Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Progress

This past weekend, I went bridesmaid dress shopping with my best friend--for her wedding. I fit nicely into the size 14 dresses! As I shrink, I have a nice figure with a small waist, and several women complimented me on how I looked in the cinched-waist dress I tried on. So I've gone from a high 16 to a high 14. (Size 14 pants go on me now, but they don't look good yet!)

Next, I'm going to share photos. This is a pretty big deal for me, because it's giving up my anonymity in some sense. However, I still don't have my name plastered anywhere on this blog, and that's the biggest deal, because I don't want my name to be google-ably attached to this blog. (I do have a professional life . . . and I don't really want this to be my reintroduction to an old classmate!) Anyway, one of the first places I show weight loss is my face. Here's a photo of me from November of this past year.


And here's me a couple of weekends ago (sans makeup, but looking narrower in the face):


Annnnd one more for good measure:


It's maybe a 10-pound weight loss total, but it certainly shows.

This is also progress: here's me right after I walked for probably about an hour today . . . and then ran the last block and a half. When I exercise, I turn hot pink and get good and sweaty--I am not pretty during or after exercise--but those are just the signs of progress . . . of me getting outside and moving my body.


And after I shared all the information about him a couple of days ago, I feel like I should share a picture of my husband as well. I snapped this one today. He feels self-conscious because one of his eyes--the socket and the lid--were shifted when he was in his car accident, but I think it's way less noticeable than he does. You can see where his collarbone is sticking up where it's not supposed to be. But really, none of that matters. Isn't he a total hottie?


Match.com, ladies and gentlemen. We highly recommend it. It's how we met; it's how many of our friends met their spouses or spouses-to-be (including the aforementioned best friend, after she'd been on Match maybe three years!).

And if you live in Georgia and need any portraits done, my husband is getting really great at them! (Photography is a hobby of his . . . as you may have noticed from my food photos.)

Enough plugs--time for bed.

20 comments:

SuMarie said...

You have really pretty eyes. You don't look anything like you do in your profile picture. And yes, your husband is nice looking. You can really tell a difference in the pictures. Good for you. I hope one day I will have enough courage to do the same.

Jayne said...

Nice to "meet" you...I've just started a health-related blog, so I did a search for similar blogs and stumbled upon yours. Keep up the great work...you can DEFINTELY see it in your face.
http://journey-from-sad.blogspot.com/

ArleneWKW said...

I agree with IF. You look sweeter than I would have thought from the profile photo. I hope that doesn't offend you. My sense of you from the photos is that you're much more approachable than the profile photo indicated. Your hubby is fox! I'm interested that you met on match.com. I gave my 28 year old daughter a 3 month subscription as a birthday gift. (She says she's too busy to try it right now, but your story is encouraging and I'm thinking that I'll mention it to her).

Mal said...

My boyfriend and I also met on match.com (6 months ago today) so I am also a proponent.

You and I lose weight in the same way, it seems. From outside to inside. Face and neck first. It's an exciting place to start because it's so noticeable.

celtic_girl said...

There is definately a difference in your photos - such a pretty face. I'm toying with the idea of "exposing" myself soon.Also, I doubt anyone is pretty during and after exercise. I look like I'm about to have a cardiac arrest!

Nuka said...

You can totally see the difference! Nice job. :D

You can tell hubby is is fine too... a bunch of strangers don't HAVE to say that so maybe he'll believe it ya know?

Cory said...

You are looking really good! Those ten pounds really do make a difference. Kinda surprising, isn't it?

And your man is a real hottie!!! I'm tempted to steal him, but I'll stick with mine I think.

i i eee said...

Oh my gosh you're so cute! You are very pretty, Veg. You'll be one fine bridesmaid, that's for damn sure! And uh, YEAH your husband's a hottie!!! You lucky girl!

Andrea said...

Hell-o cheekbones! The photos are great. Your husband reminds me of the hot, young Peter Fonda. Yee-ow!

Thanks for stopping by my blog and commenting. I appreciate the comisseration. :)

lisa jane said...

good, I checked and others said it too, U ARE SO CUUUTTTEEEE!!!!!

I know sometimes adults don't appreciate being called that but you really are a cuteypie :) My best friend is too.xxxxyou really are gorgeous:)

lisa jane said...

oops I TOTALLY forgot.You can tell your hubby from me that he is a big hunk of spunk!!!!Phwooarrr,swoon etc etc.seriously though I think the word I would use is dashing, he looks kinda hugh grantish :)

Weight Master said...

Congrats on all the weight loss. You really look great. That's cool that ya'll met on match.com. I may be blind, but I can't even notice his eyelids even after you've mentioned them.

~~Midnight Raider~~ said...

You and your hubby are BOTH gorgeous!!

Linds said...

Wow... you can really notice a difference! Thanks for motivating me! It's nice to know that a 10 lbs does make a difference!

Living to Feel Good said...

WooHoooOO! Yes 10 lbs does make a difference! It doesn't sound like much, but it can do much damage or good depending which way it's going. You can totally see it in your face! I'm so excited for you.

Thanks for stopping by my blog..I'm now aware of yours and totally digging it!

You husband is very good looking! Nothing wrong with the internet thing. My husband and I met not on a dating service, but in a chat room a little over 11 years ago. I think people who think it's wrong or only "losers" look on the internet are wrong! I can't even imagine my life without my husband, and I am so glad we did "bump" into eachother. :D

Sarah said...

Your updated photos look great! Thanks for sharing with us all. I joined match.com about a month ago and it is great to hear a success story.

Thank you for sharing with all of us. I have really enjoyed reading your blog.

Martalu said...

Love the pics! You're so cute! I wish I could put you in my pocket!!! And your hubby is a cutie too! I'm trying to get my friend to try match since it's worked for so many other friends. I'll have to refer her to this page!

Sally JPA said...

Wow, thanks for all the supportive comments! I love how common it is for people to comment on weight-loss blogs; it's much more of a community than regular blogging often is.

I've forwarded all the compliments on him to my husband. He lived a good bit of his life being about 70 pounds overweight, so he's still "fat passing for thin" these days and doesn't see himself as he actually looks. (He also spent much of his life as a nearly friendless, picky-eater uber-geek with a family that moved all the time. He's come a long way towards a happier life!)

I'm, it feels good to share my picture, if not my name! My husband thinks I should show you all comparative photos from when I was closer to my heaviest and now. I had him take a picture of me in my underwear when I was absolutely miserable with my body a couple of years ago.

Jayne, I'm checking out your new blog in just a minute.

Arlene and IF, my profile photo was taken in pretty dark lighting, and I kept having trouble not lowering the laptop in the photo while I was laughing. So I might have a bit of a strange expression in that one. I'm not offended at all; I am an approachable person. In fact, my friends find it strange and amusing that many strangers who come across me--in the grocery store, in gas stations, at Blockbuster--want to tell me their secrets and shames. It is a very interesting phenomenon.

Mal, yay for Match! You definitely have to skim through the crazies on there, but it can work. Losing weight in my face is very nice for photos. Now for the rest of me!

Celtic, thanks. It feels good to have people knowing what I look like when I'm writing. I encourage you to do your own big reveal! It would be difficult to trace my picture back to my name unless someone already knew me when they saw the pic, so it's not stressing me out. :)

CS, thanks! I told him.

Cory, I'm really grateful I can see a difference in the photos, because it's very motivating!

Meta, thanks!

Andrea, thanks. I'll definitely be back to your blog.

Lisa, I'll take cute any day! Thanks.

Weight, his eyelid thing is more obvious from a straight-on photo, especially if he's smiling. It is a 5 mm difference between the height of the eyes (which will be fixed) and a 3 or so mm difference in the height of his eyebrows now (which won't be fixed). He also has his orbital bone poking out the side of the bridge of his nose a little. That sounds awful but isn't visible when he wears glasses, which is nearly always (much to my chagrin--wasting his gorgeous eyes!).

Midnight, thanks!

Linds, 10 pounds totally matters! And 20 is going to be even MORE awesome.

Living, I think internet dating has mostly lost its stigma, at least among young people in big cities. If you don't meet someone in school, I don't know else many couples meet outside of internet dating. Guys aren't exactly always willing to approach girls these days! (. . . Come to think of it, I've been the initiator in every relationship I've ever had. Huh, interesting.)

Sarah, I'll have to do a whole post about my and my friends' Match experiences.

Tote, "I wish I could put you in my pocket" has to be the hysterical phrase of the day. Thanks.

Krista said...

Love seeing you! And your husband too. Most of us are far more critical than others of our looks. You really don't notice those things about your husband unless it is pointed out!

Georgia Girl said...

I totally see the difference in the pics too, although I'm kind of partial to the first one because of your cute smile. You guys look like a great couple. ;)

I met my husband online, I think it was before the match.com days, almost 10 years ago now. I think it's the way to go.