Non-Scale Victory

I have been the model Weight Watcher this week. More motivated than ever to reach my 40 lb. weight loss goal by my 40th birthday (which, by the way is exactly one month from today), I religiously went to the gym every day this past week, except for Sunday, which I spent fishing for 7 hours with my son. And honestly, since he kept wanting to check to see if his bait was still on the hook every 5 minutes, the amount of time I spent re-casting for him probably ended up being a pretty good workout.

So you can only imagine my frustration when stepping on the scale this morning only to find I had not lost one single ounce. Not one!

I thought back to Tuesday's Weight Watchers meeting when Norma, our group leader, discussed our topic of the week: NSVs. NSVs are Non-Scale Victories, which Weight Watchers says show you're living more healthfully. "They're momentum-savers when the numbers on the scale stall," the cover of this week's hand-out says.

I had certainly stalled, so I decided to take matters into my own hands today and enjoy my own NSV. It started with a call from work to my 10-year-old son, Will.

Me: "Will, after work I want to go to the mall and buy a new pair of jeans. Will you come with me and take photos for my blog?"

Will: "Awww."

Me: "Oh, come on, I'll get you a treat."

Will: "What kind?"

Me: "A pretzel and/or a Mrs. Fields cookie."

Will: "AND or OR?" (Clearly, "or" was going to be a deal-breaker!)

Me: "Okay, fine, you can have a pretzel AND a cookie."

So after I got off work, Will and I went to Sun Valley Mall in Concord to go to The Gap (and Wetzel's Pretzels and Mrs. Fields Cookies) to find mamma a new pair of jeans.

Since I began my diet at the end of February, I hadn't purchased any new clothes. The jeans I have been wearing are my Size 14 Gap "Boyfriend" jeans (they boast a roomier thigh, which tends to work best for me). When I wear them now, I have to cinch my belt so tight that I have a "ruffle" waist when I'm finished. Up until now, I hadn't wanted to spend the money on new jeans, knowing I'd be losing even more weight.

But, I needed a NSV, and my baggy jeans were becoming a bit embarrasing.

I wasn't quite sure what my new size would be. Realistically, I thought perhaps at best I would be a Size 10 now. But, just in case, I loaded up my arms with Size 12's and Size 10's, and I threw in one Size 8, just in case. I stuck with the Boyfriend Jean style (but in a capri length), my standby, but also tried the "Curvy" fit and "Easy Straight" style, which features a low rise, easy in the hip and thigh, straight leg opening, and stretch materials (the signage said it was just a tiny bit slimmer cut than the Boyfriend Jean, so I grabbed a Size 10 in those).

Photo Credit: Will Whitty

I also grabbed a few skirts and t-shirts to try on along with the denim. And Will and I headed into the wheelchair accessible dressing room, which would be of ample size to fit us both and provide room for Will to take photos. He knew the rule, though: "No underwear shots!" And while they are not in the camera, I'm certain the images of me changing will surely remain ingrained in his head and will torture him for life.

Will knew to stop taking pictures when I was in the process of changing,

so he turned the camera on himself. He does look somewhat disturbed by our outing,

but with a pretzel and a cookie, he did get a pretty sweet deal!

My fitting room strategy is to always try on the largest size first, so I can be pleasantly surprised if something  doesn't fit, and then can move down a size. But for some reason, I couldnt't find the Size 12 capri style Boyfriend Jeans, so I tried on the 10. Surprisingly, they pulled up pretty quickly, not getting stuck on those "Casey Thighs" I have been cursed with. In fact, they buttoned just fine and were somewhat roomy in the thighs. When I got them in final position, one thing was clear: the waist was WAY too big.

Size 10 Boyfriend Jeans...too big in the waist.

So, I rumaged through the pile of denim on the changing room bench and found the only Size 8 pair of denim capris in the group. I tried them on...and, drumroll please....THEY FIT! Holy cow (well, Skinny Cow), I never, ever would have thought I would have lost three pant sizes by now! Woo hoo, talk about a non-scale victory!

The Size 8 Boyfriend Jeans.

Those were definitely a keeper! I tossed them in the "to buy" pile. Then I got a little greedy and tried on the denim Size 10 mini skirt with the frayed edge. They were cute, but I somehow didn't feel quite ready for a mini-skirt. But, I asked the 10-year-old to confirm (or deny) my suspicions.

The aforementioned denim mini.

Me: "Will, do you think I'm ready yet for a skirt like this?

Will: "Do you want me to tell you the truth?"

Me: "Yes"

Will: "Not quite...but almost."

Gotta love that kid. And with that, the denim mini was discarded in the reject pile.

Changing Break.

I tried on a sampling of t-shirts, most of which I bought (in a size MEDIUM, not that ghastly XL that had been overtaking my closet!), and then tried on the Size 10 Easy Straight jeans with the Destructed Finish. Keep in mind, the Easy Straight Style is slightly slimmer than the Boyfriend jeans, so I felt okay with going a size up in these. They fit GREAT and the stretchy material is super comfortable. 

A medium pocket tee and Easy Stretch Size 10 Jeans: LOVE these!

Seriously, this was a no brainer. I LOVE these jeans. They went into the  "must-have" pile. I gathered up the two pairs of jeans, five t-shirts, and grabbed a super cute tote and sandals on the way out. After all, all sale items were an additional 25% off; how could I resist?!

And with that, Will and I hit the checkstand and were soon on our way to Mrs. Fields Cookies. They had a deal: buy four cookies and get one free. So, we got five to be shared by Will, Daddy, and Piper.

I got a Diet Coke.

But, more importantly, I got a No-Scale Victory that is going to keep me motivated, even though the scale stalled for me this week. My hope is that I will have a "Scale" Victory to report next week because I don't think we can afford for me not to.

Until Next Week,

Jen