Time To Unleash The Beast!
Before the leash is let go, let's get the statistics out of the way first so we can move on to the results!
Start Date: 10/10/2015
Weight: 154 lbs.
Measurements:
Chest - 39 1/2"
Right Arm - 12 3/4"
Left Arm - 12 7/8"
Right Thigh - 23 3/4"
Right Calf - 14 1/8"
Left Thigh - 23 1/2"
Left Calf - 14 1/4"
Waist (over navel) - 32"
Hips - 39 3/4"
Beast-Release Date: 3/16/2016
Weight: 137 lbs. (on gym scale at 9:45 am) AND 132 lbs. (on a different scale at 1:45 pm) Hmmmm, still don't care (it's just a number)!
Measurements:
Chest - 37" (down 2 1/2")
Right Arm - 11" (down 1 3/4")
Left Arm - 10 1/2" (down 1 1/4")
Right Thigh - 20 7/8" (down 3")
Left Thigh - 20 1/2" (down 3")
Right Calf - 13 1/2" (down 5/8")
Left Calf - 13 1/2" (down 3/4")
Waist - 27 1/2" (down 4 1/2")
Hips - 35 1/2" (down 4 1/4")
Total Weight Loss: 22 lbs. OR 17 lbs., depending on which scale was accurate!
Total Inches Lost: 21 3/4"!
And now (drum roll please!), the AFTER:
Having already discussed (yesterday's blog I Could Have Been A Happy Idiot) how I feel about not being exactly where I wanted to be for these photos, judging by my expression, I assume you can tell I just took it in stride! Still, I was very critical looking over the proofs with the photographer (the very talented Helmut Montoya of Stellar Cinematics) and since I am looking at an untouched photo, I am still scrutinizing at this very moment! But the 21 3/4" lost? I shouldn't have expected to be in any better shape than what I accomplished for these photos! I mean seriously, how many binge fests did it take for me to put those pounds on myself to begin with and then - how many years did I carry them around as part of me? It's no surprise really, that the fat cells in my thighs are digging in their heels like mules refusing to budge an inch, without a very good reason, and they maybe don't yet believe there is a very good one. They've covered the distance with me and have observed some patterns over the last 40 years, and they don't feel like being fooled again. I've asked them to move a gazillion and one times by now - they have - and then I tell them "Oh, I didn't mean it! I miss you, please come back!" It's been a lot harder to get them to move over the last several (10?) years, like a rent-controlled property and they are Grandfathered in. Screw that!
A lot of pictures were taken and I was praying that there would be just one that would show what this journey has done for me. In shot after shot, there were still so many traces
(Really? Try Globs...) of weak spots and I was struggling not to get psyched out. Turns out, due to some bad pose choices, I was ready to commit a horrible offense and admit that I don't have what it takes after all...Oh really, Nancy? Twenty-three + inches and over 160 days of - well, maybe not the perfect training/work/sleep/diet ingredients for total success - and I was ready to admit defeat?! Tsk, tsk! I see a total winner in the photo above. And, there are so many amazing photos from the shoot that at one point, I actually got choked up with emotion. I began to see my inner champion emerge, as the poses progressed and my genius photographer caught every moment (very clumsy me loses balance A LOT during posing, thankfully he is very talented), and I felt like I was catching glimpses of a dear old friend, one not seen in forever, with a very real possibility that she might have even died. I believe she is alive and well, in fact - I believe she will be here in her full glory on April 22.
I came away from the photo session renewed, inspired and re-focused. My gym time this morning felt magical, on trajectory to the stars and beyond, filled with possibility and potential. How could I stop now? Going to give myself more time to get in comp form, and will do yet another set of AFTER (hereafter referred to as the After-Afters) photos on 4/22/2016. This is just another arbitrary date (which happens to rock cuz it's my birthday - what a great gift for me!) chosen primarily due to my work schedule, it's just the next available time frame. Think I can go even longer without getting sidetracked?
I will post an entire gallery of AFTER photos by tomorrow or Saturday. Is anyone ready to join me yet? I'd love to see some BEFORE photos come through with some shared stories!
Please give me your feedback - notice the comments tab? A new addition so we can start conversing!
