Letting Go - Part 2

I made another trip to the Goodwill yesterday, this time to donate instead of to shop. It was time to get rid of all of the size 14 and 16 pants along with the XL shirts. For the record, I kept a couple of the T-shirts as workout shirts. I also kept some of the dressy shirts because for some reason they tend to run a bit small and aren't as stretchy as T-shirts. It was still a weird feeling getting rid of my shirts because I've been an XL for so long. Now I wear a size L in shirts and a size 12 in pants. Still, I automatically look for XL when I'm shopping for shirts. I need to retrain my brain, "I'm only a Large now, I'm only a Large now." (eye roll)

Despite this success, I'm feeling a little ambivalent because I've hit a plateau. My body is fluctuating between 168 and 170 and it feels very comfortable there, plus I'm retaining water as the weather heats up. I knew it would happen sooner or later despite my best efforts to prevent it. Last time I was losing weight and hit a plateau I got so discouraged that I gave up. I ended up gaining the weight back. Although I'm disappointed, this time around I'm determined not to get discouraged and give up:

• Like empty-nesters who downsize their house so the kids can't move back in, I've given away the larger size clothes so I can't grow back into them.

• Everyday I remind myself of the 40lbs that I've lost and don't want to gain back. 

• It's time to step up my exercise plan: instead of walking the entire 5 miles, I've decided to jog part of the way. I also signed up for a 5k in July - maybe I'll actually run.

Disappointment and setbacks are a part of life. The biggest lesson that I'm learning is that nothing is permanent. Onward and downward.