The value of a shopping trip

It's hard to see progress when you're watching it unfold on a daily basis. Dieting has been a challenge with the upcoming move. I hesitate to grocery shop, since I have to toss anything I still have from the freezer and refrigerator when I leave. So my diet has consisted of Domino's, McDonald's, and oatmeal. On top of all that, I put on three pounds eating nothing but my grandma's chicken and dumplin's while I was in Florida.

The last week, I've felt stressed out, fat, and depressed. The weather was gray and cold, and it eventually snowed. I haven't wanted to move from the bed, but there were things to get finished. Yesterday I headed out with Ginger to her vet appointment. She got her rabies vaccine, and consequently feels like crap right now. She has to go in for some dental surgery next week as well. She's going to hate me.

I haven't been lifting weights because I've been lifting boxes. My poor body is covered in bruises, and every muscle aches. I was worried that my diet of pure junk was going straight to my thighs. I haven't been able to drop anymore weight, but I wasn't worried because I can now do enough pushups to max out an Army PT test. I am STRONG, and I'm more proud of that than the pounds I've lost.

But junk food makes you feel like a failure, even if you are burning all the nasty calories off and more. So I felt frumpy and awful when I went out for tea at The Beverley with A today. We had a fantastic tea, then hopped across the street to Design at Nine. If anyone local reads my blog, go there. It's the place in Staunton I will miss the most. A and I shopped for awhile, and I found a dress to try on that was 50% off. I headed off to the dressing room, and A said to me, "You know, your legs are looking FANTASTIC! Really, I mean it, you can tell you've been working out."

Of course, I was in a pair of fishnet tights, and felt like a cow because they're so much work to put on. But I got in the dressing room and took off my clothes, and stood there in bra, tights, and heels when I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. And A was right. My legs rock! My whole body rocks! Head to toe, I looked long and lean, which is a miracle considering I'm short and stocky.

I put the dress on (another size 8!), zipped up, and walked back out into the shop, where A gasped and said, "Your waist is so tiny!" The girl in the shop looked over and called out, "Yeah, what do you have, an 18 inch waist???" I felt sleek and sexy, and the ladies were right. I looked amazing. Despite a diet of banana cream pie and chicken nuggets, weight training and box lifting have not only strengthened my body; they've strengthened my confidence as well.

My other cheer up came in the form of Sara calling me this evening. I told her I'd only packed one box today, and she laughed. But then I looked around and realized I had only packed one box because I'm almost finished with the things I can do ahead of time. Plus, Sara had a great tip for packing the kitchen stuff I'm still using. :-)

It's bedtime here. Ginger is laying in my lap, looking miserable, and I need to stop typing so she can sleep.

Today's lesson: When you feel like you're failing at a project, take a step back and look at it through someone else's eyes. The span of your accomplishments will often surprise you.