It took a newspaper cartoon to make me appreciate my journey

I found this while thumbing through the newspaper a couple of weeks ago.....

Lovingly borrowed from The Oregonian - Friday, June 3, 2011 edition.

I was saving this clipping so we could chat about the modified food pyramid layout, but had a change of heart this morning after having a fashion show in my closet.  I decided to use the cartoon for a totally different reason.  However, if you want to check out the new info, visit http://www.choosemyplate.gov/.  Instead of the pyramid most of us grew up with, the symbol is a plate showing a balanced meal.  Very cool, and totally what I believe in.  Moving on....

I totally fit into the "obese American" category at one point in my life.  *GASP*  I'm sure you're shocked as hell to read that, eh?  I was that dude in the cartoon [except I'm not a dude].  There was a time when I thought adding a few veggies to my pizza was more than enough veggies for the day.  [Insert the barrel of laughs here.]  It might have been close considering I would consume an entire pizza by myself, right?  I mean, an entire pizza worth of veggies is a lot of veggies, but clearly eating the entire pizza wasn't the best choice.  I'm not alone in my "obese thinking".  My husband felt as though the fruit in fried fruit pies (those Little Debbie / Hostess types) counted as eating fruit for the day.  Yes, we were both adults when we thought this way.  [Sorry for throwing you under a very publicly viewed bus, Honey!]  So when I ran across this drawing, I had to laugh!  Slap some long brown hair on that person in the drawing, and all of a sudden you have THE OLD ME.  Anyone else finding yourself in the same boat?

The cartoon reminded me that many things have changed in my life over the past 10+ years.  Sometimes, I get in a funk about stuff & feel as though nothing has changed.  I feel as though I'm traveling the opposite direction even though I'm not.  Every now and then, I need a little reminder that lets me know everything is A-OK.  Something to tell me I'm still working hard, striving for better health, and doing the best I can do.  I honestly think feedback, whether negative or positive, plays a critical role in the weight management journey.  After trying on all of my summer clothes today, I'm happy to announce.....they still fit!  All of my old work & casual pants.....fit!  All of my sassy summer halter tops....fit!  Those adorable skorts & shorts.....fit!  My sand might be shifting in directions I don't like as I age, but the clothes I have cover that sand, and that's really all that matters.  Plus, I bought a size "smaller than normal" skirt at Goodwill the other day, and have never been so thankful for vanity sizing.  I picked it up and immediately knew it was not true to size by any means.  It looked like all of the skirts I have at home (as far as size goes), and none of them sport that particular size on the label.  However, it felt good to be able to buy it, put it on (without Spanx!), and not have to be flat on my back as I zipped it up! lol  [It's the little things in life that keep me motivated.] 

To give you an update on my weight, I'm still packing 3 extra pounds around that I really don't want, but I've decided I really don't care.  I'll continue to work on shedding it from my body, but I feel great despite what the scale tells me.  I'm more active than ever (quite literally).  I'm happy.  I'm more than a number on my scale.  Even better, I'm no longer the obese person in the cartoon shown above thinking the "cheese powder" sprinkled on my cheese crackers count as dairy. Come to think of it, I don't even eat those crackers anymore (they contain gluten).  Things really have changed, and this journey keeps evolving before my eyes.  Amazing!

I would looooove to hear some major / healthier changes you've made in your life since starting your journey...so leave me a comment!  For those of us not so new to the topic, it's difficult to go back and think of the things we used to do in our "before" life.  All it took was a silly cartoon to get my mind working.  I hope it triggered something in your head as well.  :)