Today is my weekly try-on day for my goal pants.  They seem a little more comfortable in the thighs, but not in the stomach area.  They have gut-holders in them (er… “slimming panels”), so that’s probably going to be the last area where they’re comfy.  I admit that it’s really difficult to tell minute differences; and that’s what they are — minute.  Theoretically, if I’m somewhere around 300 pounds (and I am!), and I’m losing a healthy 1-2 pounds a week, that’s less than 1% of my total body weight.

Considering that the 1% (rounding up!) may or may not be in an area that the pants cover, it’s not necessarily the most reliable indicator of loss, especially over a week’s time, so I am cautioning myself to use reason and not start thinking wild thoughts like “OMG, I’M NOT LOSING ANYTHING!” (Before someone adds “why don’t you measure?”, measurement is also only going to show very minute differences at this point, and when you’re measuring predominantly fat areas of your body, it’s difficult to get a good, reliable measurement because… well… fat moves.  It’s mushy.)

They say that you lose weight in the reverse proportions of how you gained it.  It’s not a proportional gain/loss that’s spread all over the body equally.  One week, I may lose everything in my butt; the next, in my torso.  And I have been losing in my torso — I was just over the threshold into 3X territory in most shirts and tops when I started this plan.  I have recently bought new tops and returned a couple of them to go down to 2X, and my previous 2X tops are fitting better than they were.

I have to keep in mind overall fit, even if I’m just judging on one pair of pants.  For instance, I have dozens of pairs of underwear that are all labeled the same size, but some fit more liberally than others.  Weeks ago, I had to watch what pair I put on, or I’d be uncomfortable pretty quickly.  There are still some rogue ones that I stay away from, but I have a much wider selection of undies available for comfy wear, now.  😀

Go ahead and laugh — the car fits better.  The open space between my gut/thighs and the steering wheel is increasing.  It’s easier for me to get in and out; not only because I have more room,  but because my leg muscles are getting stronger from exercise.

I’m feeling thinner, too.  It’s not that occasional “hey, I feel thin today!” feeling that many of us get, which unfortunately rotates with that “dang, I feel fat today!” feeling.  It’s an overall sense of taking up less space than I did before, and being more comfortable in my own skin.  Make no mistake… I’m often still the largest person in the room, and no one knows that more than I do.  But that icky/ponderous/embarrassed to be in public feeling has decreased.

But when it comes to the try-on pants… I admit that I’m impatient.  I want them to be falling off my hips next week, and that’s just not going to happen.  I have to remind myself to be patient, and that the effects of losing weight will be cumulative over time.  I am dedicated to the long haul.  I have to think in terms of fitting into something I like next year or two months from now, not next week.  It may well take another 7-8 weeks for these capris to be perfectly comfortable, but it will happen.

That’s the thing I’ve always found to be perplexing about myself; I can be an infinitely patient person, but in the past, I’ve gotten impatient with weight loss and then given up, which is stupid.  It makes no sense to give up because it’s taking seemingly forever to get to a weight loss goal, when giving up means it’ll never happen at all.  Guess what?  That doesn’t work!  Big surprise!  The food I choose to fuel my body with today is a lot less important than how my body feels in the long run, so making the right choice at this moment will pay off, no matter how long it takes.