Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Weight loss is contagious!

I've been talking with my sister a lot on the phone recently. Our family is getting together for Thanksgiving, so there are some culinary logistics to work out. I thought ahead and bought lots of local New Jersey sweet corn this fall, cooked and cut it off the cob and froze it to take to New York with me. I made applesauce, too, using my grandmother's recipe. (You leave the skins of the apples on when you cook them, so the applesauce has a nice rosy pink color. I use half Macs and half Cortlands.) My parents are making our family's favorite, a broccoli and bleu cheese casserole... it wouldn't be a holiday without it!

Add all that to the usual menu -- turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, glazed carrots, etc. -- and this is going to be one groaning table. But, you know what?! I am DETERMINED that I will NOT be groaning! I can't even say that bounty like this tempts me to overeat. This is partly because I just don't have the capacity anymore, after losing 30 pounds and three sizes. But, strangely, I find myself overwhelmed by an overabundance of food now, and it makes me eat less. It's like grocery shopping... one whole AISLE of cereal??? My eyes glaze over.

But what I'm really looking forward to is seeing my sister. It's been about four months and in that time, she's been working at losing weight. I was dumbfounded when she told me she's already lost 36 pounds! She was talking about how it doesn't make sense to run out and buy all new clothes when you're still heading downward. A light went on in my head! I ran to my closet and began pulling out all sorts of shirts and pants, chinos and jeans mostly, in the sizes I'd gone down through. I washed and ironed everything -- eight pairs of pants in all. I can't wait to give them to her! Oh, and a beautiful black dress with a scalloped hem trimmed in a red floral pattern. Sigh. I loved that dress.

I know you're supposed to empty your closet and get rid of the large sizes, so you're not tempted to go back there. But I just couldn't stand the waste! I'm way too frugal. I'm so glad these clothes will have another life. And I'm SURE it won't be long before my sister's handing them off to someone else. I am so proud of her!

5 comments:

  1. Thanksgiving doesn't do much for me either. Considering I eat turkey 5 times a week now, it's kind of lost its luster. Chicken parmigiana? Now that's holiday fare! :)

    Happy holidays and safe travels!

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  2. Hey, I just did the same thing for my sister after learning that she, like me, has been dropping dress sizes for months. I had to pack my stuff up and mail it to her though, since, alas, we'll remain a couple thousand miles apart even over the holidays.

    Having beaten back nearly 70 pounds, I'd already donated or discarded a bunch of loose clothes, but there were just those few pieces I wanted to find the perfect home for. Turns out that all of it fits her to a tee -- at least for the time being.

    The really great thing is that now, even with a couple of sizes left to lose, I don't mind buying a few nice things to shrink out of since I've got somebody special to pass them on to!

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  3. Linda, 70 pounds! Great job! How did you do it? Any plan in particular, or on your own? I'm eager to see if the fever spreads in my family. In fact, it already has. My niece started with Weight Watchers and she's about 5 pounds from goal and life membership. She's wearing 8s! Another niece has lost 15 post-baby pounds. It's fun to swap stories (and clothes)!

    Cammie, you should join my husband's family. Italian fare is their norm!

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  4. That is very neat about you sharing the clothes with your sister. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

    I envy all of you...New Jersey, New York ... so pretty in the fall. :) Of course, we've seen beautiful weather here in Oklahoma also, but our colors only change for a few weeks and then then fall quickly. I enjoy them while I can.

    I really enjoy reading all the success stories you post.

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  5. (Belated) thanks for the compliment, Nancy. Yes, I'm very excited about my dieting success this year. The key for me has been using a low-carb approach to control my appetite. I stick mainly to whole foods, but I do use artificial sweeteners so I can treat myself to desserts.

    Each day, I try to eat in a way that I feel I can carry on for a lifetime. In other words, I don't deprive myself too much. Just leaving off and making substitutions for carby flour and sugar saves tons of calories that I really don't miss.

    I stay inspired and encouraged by reading reading reading a big variety of the diet and healthy-living websites that are out here, such as this terrific blog.

    Congratulations to you and your sister and your neices on your own great successes and thanks for sharing it with all of us looking to get and stay inspired.

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