First things, first — I haven’t reached my 120-pound goal, yet, for those anxiously awaiting that news; I’m a scant 6 ounces away! That’s not much at all, and you’ll be seeing that photo change soon; I’m betting on next week. Thanks for hanging in there with me. <3

I never tuck my shirt in. I still feel sassy in my mom jeans!

I’ve had a lot to think about this past week. Mind you, I did break my weight plateau, but realistically, my weight has changed only about 1.6 pounds over the past four months. That’s not a lot, but I have found that a lot of other things have changed since April, when my body decided to not play nice with the scale.

In June, 2012, I made one of my last blog entries for the last big effort I made to lose weight. I stopped at 63 pounds, and back then, I kept goal clothing that I would try on from week to week to see how the fit changed. I wrote the following in a post titled “Y2, Week 10: Goal Pants, PUI”

“The goal pants are still snug. Not surprising, really. I also tried on the goal shirt, and I can tell where I’ve lost my weight, recently: in the chest, and maybe a little bit in the arms. It’s fitting well through the torso but upper arms are still tight. Not as tight as before, though.”

Long story, short: I went to Mexico, fell off the wagon, and gained a hundred pounds over the next year or so. And now I’m back, losing weight. I’m at a lower weight than I was when I gave up that effort; I lost all the weight I gained, and then a bit more.

But those jeans? They stayed in storage.

That was until this last week, when I tried them on — on a whim. I looked at the size in the back and thought to myself that there’s no way in hell I can wiggle this plentiful posterior into those jeans. But that didn’t stop me from wearing them to a meeting last night! It’s a pretty darned cool feeling to suddenly discover that the smallest pair of goal jeans I had from 2012 now fit me. That, and a few more smaller things got moved from my archive drawer (where I keep things that are a little too small) into my regular drawers, and a few too-big things removed.

(Bonus: I’ve also found a great place to donate my too-big clothes. If you’re in the central Arkansas area, check out  The Van. And before you think that plus size clothing wouldn’t be put to use, remember that homelessness strikes us all, and the cheapest foods out there are often the least nutritious. Fat does not mean someone is eating well or doesn’t suffer from a complicating medical condition.)

Despite that scale not cooperating for a few months, I’m the smallest I’ve been in years; certainly before 2012 — more likely, years before that. What a great feeling!

And it’s not just that, although realizing that you really aren’t imagining things and you are smaller is a great revelation. When I went to my meeting last night, close to half a dozen people came up to me and said “congratulations on breaking your plateau!” (or words to that effect). You could have knocked me over with a feather. Yes, I did post last week that I broke my plateau, but honestly, I write these blogs mostly for myself, and once I put them out there, I tend to forget that other facet: that people read them.

Thanks for keeping me accountable, because that’s the biggest and truest reason that I take the time to write this blog each week. Knowing (and remembering!) that there’s a family of support that surrounds me makes me appreciate that none of us live in a bubble. We are all brothers and sisters of a sort, and your words of encouragement to me mean more than you know.

There will be more days like this — more reasons to look forward and celebrate.