Day 37

So the last two days have given me some of the clearest evidence that this diet is working.  It isn't time to weigh myself yet, but that's less of a concern anyway.  Yesterday I pulled out a dress shirt that I hadn't worn in a while.  Even when I bought it, it was a little tight, but before the diet I didn't even bother trying.  Yesterday I tried it on (more because I hadn't done some laundry and needed something nicer for Thanksgiving) and not only did it fit, but it was actually a little loose.  Today I threw on a t-shirt I was given after last year's half-marathon which had been tight then.  Now, it's not fitting great yet, but it's wearable.

One of the toughest parts of the diet is noticing the changes as they happen.  Friends and family who don't see me on a regular basis will generally notice the change, but for myself I'm just not seeing it.  If my gut gets a little smaller, how would I even tell.  If my face is less round then it was before the diet then I just continue to see my face.  Since the changes are small from one day to the next, it sometimes feels like nothing's happening. 

Of course that works in the opposite direction as well.  I've had a gut ever since high school.  Through college and then while working at UPS, I was always able to keep active enough to keep it from exploding.  Then I left UPS and started working office and sales jobs, but my eating habits didn't change.  I was getting bigger, but not noticing simply because the change didn't happen overnight.  I had a gut, of course I did, it's always been like this.

As painful as it can be sometimes, it's those changing sizes on clothing that can be a real help in seeing some progress on the diet, as well as to give you a warning when you might be gaining a bit too much weight.  I went from XL to XXL, and told myself it was nothing.  Just wanted looser clothing, it was more comfortable.  When I went from XXL to XXXL, then I finally started realizing I had a problem.  Now with any luck I'll be going in the opposite direction.  It's going to suck to have to pay for a new wardrobe, but it's going to be awesome to need to.

Food today:  breakfast sandwich and milk (300 calories), PB&J (600 calories), fiber bar and a Reese's cup for snacks (200 calories), and penne, sauce and garlic toast for dinner (1000 calories).  Exercise was a walk at lunch (100 calories) and 45 minutes and 3.25 miles on the treadmill (557 calories).

Today's Results:
Daily Food Total:  2100 calories
Exercise:  657
Points Earned:  1557
Total Points Earned:  48225
Points to go:  151775