Holy crap, we’re here. The last Incredible Shrinking Woman post of 2019. For this post, I’m going to do a recap of the last thirty-six weeks, because it’s been eight months of hard work and I feel like I need to celebrate my successes a little bit here at the end of the year! So let’s get to it!

Pounds lost: 54.6

% to super goal: 43.3%

Doing the damn thing!

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I started this round of The Incredible Shrinking Woman on 4/28/19 – eight months and one day ago! At that time I was 251.4 pounds, and I enrolled in the Noom program to get me going. Incidentally, I did a review of the Noom system if you’re wondering what it is. As you can see for yourself, it does work!

So as I was saying, I started on Noom in May, thanks to my mother- and sister-in-law. Since then, I’ve done a lot!

While I don’t think I looked terrible back in May, I sure felt terrible. I couldn’t bend over to tie my shoes easily. Going up and down stairs was so much of a chore, I would do anything I could to avoid it. I never took walks, I never got any exercise, and it wasn’t uncommon for me to eat an entire bag of chips in a single evening. I snored like gangbusters. My breathing was hitching randomly, even when I was just sitting down – like I would suddenly snort and gasp like I had stopped all together.

Looking at these pictures, it’s amazing to me to see the difference from then til now. From 251.4 pounds, I’m down to 196.8 (as of this morning)! I hit a major milestone getting under 200 lbs, too! It’s the first time in years that I’ve been this small.

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Since starting Noom, I have learned so much about nutrition, and I feel like I’ve made great progress in changing my relationship with food. I’ve improved my sleeping habits immensely, because I learned about the connection between weight loss and sleep. I can cross my legs while sitting, for the first time I can remember. I can tie my shoes. I don’t snore at all anymore (according to my husband; my sleep tracker still catches it sometimes). My breath comes freely, even and including up and down stairs. I’ve gone down almost two jeans sizes and two shirt sizes. My butt feels TINY.

I feel more confident, because I see physical differences, and because I’ve accomplished something. I am so glad that I’m taking better care of myself.

I feel good.

I’ve also had plateaus, like the most recent one where I was stuck between 198 and 199 for the last two weeks. I’ve struggled with traveling and still losing weight, and with drinking enough water. I’ve made tough food choices some days, and given in and blown my calorie budget completely out of the water other days. I’ve weighed myself every single morning (except one morning when I was camping), even while traveling. I’ve logged my food almost every single day. There have been days (weeks, months) where I feel like every ounce of progress is hard-fought and hard-won.

All that being said, I am feeling so proud of myself. I feel so much healthier and so much better, physically. I know I still have a ways to go, and I know that I’ve already come a long ways (almost halfway!) and I can’t wait for the comparison photo this time next year!

I hope you all have a wonderful, happy, and healthy new year. I hope you achieve your goals and have so much love and happiness that you can’t. Even. Stand. it.

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