If it weren't for my sister, I don't think the changes in my life would have been possible. She has been there every single step of the way and has made some pretty incredible changes in her life, too. That girl is seriously freaking drop-dead gorgeous and kicks some ass in the healthy lifestyle category. I mean, she didn't fall far from the tree in that she had some "battles" to fight, but she fought them and seriously took no prisoners. I look at her and I'm constantly in awe. She encouraged me and believed in me before I knew I could even do it. When that switch flipped, she pulled me forward and kept me going. We shared in triumphs and tribulations together all along the way and right now we're settling in to our lives and trying to figure out how to maintain it and feel great day in and day out. Now she continues to push me and encourage me in that really freaking frustrating "maintenance" game. Again, we're birds of a feather and we enjoy partaking in some of life's pleasures together (ice cream, beer, and pizza... oh... and burgers and fries), but we also have been seen doing a turkey trot over a family Thanksgiving in Malibu, jogs around Kansas, killer cardio/bootcamp classes in NYC, and even a couple trips to a resort gym in Vegas on a trip before she got married. So yeah... shit's changed... a lot. She has truly been a HUGE reason for me maintaining the changes I've made, and I'd like to think that I've been able to support her through this as well. The funny thing about me starting to lose the weight, is that I knew she and her beau were going to be getting married sooner or later and the thing that totally got me started was that I wanted her to be able to have a bridesmaid dress that she loved... not one that she had to get because it came in my size. I was completely terrified of being the big ol' big sis and so that got me started on step one. I even remember telling Leah when I first got down to a size 14 (from 26), that she would indeed be able to pick any dress she wanted. She has GORGEOUS friends, and I didn't want to stick out like a sore thumb... so I did it. I kept going a little ways and ultimately, my sister got to pick whatever she wanted for us to wear and I felt good. It was an incredible day and I definitely had a great time (ah hem... a REALLY great time... maybe? too great?... nah.) But most of all it made me so proud that I was able to stand up with my sister, feeling good about myself, supporting her and her husband in the way that I knew I wanted. She deserves it all and I know it probably wouldn't have mattered to her if I was a size 6 or 26, but given the road we've traveled together in the past couple years, it made it that much more special for me to be in that moment with her and I believe it's made us even more connected than we were before (if that's possible). It made me feel great that I was able to help her feel good on her big day in a way that I don't think I would have been able to do prior to me becoming aware of how I was totally mutilating my body from the inside out. We share recipes, talk about workouts, and convince each other to go to the gym (simply by knowing the other is going is reason enough). We've been lucky enough to never feel threatened or competitive with one another and I believe that's helped us get so close and STAY close. We thrive in each other's successes and I've only felt excitement about her accomplishments. So when I sat and looked at how FREAKING UNBELIEVABLY BEAUTIFUL she looked in her wedding pics she just got back, it made me SO HAPPY to see her so happy. And even though I'm the big sister... I know she was proud of me too, and that made me feel on top of the world on her special day.
Today's belly-fillers were:
Breakfast: sweet potato hash leftovers with two poached eggs
Lunch: Spinach salad with shrimp, grapefruit
Snack: Apple
Dinner: Pork Chop with roasted spiced carrots and brussel sprouts
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