Current Weight: 202.8 - Total Lost: 47.2 lbs.

Last night I went for a walk with Samson.  Just to see what he would do, I started jogging.  He kept looking at me like he was saying, "Mommy, what is THIS?" except he kept crossing a bit in front of me where I kept stepping on his toes.  I don't know how long we were jogging together, but you know what I do know?  It was a helluva lot easier to jog than it was when I attempted the Couch 2 5K program a while ago.  Surely this means I may be a little more in shape than I was -- or perhaps losing close to 50 lbs has really made a difference in the lightness of my step... either way, I feel like something has changed for the better.  And that makes me happy.

I decided to put together some before and after pictures at this point.  The before pictures were taken in January and the new pictures were taken today (except for the face pic which was on Labor Day).

Three more pounds and here I come, ONEderland!  And this is for next summer:

Current Weight: 203.8 - Total Lost: 46.2 lbs.

Scale finally moved after two weeks.  Not by much, but I'm not complaining!

Starting to get really excited about going to Ireland next week.  Only 8 days away!  Speaking of countdowns (or countups), today marks 90 days since my gastric sleeve surgery.

We'll be doing a LOT of walking around Dublin city center, and on several day trips we're planning, so I am looking forward to coming back to some weight loss!

Got some great used clothes in the mail last week - and brought a TON of clothes to the consignment shop this weekend, too.  My closet gets happier and happier.

I think I'm going to be in between sizes for a while -- as in, in between a 12 and 14.  Some of my 14s are getting baggy in the bum, but I can't squeeze into 12s (no where near).

Current Weight: 204.2 - Total Lost: 45.8 lbs.

Gah!  I'm so close to the 100s and have been hovering between 204.2 and 205 for over a week now.  I know why though.  I have been eating stuff I used to eat -- boneless honey bbq chicken wings with ranch dressing, a few french fries one day, even drinking white chocolate mochas from starbucks.

So I really need to take a step backwards and refocus on my main goals each day: 80-100g of protein and 64+ oz of fluids.

In the mean time, my go-to jeans and work pants are starting to get a teeny bit baggy.  My new favorite jeans are a pair of size 15 sweetheart Old Navy boot cut in a dark wash.  They make me feel so good, but after most of the day has passed, they stretch a bit and then I'm pulling them up after I get up (I need to wear a belt from now on).

This is a good problem to have, I know, but it kind of stinks to be in between sizes because 12s will certainly be too tight on me and some 14s will soon be just a bit too baggy to look right.

Luckily, I do have a pair of size 12 jeans and a couple of 14s that still don't fit me yet.  I also put in a big order to www.thredup.com -- an online thrift store -- and have 9 new tops (mainly for work) coming.  I can't wait to get that box!  I have an awesome BCBGMAXAZRIA cardigan -- retail was $198 but I paid just under $40:

I also got another cardigan -- from Dress Barn I think, for $4.99 on ThredUp.  I LOVE the detail at the shoulders and it is a great neutral color.  LOVE LOVE LOVE

One of the other pieces I got was from a company I had never heard of - C & C California, known for their casual clothing -- I absolutely LOVE the color and style of this top and picture wearing it with some black leggings.  Retail $88, paid $20.49:

And here's a Banana Republic cardigan that retails for $60 I got for $15.99.  It has ribbing which is so much more interesting than plain!

So, I did some shopping.  Packing for Ireland should be pretty easy.  Packing for trips -- even short weekend ones to Virginia were so depressing.  I usually had just one pair of jeans that I wore over and over and I hated all of my clothes.  Now I have so many things to pick from that are cute and FIT great and I feel so much better in my skin now -- that sure makes a huge difference!