Celebrating The Non-Scale Victories

I have now lost over four stone, and looking back over the past year it's really amazing to see how far I have come and think of all the positive changes I have made and things that have come of my weight loss so far. It's far more than just a number on a scale, so here we have it, my NSV's for year one.

Looking at the number on the scale can be addictive, it is important though when you know you are overweight and unless you are some extremely fit bodybuilder, the numbers do give a clear indication of your progress. There are so many other factors though that bring happiness and success from losing weight, these are called Non scale victories. I thought I would share some of my NSV's with you as a way of reminding myself of the good parts, as well as being a good incentive to continue. Hopefully I will also be able to inspire others that may be about to start - or in the early days of their weight loss journey too. The hardest part is getting your brain in gear and battling through those first few days. My biggest struggle was the emotional eating and binges - which I think I have now overcome, a pretty big deal really in itself. I know you've heard this a million times, but if I can do it, anyone truly can.

Fashion

I never really expected to fall in love with clothes again. I love shopping, I am a total shopaholic but had gone off clothes all together, which I now think was just because I genuinely looked and felt so bad in them. Now, despite the fact I still have quite a long way to be anywhere near slim, I can go to any shop and know that I will find something that will fit, and not have to go to the back of the rail and then leave as the numbers don't go up high enough. I have become really into fashion in a big way again, I love colour, pattern and design and love nothing more than a good shop mooch knowing that if I want to, I can try something on and most likely it will fit. I have also gone down a shoe size which makes shoe shopping a lot easier! Who knew my feet were so fat?!

Aside from the shopping, I have recently found coats that I got 7 years ago, that were a little tight, but now fit! I couldn't actually believe this one particular TK Maxx bargain O'Neill coat, that has literally never gone near me, but was so cheap I was determined to lose the weight to wear it. Now, not only does it go on but it zips all the way up and isn't even overly tight, I love it and I love that it fits! I started off as a size 22 and am now a 16.

Health

I've had ups and downs due to illness (unrelated to weight loss) so I didn't see the benefits straight away, but right now I feel much better. My mental health has greatly improved too, I feel so much happier and physically I feel lighter, much less tired and my breathing has improved so, so much. I have gone from using my inhaler daily - to, well - I couldn't tell you when I last used it. This for me is a huge deal. My main reason for doing this is for my health, everything else is a bonus really and I want more than anything to be healthy, live well setting a good healthy example to my children. My BMI started at a whopping 42.3, this score put me at huge risk of heart disease, heart attacks, diabetes and all sorts of other delights. I am still way over where I should be, but I am currently at 32, so I have reduced it quite significantly already, which has hopefully reduced my health risks a lot too. My waist has shrunk massively which is another good indicator of a reduction of health risks, and a healthier heart. I am still classed as obese which really sticks in my throat, I can't wait to be classed as healthy but have the overweight barrier to get past first! I have around 12lbs to lose to get into the overweight category - joy.

Happiness

It sounds silly to be happier without all the weight but it is true. I feel more attractive, I feel less restricted and I feel (as bad as this sounds) more worthy and I have a lot more respect for myself knowing that I have achieved what I have and beaten the hold that food has always had over me. I feel confident and happy and really eager to achieve things, which mainly comes from having the new confidence from losing weight, it's weird how it all ties in.

Me

The long and the short of it is that I am becoming a new me, I am confident, ambitious, happy, smiley and I feel  million times more worthy of all the things I have in my life than I did before. This may not just be down to the weight loss, but it certainly makes for a huge chunk of it. I guess it's not really a totally new me, but just me, a me I had forgotten, a me that I had let other people mash into a useless pulp and a me that I had been made to feel wasn't good enough for a lot of things and at times that I wasn't even good enough for this world. I am good enough, I am happy and I am me. Hopefully now I am a healthier, stronger and fitter me as well and I can get better and fitter and stronger from here onwards.

Thank you to everyone that has supported me so far on my journey, to the brands that have given me an opportunity to review, it may have just been a little business on your part but to me it has kept me motivated, given me boosts and allowed me to try things I perhaps would never have been able to before writing this blog.

So right now I am 60lbs down with 47lbs to go to get to my ultimate goal, to get to a weight I haven't been since I was around ten years old, a weight that is only just within my 'healthy' range. It's a long journey, but I am confident I can get there and hopefully not get to lost or go too off course along on the way.

The reason for doing this was firstly that I was leading my son into bad eating habits  - for which I felt terrible and I also wanted to get healthy and live longer for both of them. Right now we are all healthy, my children both eat lots of fruit and veg and I was lucky to undo any damage before it was done. I want more than anything for them to be healthy, happy and to have  healthy happy Mama too. We still have our treats, but now they are just that - treats and not a daily occourance!

Thanks for reading,

Wafflemama