#mltransformation

Throwback Thursday aka a belated 10 year challenge: Feb 2009 ➡️ Feb 2019! . The picture on the left is 10 months before I started my health and fitness journey in a committed way through my Measuring Life blog. I would guess I was around 225-220, so it’s a ~50 pound difference between these two pictures.

I love these pants, but these Old Navy XLs are getting stupid big on me 😭🙌😭🙌

Okay this isn’t 100% true, but let’s talks boobs for a minute. . I think regardless of my weight I’m genetically predisposed to bigger boobs, but that coupled with the rate in which they grew left me with me stretched out skin, even in my teens and 20s. I was never without a bra except to sleep. I HATED how saggy my boobs were. . I thought about getting a breast lift numerous times, but considering how many people I have lost to surgery complications, I am not going to have elective surgery. . I always knew there were exercise that could help perk up my boobs, but never fully explored them. Well apparently the chest exercises in BodyPump do the trick! I took off my bra yesterday after the gym and I was like HELLO perky boobs. Post sports bra boobs are ALWAYS my best boobs, but even this morning after being bra-less they looked good. . Talk about a NSV!!

A little #transformationtuesday after being inspired from @kodessa_does_ww today! . November 2016 ➡️ January 2019

Sunday secret time! These shorts sent me to the emergency room. Let me explain. . In grad school I spent summer 2006 interning and needed to wear a uniform including these shorts which my employer was going to order for us from J. Crew. I never wore J. Crew before this and I didn’t have a chance to try a pair in stores before telling them my size to order. . At the time I was in a size 16, I would have probably ordered an 18 to be safe, but 16 was as high as they went so I ordered them. My internship was in Alabama, land of fried foods and sweet drinks which I indulged in for the 10 weeks I was interning. Around week 8 I noticed a large red bump with red around it under my belly fold and it was an angry red bump. . Being far from home I went with a friend to the emergency room out of an abundance of caution. The doctor and I eventually determined the bump was a result of my belt which was getting too tight and was pitching my skin via the belt loops of these shorts. I was mortified to realize this was what happened. I was exempt from wearing a belt the last 2 weeks. . Turns out I ended up getting a full time job where I interned two years later. Thankfully soon after I started my weight loss journey and got to wear size 14 and then 12 from J. Crew. . As I was going through clothes to sell/donate I came across these size 16s and thought I bet I could fit an arm in with me. I was shocked when I realized I could squeeze both arms in with me now. I definitely remember being squeezed into these shorts back then too. My weight loss journey has been full of ups and downs, but I’m so encouraged about where I am and I’m ready to donate the clothes that no longer fit, I don’t need to keep them around “just in case.” I’m determined to not ever go back! .

Is #sidebysideSaturday a thing!?! (Yes according to searching tags). . Pulled this shirt out that I haven’t worn for a few weeks. I remember even a year ago relying on this shirt to workout in because it wasn’t as tight on me as most of my other workout clothes. . Finish line of the Dublin Marathon in Oct 2015 (~190 lbs) ➡️ Feb 2019 (170.6 lbs).

I got engaged two years ago tonight! I remember trying on rings by myself to check out styles and figure out my ring size like a year before we got engaged. At the time my finger was 7 3/4 but I was worried about it being too tight so I dropped hints about getting a size 8. I got a size 8 (3 weeks into my @ww journey) right away it was loose. Finally last June I got it resized to a 6.5 and it’s loose again. I’m going to wait until I lose a little more weight before hopefully getting it resized for the last time. It can easily spin all the way around my finger so I’m thinking I may get down to a 5.5 which is crazy for me - I’ve always worn shoes and pants that are double digits, so anything about me being a size 5 sounds absurdly tiny.

I’m officially tied for my lowest @ww weigh in thus far - which was back in late July that came as an unexpected 5.4 loss in one week that must have been a fluke! . Last week I had my period which ALWAYS results in a ~2 pound gain. Glad to see this week I’m down that gain and then some. I’m earning every ounce of this loss and looking forward to some new weight loss territory for the first time ever!