How My Healthy Lifestyle Helps me Stress Less During the Holidays

It’s about that time, the time when I must decide what I’m going to wear to weekend Christmas celebrations! It’s not a big deal to many people, but for me it is. I used to dread this time of year, but now it’s fun! Why? Well, for starters I don’t stress about what I am going to wear like I used to years ago when I still carried more than 160 pounds of excess weight – I am so done with that.
It’s pretty sad to know that each year I would intensely agonize about what to wear during the holidays, or any other extra special occasion for that matter. It felt like a major task to find nice clothing to fit my “morbidly obese” self. Year after year I’d find myself crying as I stared into my closet knowing I looked absolutely huge in every clothing item I owned. Of course I would want something new, but the thought of having to go shopping for a size 24 outfit was just dreadful! My solution was often a dark colored dress without a defined waistline. The dress that you see in the photo was my favorite because it hid all my excess weight, or so I thought anyways. I did my best to hide. I would think, “cover it up and it isn’t there.” Wow.
As I stare at the above photo today, I can still recall what I was thinking when this picture was taken – “Oh joy, I’m the fat one again this year.” My grandfather is actually sitting next to me at the time the photo was taken, the one person who always told me I would always be fat. Each year I told myself: “I’ll show him! I will lose weight in the upcoming New Year and become thin like all his other grandchildren. I wonder what he’ll say about that?”
But I never did. I felt shame that day. He was correct, I would always be fat. I hated that.
But I stopped believing his words on January 22, 2001, nine years after he passed away. No more being the fat one! I knew that I wanted to change, and I believed that I could change, that I WOULD CHANGE! My new, healthy lifestyle certainly took care of that!
Today when I stare into my closet to look for that special, festive outfit for the Christmas weekend, I won’t by crying; no, I’ll be smiling as I pick out ANYTHING in my closet knowing that it fits. If I’m in the mood to wear something brand new, I know I can shop for a size-6 dress and not worry if it will fit me or not. The biggest problem I have now is deciding which one to buy!
It is a problem I never thought I would have, but I’m sure delighted I do! Who would have ever thought that WALKING would ultimately create so much joy in my life for something as simple as wondering what to wear to a few Christmas celebrations? “Tis’ The Season to be Jolly!” fa la la la la la la la laaa!
You are really roll model for lots of people like me who want to loose weight. I am still not believe that in sixteen months of time you loose 161 lbs. hats off.
You are really roll model for lots of people like me who want to loose weight. I am still not believe that in sixteen months of time you loose 161 lbs. hats off.
This is really amazing!