt in years today.
  18. Bought a size five-and-a-half pair of shoes, and they were a perfect fit. Since losing weight, all of my size six-and-a-halfs  are too big, as are most of my size sixes, too.
  19. I rocked Traci’s “elliptical challenge.”
  20. Now that I’m rid of most of my really big clothes, I’m packing up some of the smaller ones that have gotten too big, including my twelves and even a size ten or two.
  21. I noticed today that I iron my smaller pants differently. Specifically, I can no longer slide the ironing board all the way through a leg opening.
  22. Got into a new pair of size 10 petite pants that Mom gave me months ago. They’ve been too tight since she gave them to me. (Unfortunately, ironing out the wrinkles is as hard as losing the weight to get in to them. Taking them to the cleaners this afternoon.)
  23. Fastened my silver belt one more hole over this morning!
  24. Officially joining the Doctors Wellness Center team – on a freelance basis, but still joining it! So excited!
  25. Finally going down a size in those funky junior tees that I like to workout in!
  26. Literally had a victory over the scales this a.m. Found myself wondering how “Two in Two” is going. I almost weighed, but decided 1) not seeing progress may discourage me, and 2) if I wait a few more days, I may see even more progress than I would today. So I didn’t weigh.
  27. Another someone I’ve known forever but not seen in a while didn’t recognize me
  28. My newish size eight pants are getting quite loose
  29. Wore a size six dress today
Filed Under: Changes and Milestones Tagged With: , , ,

How Weight Loss Changed Me

January 30, 2012 by 1 Comment

(This was my 1/27 post on Lexington Medical Center’s Every Woman Blog.)

“Are you dating anyone?”

That was the third question my internist, Dr. Brad Word, asked when I stopped by Columbia Medical Group for some blood work.

His nurse, Teresa, shot him a dirty look and said, “Why do you ask that just because she’s lost weight? She’s still the same person she was before she lost weight.”

In his defense, Dr. Word always asks me that question; it’s usually about the third one. He is a family doctor in every sense of the word, no pun intended, and when one of us see him, it’s like we all see him. He always asks about the family first; in this case, he asked how my mother and sister were doing. Dr. Word isn’t hitting on me, nor is he a nosy doc; the question and my resulting answer, he says, gives him a barometer my mood.

Back to his question, “Are you dating anyone?”

I laughed it off and gave one of my usual flip answers: “No, can you believe it?” or “Why? Do you have someone in mind?” But later that night, I recalled his nurse’s reaction and wondered if I was really the same person I was before I lost weight.

To quote Madonna, “No matter who you are, no matter what you did, no matter where you’ve come from, you can always change, become a better version of yourself.”  When I compare my self of today with my self from 85 lbs. ago, I’d say that I’m the same, but a little better.  Mary Pat 2.0, if you will.

My fundamental self, that person I am deep down, has stayed the same. I still root for the underdog, play Devil’s advocate and use humor to avoid familiarity. I procrastinate. I am competitive, obsessive-compulsive and rebellious. I don’t like the status quo, and heaven knows, I still have the same hips, just a little smaller.

On the flip side, since I’ve lost weight, I’m more direct and stand up for myself more. I am more confident. I take a few more risks. I’m more forgiving of my mistakes, not as hard on myself as before. While my sister would say that I still seek the spotlight, I’d say that I’m more comfortable staying behind the scenes and giving credit to others. On a superficial note, I’m smaller, and my clothes look better. And after years of short styles, I’m growing out my hair.

Not all of the changes have been positive. I find myself less tolerant of those with unhealthy lifestyles. Because I had such an unhealthy lifestyle for so long, I have a hard time understanding that one. I’m also less social because I have less free time and still haven’t figured out how to manage social events that revolve around food and drink.

As I move into the second year of this new lifestyle, the changes are evening out. I’m working on losing the last five pounds and building strength, but the physical changes are slowing down. The things that were first so challenging and disruptive at first – grocery shopping, cooking, working out – have become more comfortable routines. The overwhelming high of “finally losing the weight” is being replaced by the steady satisfaction of attaining wellness and enjoying the resulting benefits. Finally, I’m getting used to the person that I see in the mirror.

But am I dating anyone? Why? Do you have someone in mind?

Filed Under: Changes and Milestones Tagged With: , , , ,

January Non-Scale Victories

January 3, 2012 by Leave a Comment
  1. Gym closed, but walked the dog to get that 30 minutes of cardio in
  2. Achieved new daily goal of consuming less than 1500 mgs of sodium each day (and it took some maneuvering)
  3. NOT being the new gal at the gym the first week in January
  4. Ate half a cup of leafy greens every day for a week
  5. Someone I worked with many years came by the City today and didn’t know who I was when I spoke. (He retired before I started losing weight.)
  6. Can pull off my size 12 jeans w/o unzipping them
  7. New sports bra = size M — and it fits!
  8. Someone who sees me every day told me that I looked like I was losing more weight.
  9. Actually enjoyed the veggie medley I made!
  10. This: http://bit.ly/yDazLG
  11. Packed my lunch to take to APWA retreat instead of ordering from Panera. (Even the salads there are so high in sodium!)
  12. After 16 months of training, I finally ran the ladder.
  13. I just love jeans Friday now that I have some fab jeans!
  14. One of my “skinny” jackets is getting loose
  15. Fought an intense desire to skip cardio today to not only go to the gym, but to do Traci’s elliptical challenge.
  16. Did 45 minutes on the elliptical — a new high
  17. Did 46 minutes tonight. There was sweat in places that haven’t sweat before.
  18. REALLY enjoyed this evening’s cardio.
  19. I noticed a difference in my abs this a.m. Something happening. Definition? Not sure. But a real change.
  20. Used kettlebells for the first time.
  21. People I’ve known for years didn’t recognize me at the polls.
  22. Noticing big changes in my quads.
  23. Made a salad at the Coull’s lunch for Sister Paula and didn’t hate it.
  24. Several people have told me I look  like I’m losing weight.
  25. Went to Talbot’s for the first time since losing weight and shopped in the petite section. Still surreal being there, much less buying a petite medium sweater.
  26. Wore hipster panties today! That’s a big non-scale victory!
  27. Coordinated a visit to a local, vegan restaurant for Keith, Julia and I
  28. Arranged to have groceries delivered to my hotel room in Kansas City so I could continue to eat well while away.
  29. Someone at our APWA meeting drew cartoons of each of us; mine included a carrot and tomato
  30. Made soup with cabbage in it (next NSV will be when I actually eat it!)
  31. Wore an above the knee dress, and two people randomly told me that my legs looked great.
Filed Under: Changes and Milestones Tagged With: , ,

November Non-Scale Victories

December 2, 2011 by Leave a Comment
  1. Had planned on a day off from exercise b/c I overslept and had an evening meeting, but packed my workout clothes and went after meeting
  2. Rocked new outfit: size 10 skirt, small sweater, size 10 jacket
  3. Put the scale in the bathroom closet, no longer out and/or easily accessible for daily weigh-ins
  4. All of my rings are now too big
  5. Bought a fab size 8 pair of pants and small shirt today
  6. Wore a size M workout pants from Target
  7. Had a really great elliptical workout today
  8. Overcame inertia big time to do exercises in my hotel room
  9. While in a meeting in Atlanta, someone I’d never met from Washington, DC said, “I’ve heard about your great weight loss success.”
  10. Made it back to training after a two-week grief hiatus
  11. Resisted – and I mean really resisted – a temptation for fast food
  12. Ordered Roma tomatoes on my vegan, whole wheat pizza and actually ate them
  13. I ate 10 dark chocolate Dove Promises, but resisted the urge to just eat the whole dang bag. Was very happy to stop at 10, even though that’s more than usual.
  14. Did not recognize myself in a picture today. It was from a panel discussion I did at the APWA Congress, and when I saw the picture of the full panel, I couldn’t figure out why I’d been cropped out. It was only on a third look that I realized that I WAS in it!
  15. Still get tickled when someone who hasn’t seen me in a while doesn’t recognize me
  16. 36C
  17. Craved a cheeseburger today, so I bought some healthy ingredients and had one. Not at all the wonderful thing I remembered.  Kinda just ‘meh.
  18. Wore some fab, funky patterned tights today. So many fun patterns available in “regular” size tights than the “plus” size ones
  19. With a new cut and color, even I didn’t recognize me!
  20. Wore a Small Petite shirt today
  21. Survived an emotional eating binge w/o totally blowing it.
  22. A size 12p pair of pants I bought in mid-September are now almost  too big.
  23. After 14 months of work outs, I am finally noticing a small lift in my booty. This is quite exciting!
  24. I shot hoops for about 90 minutes today. And wasn’t half bad.
  25. Bought a hot petite small leopard print shirt today!
  26. Did I mention that I still have half of a bag of peppermint bark squares left over from December, 2010?
  27. I could’ve taken a size smaller in the new Supergirl t-shirt from the junior department
  28. ALMOST in a size small Life is Good shirt. In absence of women’s medium, bought man’s small.
  29. Wearing a size 8 petite jacket.
  30. Made a fab pizza with whole wheat crust and fresh chopped tomatoes. And didn’t take the tomatoes off when I ate it.
Filed Under: Changes and Milestones Tagged With: , , ,

October Non-Scale Victories

November 2, 2011 by 1 Comment
  1. Bought new workout knee pants in size M!
  2. The size 12-short BCBG jeans of Sister’s are baggy on me.
  3. Wore a size 10 pencil skirt today.
  4. Had a great strength training session today. With some of the aches and pains I had, as well as the fact that I walked instead of training last week, I was afraid I would have slipped a little. But I pushed myself and felt stronger than ever.
  5. My size-12 toile skirt is getting too big.
  6. Got a new Live United shirt today, size medium.
  7. The before and after photos I posted on the website
  8. My XXL Junior Super Woman shirt is getting a lot looser
  9. The XL workout shirt I bought at Target is too loose, need a large (down from a snug XXL)
  10. The ladies at the dry cleaner said that I was looking sleek :)
  11. Decided to go easy on the elliptical this a.m., but turned out I was going at Traci’s target speed of 130 spm w/out even trying
  12. When asked to choose a conference t-shirt, I automatically chose a size L. When I tried it on that night, it was too big…
  13. Picked up a medium t-shirt the next day, and when I got it home, I looked at it and knew immediately that it was too small. Tried it on – ta da – it fit!
  14. My new 12p pants are getting a little loose.
  15. When I saw our dog groomer today – took Mom and Dad’s dog over – she said, “I didn’t know there was a third sister.” She truly didn’t recognize me.
  16. Newer “regular size” undergarments starting to get baggy!
  17. No longer intimidated by the stairs at Washington Square -walked up six flights to my morning meeting!
  18. Heard this question three times at DHEC’s SC Solid Waste/Recycling Professionals Conference: “Where is the rest of you?”
  19. My feet are even getting smaller! Finally found a pair of size six black shoes that fit – it seems that when it comes to most size six shoes, my feet are now more a size 5.75. Have virtually lost all hope of salvaging my size six-and-a-halfs.
  20. All of my “before” coats now look like tents!
  21. Wearing a pair of funky tights, S/M sized.  Such a better selection in the regular sizes!
  22. When buying a t-shirt at Saturday event, the person selling them said that they only had large, no small or medium, referring to what size I needed. I still think of myself as a large. Bought medium, and it was a little loose.
  23. When a teenager calls you skinny, you know you’ve made it! LOL!
  24. Today, I wore a size SMALL sweater and size AB hose.
  25. Found out that the results I’ve achieved have motivated a friend’s husband to schedule an appointment at Doctors Wellness Center!
  26. Didn’t resort to food to comfort myself tonight when we got the bad news about Winston.
  27. Did my cardio although ever fiber in my being didn’t want to do it.
  28. Didn’t resolve to my old ways of coping – eating fast and/or unhealthy foods – when my dog suddenly became ill and later had to be put to sleep. If anything, I had to force myself to eat enough.
  29. Fit into size 8 short pants, but the 10 petite was a better fit.
  30. After a two day break, resumed exercise. And the endorphins were better than Kanax.
  31. Wore a new size small coat/vest
Filed Under: Changes and Milestones Tagged With: , , ,

Non-Scale Victories/September

October 2, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Again, trying to record one every day.

  1. Did Traci’s elliptical challenge today, which reflected a significant intensity increase
  2. Sister’s size 12 Gamecock pants were sadly too big for me to wear
  3. I did almost 90 minutes on the treadmill.
  4. Shopped Belk sale today and more mediums fit than larges. Several larges almost swallowed me whole.
  5. Bought two new workout pieces today: a L sports bra (down from an XXL) and a M pair of shorts.
  6. Now wearing size B pantyhose, and they aren’t even too tight.
  7. I ate an “ant on a log” today!
  8. 36c sports bra!
  9. I walked up and down four flights of stairs when I went to Finance today.
  10. 20K+ steps today!
  11. Knew that it was OK to skip Sunday workout to stay at work to make Monday easier, didn’t get all OCD over it…
  12. Made good decisions at Hampton St. Vineyard despite the stress
  13. Knees and feet didn’t hurt so bad during and after the conference as last year.
  14. Was tempted to skip workout tonight to do trip stuff, but went anyway.
  15. Bought a medium blouse, and when I tried on belts, needed a medium. Say what?
  16. Walked over 21,000 steps
  17. Some CSL members didn’t recognize me
  18. Wearing belt on last rung + 25k+steps
  19. Compliment from @SC Legislator
  20. Was able to enjoy dinner at the ball park w/out overdoing it or getting that “I’ve blown it, so let me blow it big” mentality
  21. Didn’t have to worry about the airplane seat belt not fastening
  22. My size large Be Inspired pants are too big
  23. Pushed hard until the end to get steps in today – didn’t give up!
  24. Bought a sweatshirt jacket for the early a.m. and took a M
  25. Jogged for one minute on the treadmill
  26. Walked at the mall to get more steps (and make up for missed a.m. cardio)
  27. Wore a new top today, size petite medium
  28. Size 12 skirts getting to be too big
  29. Had to buy a new pink t-shirt for tomorrow’s Mayor’s Breast Cancer Breakfast because last year’s is way too big. Last year: 2x; this year medium petite!
  30. In a very bad mood, put off going to the gym as long as possible. As soon as I got there and got on the treadmill, my troubles melted away.
Filed Under: Changes and Milestones Tagged With: , , ,

The Kindness of Strangers

May 25, 2011 by 3 Comments

They say that you should be kind to everyone because you don’t know what someone might be going through. And today, someone I didn’t know brightened my day in a way she’ll never know.

After my lunchtime appointment with Traci at Doctors Wellness Center, I stopped by Stein Mart for a few minutes. I walked into the petite department hesitantly; I still feel like I should be going to the “chub section.” I was checking out the sale rack when a woman about my age handed me a pair of cute khaki pants and said, “Look at these! They are a steal at $5.95.”

I looked at the size 12 petite, and quickly said, “They are! Too bad I can’t wear a 12 petite.”

She put them back on the rack, then looked me up and down, “I think you should try these on!”

Since I had some other things to try, I agreed, but was mostly just being nice. Imagine my surprise when they fit! They were a little snug for my taste, but they snapped, zipped and passed the sit test! After I got over the surprise, I snatched them up. They will fit as I like in a couple of weeks, and even if I only wear them a few times, the price is right.

As I walked back out, I found the woman and thanked her.

“Thank you for encouraging me to try on those pants! I’ve lost nearly 70 lbs., but still don’t see myself as a petite yet. You thinking I was a size 12 petite has given me the biggest boost, and I really appreciate it,” I explained.

I have to admit that sometimes I see an opportunity to compliment or engage someone, but let it pass by, figuring they’ll think I’m a nut or something. Days like today make me realize that I need to reach out in those situations. Sure, I may risk looking like a nut, but I may also miss the opportunity to make someone’s day like this woman made mine.

And just when I thought the shopping trip couldn’t get any better, it did! When I got to the check out, I found out that the price marked on the tag was wrong. The pants weren’t really $5.95;  they rang up for $3.50! Score!

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