Feeling confident

I realized a while back that I had gained weight.  Not the just a little bit, but A LOT of weight.  I had moved out of appropriate for my height and into overweight and then well into overweight.  It had gotten pretty not cool.  Most of my clothes didn't fit.  I had moved from muffin topping to gigantic oven mess that has no name, and even though friends and family still assured me I did not look big, I knew that this was getting to be problematic.  Especially when I started feeling it while walking.  I had slowed down a few speeds not because I was in less of a hurry, but because I was too out of shape to keep up my old pace. 

 

So, I think I have mentioned here that I was going to do something about it.  And then I didn't really do anything.  And then almost three weeks ago, I stopped drinking alcohol.  That meant no glasses of wine (well half bottles) with dinner, no margaritas at mexi places, no two and three french martini nights at the local bar, no extra large vodkas and sprite at howl at the moon (thanks anyway Tony), and no Bailey's nightcaps.  Because well I drank a lot.  No, I mean a LOT!  I took a survey and counted it up, and I was averaging 18 drinks a week, that is almost three a day.  You know how many calories are in that?  Especially when you like fruity sugary drinks?  So yeah.  That is a lot.  And it isn't like I was swapping out dessert or anything else for them.  I was adding it all on. 

 

For the last three weeks I have been trying to replace them with something no calorie, water at dinner, diet coke on weekends or if I want to stay awake, occasionally cranberry juice with a shot of orange, sometimes sprite or orangina or horchata or whatever non-alcoholic tasty drink they may serve at the restaurant.  It was way harder than I imagined it would be.  Not that I have really been tempted to cheat, but it totally sucks to wash down those chips and salsa at a mexi place with water when you really want and icy margarita.  And wine bars, without wine?  Ummm, less fun actually.  Cheese plates without red wine?  Well cheese is still good, but it misses its friend.

 

However, I feel a lot better and a lot more alert most days.  It is a little easier to get up in the morning.  I have also started to work out (but so far only a little), but I have begun to see other results.  Like a pair of pants that was getting dangerously close to being my last pair of pants that fit me and being dangerously close to not even that.  I kind of had to wear them with the right shirt that landed just so, or better yet a sweater that sort of folded up all blousy at the bottom or people would totally notice the too much sausage trying to fit into (or rather bust out of) the casing.  Perhaps that wasn't the best metaphor.  Today, the first time in a week I have worn said pants, they slipped on and have more room in them than before.  They still squeeze in a bit at the waist, but only a tiny bit.  I don't feel self concious about them.  At this rate, if I gear up the working out, and I stay off the booze, and I try to protion control/eat healthier for more serious, I may well have slimmed quite a bit down in time for the big 30 looming just over the horizon of two months and odd days away.