02/01/10: Good Weekends and Great Days

I had an interesting weekend of doing nothing.  This interesting weekend of doing nothing was rather uplifting.  But not because I did nothing.  In fact, my nothing entailed two things.  1) updating my work in progress photos.  2) mostly doing our taxes.  I say mostly because I'm still waiting on my W2 to arrive and so have just used numbers from my last pay stub.  But other than finishing my income for the year, the taxes are done and the outcome is tolerable.

Back to the updating the photos...

I took progress photos almost two weeks ago.  And then I seemed to be refusing to look at them.  I say that because after my hubby took the photos, the battery had to be charged.  Every night I'd walk by that charger and think "I've got to get those photos downloaded" and every night I'd just keep walking.  This weekend I finally made myself do it.  This weekend I was surprised.

I downloaded the photos still not wanting to see.  I was absolutely sure that there would be no change - and worse, I might just be worse off.  Positive that I was just going to get depressed, I made myself face up anyway.

Well...the photos were so not the same zoom levels.  And so it was rather meaningless.  So my sweet hubby graciously got off the couch to take them again.  This time I downloaded them before we called it good to make sure the photos were really going to be a comparison.  This is where my job title gets in my way as I wanted to see like images...so that what's different will be the only difference - not the photo, not the clothes...just the diff.

We took them twice, actually.  But after the first retake and downloading them, I had one image that aligned well.  And then we saw it.  My husband before me,  in fact.  My butt is smaller and gravity seems to be reversing.  My belly is smaller and gravity seems to be reversing.  My shirt fit better.  I didn't notice that when I put it on, in fact, I still thought it fit exactly the same.

It's a very subtle difference.  Very very subtle.  But who cares!  There's a difference.  And it made me motivated to get all the rest of the photos to line up well.

I took three fully clothed - one profile and two frontal with different zooms.  And then I took four with gym shorts and a sports bra only.  Those photos are just for me as there's way too much hanging out.  But maybe someday, if I get my six-pack back, I'll post them, too.  But I will tell you...even those photos are amazing.  As I got heavier my belly button started moving away from center.  It was an odd thing...to look down...and the belly button wasn't exactly in the middle.  But it is NOW!  My stretch marks on my belly, (only three of 'em) are almost gone, in comparison.  Way lighter way smaller way less noticeable.  An entire belly roll is just gone.  Gone.  Poof. 

And this is only 12 pounds.  So then I was excited to take measurements.  Excited, I tell you, excited!  And I've lost 7.5 inches.  My hips are actually one inch bigger but my waist is two inches smaller.  My arms have lost an inch and a half a piece and my legs as well.  This is only 12 pounds!

And I wouldn't know it just by looking in the mirror.  I wouldn't know that there were subtle differences if photos had not been taken!

Those photos are on this here blog on a side bar.  They will get updated periodically...although I don't want to do this too often as it can lead to not seeing a difference just because not enough time has passed.  But who knows...maybe the weightloss will start happening faster and then the photos should happen with less time in between.  I guess, as I'm typing this I'm realizing, I should take photos every ten pounds or so...not every X amount of days/weeks/months.

But yay!  Tolerable taxes and 7.5 inches.  Who knew?!?