Discouragement and Skinny Jeans

Yesterday, my family and I participated in one of our favorite holiday events. Every year, for the past twelve years, my cousin and his wife and their two sons have hosted a gingerbread party. My cousin is a superb baker, and he's made everything from houses to cathedrals, to treasure boxes to mailboxes out of gingerbread. My family's been going since 2005, after Joey was born. I'm looking forward to the day my brother and his wife reproduce so he can come, too.

Anyway, the table, as always, was decked out in festive Christmas colors, and resplendent with candy of every type imaginable. I stuck to the living room and kept away from the candy. When it was time to decorate the gingerbread, my husband took the girls in and helped them out. I stuck to the couch, with lots of bottles of water, and my aunts and cousins coming and going.

After the decorating, the pizza got there. Ack! There were half a dozen steaming hot, yummy smelling pizzas. I was expecting this, of course, as this is part of the tradition. But, man, the smell about knocked me off my feet. But, I had, as you know, just lost 10 pounds. And here's the thing, on HCG if you cheat a little, it shows up immediately, and in a big way.

For example, the day before the gingerbread party, I'd done a little experiment, involving prepacked roast beef, instead of measuring and cooking my own. I was up .6 on the scale the next morning.

I told my cousin, "You couldn't pay me to eat a slice of pizza right now." And it was true. But they sure did smell good. I'm looking forward to eating pizza again in Phase IV.

So, I made it through the gingerbread party unscathed. I didn't cheat at ALL. I couldn't be prouder of myself.

When I got up this morning, I was excited to get on the scale. The excitement faded, though, as I saw that all I lost today is the .6 that I gained yesterday. Sigh.

For what it's worth, I'm glad that my scale also measures fat percentage and water percentage, because I am so retaining water. Thanks, again, Eve.

To say I've been in a bad mood today is an understatement. Between it being my "Time Of Month", and retaining water so the scale shows no progress, along with the memory of the pizza I didn't eat yesterday and the fact that both my daughters have gingerbread mailboxes stuffed with all kinds of candy in my dining room, not to mention that it just feels like everyone is out to get me today, I am ready to chop heads. Or pull out the shotgun.

We're pulling the Christmas stuff out of the basement and my skinny jeans came up with them. This was by my request, because I figure I'll need them soon(er or later). Because I figured nothing could make me feel any worse today, I decided to go try them on. Let's see how much further we have to go before I can fit in my clothes again, shall we?

I brought my computer into the bathroom with me for moral support. Instant messaging is so awesome, by the way. So, I took off my pants. Which are maternity pants, in case you were wondering. Good, stretchy ones. And I pulled on my favorite skinny jeans.

The last time I tried these stupid jeans on, I couldn't get them up past my thighs. Today, they sailed past my thighs, right up over my butt!

I can't button them yet, but this is leaps and bounds ahead of where I was just a week ago!

I was so excited, I called the friend I was chatting with on Skype, so she could see my ass in my skinny jeans. I'm pretty sure I said, "LOOK AT MY ASS!" which is a sentence I may have never uttered before in my entire life.

She was sufficiently impressed and congratulatory. When I showed my husband, he said "Cool." That's why I involved a third party, in the first place. I counted on that.

So, yay!! I'm well on my way to buttoning my skinny jeans! I've lost ten pounds in a week! I only have 20 more to go! I'm almost half way there! IN A WEEK!

I'm not feeling quite so crabby any more. ;-)