I've Ripped off the Band-Aid AND Decided on Rewards

One of my least favorite parts about starting a diet is the first time I step on the scale to assess how much damage I have done since the last time I tried to lose weight. I am usually so scared that I hold off several days to try to lose something so the shock isn't as bad.

But the band-aid has already been ripped off, because a couple of days ago I fully faced the damage I have done to my body since college - in visual, rather than numeric, form.

For some reason (*cough* booze), I was nostalgic and decided to look back at some of my early Facebook photos. After having deleted picture after picture from my camera over the holiday season, I was all-too-aware of how I currently looked in photos.

I had forgotten how I used to look...

During my sophomore year of college, I lost about 25 pounds and weighed in at 145 by that summer. Though I gained about 15 pounds between my lowest and meeting Joe a couple months after my college graduation, I still looked good (though I, of course, still thought I was "fat").

Junior year of college (2006), summer after graduation (2008), a year after meeting Joe (2009)

Now, let's compare that to this holiday season:

That middle one was from Christmas and made me want to crawl in a hole and die. The angle, lack of shower, and oversize wool sweater certainly didn't help ;)

Yikes.

I am sure that as soon as I hit "publish" I'll regret posting these pictures. After all, Joe and I have family and friends who read this blog and there are even people in his dental school class who check it out from time-to-time. It's humiliating to see the consequences of my laziness and inability to control what I put in my mouth (twss).

But these people see me IN REAL LIFE - when I am not posing for a camera and trying to strategically position my body for the most flattering angle possible. It's not like it's any secret that I have a weight problem.

So screw it. Screw being embarrassed. Screw wondering what people will think. I'm so over it. I want this journey to be an honest one, and I can start by laying out exactly where I am starting from.

***Side Note*** I feel like I am probably getting some rolled eyes out there because this is certainly not the first time I have been very candid with wanting to lose weight. I've even had a couple of very successful months blogging about exercise, diet, and shedding pounds - only to give up and gain it all (and then some) back. I can't promise that this time will be different, because each time I swear I am in this for the long run I get diverted, but this time feels different. ***End of Side Note***

This morning I woke up early, hopped on the scale and busted out the tape measure. Here's my starting point:

I am officially at my highest weight ever :(
It's a 10 pound increase since I stopped my diet this summer.
I am so disappointed in myself, but I was expecting worse - so I'll take it.

Measurements:
Arms - 13.5
Chest - 43.5
Waist - 38.5
Hips - 48
Thighs - 27.5
Calves - 17

So there you have it, folks. I also have some before pictures Joe took of me (bless that man) - but I think I'll save those for some kind of weight loss milestone. I've uploaded enough disappointment for one day ;)

On a happier note - I have determined the rewards for my point system!

In the past when I have done point systems, I usually faltered when I wasn't getting rewards quick enough. For this reason, I wanted to make sure I could realistically get a reward every 3-ish weeks. I decided that the sweet spot would be 600 points earned. So every time I hit 600, I get a little something for the effort :)

600 points - Manicure (just in time for the Dental school formal)
1200 points - 5 pieces of Paparazzi jewelry
1800 points - Manicure (just in time for our Spring Break trip to CA!)
2400 points - $100 shopping money
3000 points - 5 more pieces of Paparazzi jewelry
3600 points - Salon day
4200 points - New clothes for our June cruise! (to celebrate Joe's 1st year)

The cruise clothes are the biggie that I am SUPER pumped about. If my calculations are correct, 4200 points will take me to the end of May and that doesn't leave much shopping time. This means that I need to seriously bust butt to make sure I earn this reward.

And, on that note, I need to finish up my work for the day so I can hit the gym! Today I start C25K (again).

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