Non-Scale Victories!

This is part of a series of various Non-Scale Victories. They are things I’ve noticed over the last few years as I’ve lost weight.

My Shape

I mean, obviously my shape had changed cuz there’s less of me, but specifically, my abdomen… I was laying on my back the other day & looked down. For the first time I can remember, I saw my ribcage, but nothing below that. I’m used to seeing a mound of tummy sitting there, but no more. In fact, the abdominal area is actually concave!

Bones

Yes, I have them! I can feel them!

As you get bigger there’s more & more fat in the way so it gets difficult, feeling your bones. In fact, at my biggest, the nurses had problems, because the pelvic bones were difficult to make out, it was difficult for them to mark out my body to give me any any shots in my bum.

Most people can easily and definitively find there basic bones hip & pelvis, clavical (breastbone), clavical &:rubs and to a lesser extent, knee caps. For the longest time, for me they weren’t defined & easy to find.. As I’ve lost weight they’ve been easier to distinguish. I can now actually feel my kneecaps and find where the patella sits so I can adjust it to where they should be! And I can get my fingers under my sternum, enough to hold it from both sides. I don’t remember ever able to do that before, but I guess it’s possible now cuz of the loose skin

I dont know how that helps anything except marking my tush for shots there, but it is something that has changed as I’ve lost weight .

Non-Scale Victories

This is part of a series of various Non-Scale Victories. They are things I’ve noticed over the last few years as I’ve lost weight. I will be closing this off this series in two weeks with an overlapping topic of a similar vein.

I’m Itchy.

This kinda goes back to the flexibility thing, but on the weekend I was in the hot tubs, and I have no clue why, but my back got itchy, like really itchy Not the kind you can ignore. And with its positioning it’s on of those spots where I’ve always had to grab the back scratcher & if I’m lucky, reach it

I know I’m a little smaller than the last time I had this itch so I reached around behind hoping that maybe I could get the bottom of the itchy spot with my thumb just hoping to take a little of the edge off. Well, I was able to do that & then some. I also to turn my hand onto my back & scratch the whole area!

So I reached the other arm Inver my arm & tried to grab the other hand . And guess what!!! I couldn’t do it.. lol. But I think that when I push the bottom arm up & push the top arm down, I might be able to touch my fingers. Since both my arms would be behind my back I have not arms to push on my arms.. hehe.. so it’s just my theory.. 🙂

Non-Scale Victories!

This is part of a series of various Non-Scale Victories. They are things I’ve noticed over the last few years as I’ve lost weight.

Ok – this is not exactly a victory, but still made feel good .😃

At the Gym – Part II

On my second or third visit back to the YMCA, I had one of the fitness trainers stopped me as I was walking out the door. Now he’s been there for a long time, well before covid. I believe he was there when I had returned to the gym almost 6 years ago.

My mind had floated off thinking other things, likely what I was going to have for dinner.. He saw me and stopped dead in his tracks and exclaimed “Look at you!” With such admiration in his voice. I turned to look around behind me to see who he was talking to. It was me. I’m like.. “Uh.. Ok.. Thanks?”

Not alot of people, especially very casual acquaintances said anything, so it took me a moment to figure out what he was talking about. He started to talk about how good I looked & what a great job I’ve done.. He suggested I submit my weight-loss journey to the Y for their success stories.. I was flattered.. I might do it.

^{Click image for YMCA Success Stories}

Non-Scale Victories!

This is part of a series of various Non-Scale Victories. They are things I’ve noticed over the last few years as I’ve lost weight.

At The Gym – Part I

i have recently returned to the Durham YMCA fitness center. Mom & I going two years ago due to COVID and are going back I’m not doing the same activities as I used to for a few reasons.

The schedule and availability of classes is different and limited, a casualty of COVID. My own personal schedule activities has changed – the times I can go and the timing of what is available rarely mesh.

Arriba– The only organized activity is the Arriba class, the one where I step the the music because my coordination sucks. I do some of the step movements with ease cuz they are steps I used to do in my dance classes all those years ago. I rarely do the arm movements cuz I’m usually too focused on the stepping to get it right or even can’t been bothered to figure them out for the most part.

But here’s the thing, I’m able to do the class and not be completely exhausted afterwards. Yes I will feel sore afterwards, but it’s a good sore. Unfortunately, last week even tho I was taking it super easy, I inflamed my fibro even worse. But generally it’s an in improvement.

Swimmimg – Because I’m still waiting for Koolaid to finish healing again, I’m not allow to get him wet with chlorinated water, I can’t go into the pool. But for the one week I was able to go into the pool for a week, I did and was able to walk the lengths of the pool, back and forth. Yes taking breaks at each end, but I am slowly able to do it When I first started doing water, I would only treat water in the deep end of the pool. Given the high amount of fat in my body then, it wasn’t difficult, cuz fat floats. So a definite improvement.

Unfortunately, there is no Aquafit (bouncing to music in the water) that currently fit in my schedule. I hope it opens up soon..

Towels – I am a plus member at the Y and one of the perks is the towel service. When covid shut us down, I was unable to get the larger gym towels fully around my body, to say nothing about the smaller towels. When I returned I found that I could not only wrap the large towels around me with fabric to spare, I was able to do the same with the smaller bath towels! Wow!!

Stairs – To make it to the workout rooms and the upper studio for the yoga classes, I would have to climb a double height staircase. Sometimes, on bad days, I would take the elevator up. On really bad days, I wouldn’t even both going. Those days I could make it up the stairs, it was a massive struggle. I’d commonly stop at the landing and take a breath.

Now, to stop part way up at the landing means I’m having a bad day. But I can now climb the stairs all the way up. I didn’t notice I had done this until several visits in..

Non-Scale Victories!

This is part of a series of various Non-Scale Victories. They are things I’ve noticed over the last few years as I’ve lost weight

Flexibility – Now, part of this may have to do with exercise as well as not having as much chubb (fat tissue) blocking me from movement.

Squating – I have noticed improvement in this area as my weight has dropped. But I was at the rifle range late last month with the Boy Scouts. (Let me know if you want more info on this) When I went to post my target, with is pinned on a board right at floor level, I squatted down. Not just partly, and then bent over. I was able to squat all the way down where my tush was just off the floor. Even more impressive, I was able to stand back up from said squat with no help whatsoever. Last summer, I’d been able to get almost that low, but had trouble getting back up. That day at the rifle range, absolutely not! The freedom of movement is wonderful even if it hurts.

Falls – I am reminded of another situation. I was at Long Sault Conservation area shortly before COVID hit & shut down the world. I was still pretty heavy then. I was there with my friend Jen & her son as well as my sister & her kids. It was March and the ground was still icey. My balance bites at the best of times, so of course despite my good winter boots, I slipped and fell. Firstly, instead of a gasp & a moan and hurting myself, I started to laugh. My sister, so used to me being so big, uncoordinated and non- functional, she unconsciously rushed over to help me. Two years prior, I probably would have needed the help, but I told her I was ok, and I was already halfway back up by the time she got to me. She was surprised I was able to move well enough on my own and to be honest so was I. But I was, because I was lighter and could move more easily than I had.

Did I hurt myself? Good God, yes. I have fibro, so that was not unexpected, but I didn’t feel it until later after I got home.

Touching my toes – Can I touch my toes? No, I still can not bend that far and don’t know if I ever will.. I can however, because there alot less tummy in the way, reach significantly further than before. With straight legs, I can touch my shins about 3 inches above my ankles. At maximum weight I’m not sure I could have bent over and touched my knees.

Non-Scale Victories!

This is part of a series of various Non-Scale Victories. They are things I’ve noticed over the last few years as I’ve lost weight

Crossing My Legs

Crossing ones legs – I know this is something most people take for granted, but when you are bigger, it becomes more & more difficult to cross your legs at the knee. Now, I may have been able to do this for a while, but late last year, I’d sat down to talk with my mom. We had been speaking for a while before I noticed I had crossed my right leg over my left, at the knee. Not only that, but I had been sitting there, in that position, comfortably, for quite a while. Possibly up to a half hour.

I had looked down & just stopped talking. My mom asked what was wrong. I just looked over at her, grinning & said “I’m crossing my legs.” It took her a minute to understand the significance, but when she did, she was so happy for me. You see, I had not been able to do that at all at my larger weight. All I’d been able to do, in a long time, over 20 years, was to cross my legs at my ankles only. Even the last time I lost weight down to about 220, I still could not do that, crossing my legs at the knee.

Additionally, something I’ve not been able to do is to sit on my couch with my legs crossed below me. I don’t even remember when I’d ever been able to do that. I’d been envious of people who have been able to snuggle up like that.

I recently upgraded to a proper sized love seat, as the previous one I’d inherited was not as deep and not as wide so I hadn’t even bothered to try. With my new love seat, the first time I sat in it while talking to someone on my computer, I cuddled up, without thinking, bringing my legs up onto the couch, crossing my legs underneath me and sat there chatting. I only realized maybe 10 or 15 minutes into the conversation how I was sitting and sitting very comfortably.

Non-Scale Victories!

So, this is the start of my series of Non-Scale Victories. Every week I’ll be posting some of the things I have noticed that have changed in a good way.

Clothing

I finally bought brand new clothing a few weeks ago.. I was wearing my size 16 pants & I knew they were too big. Since I didn’t know my size anymore I went to Walmart. I grabbed a bunch of 14’s. Tried on the first pair… & TOO BIG!! I grabbed a bunch of 12s & they fit, except the Sophia boyfriend cut pants – SIZE 10!!!!

^{Pictures of me from the change room.. All size 13, except the one pair of size 10 light blue boyfriend pants.}

I am.now a size 12 – the small side of Large. My bathing suits that I’m going to have to buy will likely be a size 10!

I also can fit into clothing from high school. While I don’t have alot of stuff from back then, I do have memorabilia clothing. I have swag from my field hockey trip to England, my Manchester United t-shirt that I got from my dad and most of my swag from competing in the Canada Games in 1991. In the images below, the girl on the left is me, age 17 in March of 1991 shortly before I left for PEI. I was only able to wear the jacket, and the rest for that matter for the rest of the winter. The chick on the right, it’s me, less than a month ago in the exact same jacket. It fits me better now than it did then!

Thanks again to my friend David for replacing the exact same jacket in the exact same size for me..

^{Canada Games, Team Ontario 1991. Left: March 1991. Right: March 2021.}

Weight Loss Changes

This is going to be a little series to go over some of the things I have noticed that have changed over the last 10 years of this weight-loss journey.

For those who don’t know my story… Just over 10 years ago, I stepped on the scale at my Doctor’s office in Scarborough. While I’d know my weight had been climbing up, the scale read 303.8 pounds. I was, like, Oh, Hell No!

^{Oh, Hell No}!

My grandmother died at that time as well. While her death didn’t impact my weight, it gives me a time line. Also, I was estranged from most of my family at the time, so almost no one had seen what I looked like. My mom was visibly upset. I thought it was cuz she’d finally got to see me, but I still would not talk to her Turns out, she never expected to see me alive again – either to weight related health issues or by my partner’s hand. Fortunately, neither happened.

So, what did I do? I started to decrease my portion size, eating less. That summer, I started at the local outdoor pool, going as often as I could, to swim for 20-30 minutes. When I could & there was room, it’d swim across the end of the pool, if not, I would simply tread water.

Small steps, but each step was one forward.

---

So from here, I’m going to be posting about changes that have occurred, physically, but also mentally & emotionally, over the last ten years. It will be a series, because so many things have changed. Plus, you’ll get a bit of insight into me & how I click.

New Level of Weight Loss

In the Winter of 2012, I stepped on the scale at my pain physician’s office, CPM Scarborough and was flabbergasted when the number came up. 303.6. I was absolutely horrified.

From there I started to eat less and to get moving more and slowly over the years, the weight has slowly and consistently, bar some plateaus, come off..

While my regular pain physician is no longer in that office, I do, in the winter, see her colleague in that Scarborough location This Wednesday I stepped on that same scale that years ago said 303.6.

It read 189.2.

Do you know what that means? As it is the same scale, it means I have lost 114½ pounds so far.

Do you know what else that means? I’m at high school weight. No just able to fit in high school clothes, but the actual numbers?! I’ve not been this light since I graduated highschool. At the end of Grade 13 I was 191lb. So I am about the same weight I was in my highschool graduations pictures .

I’m the same weight, give or take, in these 2 pictures..

More Non-Scale Victories!

Wearing a Belt. I’m 7 notches shorter on my belt, not even a 3x belt, but a 2x belt that has notches all the way around. & I can wear my smaller belts again!

Fit Old Smaller Clothes. I’m talking fittung into clothing from high school. I pulled out some of my old clothes I had from my marksman competition days when I shot on the Junior Regional & provincial teams in 1999-91. I was stunned to find they actually fit! And one item was too big!!

Moving Like A Normal Person.. It surprising how many things plus people do differently than how ‘normal’ sized people do. For example, I don’t have to tie my shoe from the side cuz the fat is in the way and I can do more yoga poses properly cuz the roll on my tummy stopped me from folding.

Shrinking Fingers. I’ve had to replace rings in a size 6, or wear rings I had in highschool.. Anyone interested in size 7 or 8 rings? Stirling silver or costume..

Increased Flexibility. My body moves differently, better.. I can stretch further than I used to. Maybe one day I will be able to do the splits. Lol.

Decreased Appetite.. It’s not always to the same amount. I used to be able to eat a medium 8 skice pizza plus wings & Cheesey bread but now I’m only interested in 2-3 pieces.. But the other night I could only eat half a small potato & half of a small steak. But also, the other day, I bought a 12″ sub & ate the whole thing plus cookies, but it took a while. Instead of 15 minutes, I took 2 hours to enjoy my dinner. So, yes, there are variations, but generally, I have about 1/3rd of the appetite I used to have.

Can’t Grab My Tummy Roll. Growing up, pants & jeans were made in more of a low-rise style, so I always have worn my clothes just able my hips, so that is where my belt sits. Sinching in my waist repeatedly over the years has resulting into 2 rolls in my stomach, one above my waist, one below. I can’t quite grab my lower tummy roll much & what I can grab is almost entirely loose skin. Not Fat.

I Can See My Scar! 20 I had a laparotomy in my incision went from hip to hip I’m up towards my belly button. While I can still see the scar from the vertical incision, I haven’t been able to see the horizontal incision for over a decade. This is because I was unable to move the roll of fat far enough to be able to see around it to see the scar. I was drying off the other day and noticed cuz of the lax I was able to move the roll much more easily. I took a peek to see if I could see & I can.. & that scar has faded nicely.

I can do more. I’ve noticed that I am physically able to do more.. Yes I have fibro & that limits stuff, but I’m able to do things I couldn’t before. Like make my bed. It’s in a corner to difficult to access the far side to make the bed, but I’m having not problems getting those sheets on anymore.

For those on your own weight-loss journey, what Non-Scale Victories have you had?