Non-Scale Victories Linkup - June 13, 2013

So many of our victories come not from the scale but in every day things that we do to be healthy; it's time to share those Non-Scale Victories!

I really feel like I have some good ones this week.

First off, one of my really great friends surprised me with this awesome necklace after I ran my first 5K on June 1st.  It really touched me and it means so much:

This is from The Run Home - check out the artist's website!

This next victory is huge for me workout-wise:  Saturday, I went out to run and I ran FIVE miles...no stopping...no walking...just 5 glorious miles.  I say, "glorious", because I felt amazing, no sore joints, my breathing was perfect, the weather was wonderful with the perfect temps, and it was great!!  I have never done that before.  It was almost like I needed to redeem myself from my "performance anxiety" at the 5K...and I guess I definitely redeemed myself!  Still as slow as a turtle but I don't care!

Bam!

Another thing I feel is a noteworthy victory is more of a great find...I finally tried powdered peanut butter. I couldn't get any PB2 around here, but Hubs found Betty Lou's Just Great Stuff Organic Powdered PB at Wegmans and I am SO pleasantly surprised at how good it is!  Yay!  It tastes really good, just like PB and with a hint of sweetness which I guess comes from the coconut sugar.   "Coconut sugar is produced from the sap of the coconut palm flower and does not taste like coconut. This 100% organic, sustainably harvested natural sweetener has a lower glycemic index that cane sugar and contains essential vitamins and minerals."  All I know is that I can now NOT feel guilty when I want to have 3T of PB (only 45 calories for 2T!!).  I've heard PB2 is also really great so I'm here to tell you that they are worth trying if you're looking to cut some nut butter calories.







Okay, so finally, I know that this linkup is NOT about the scale, but I've gotten to the point where I'm only weighing once a month and I have some noteworthy details about this specific weigh-in.  Hubs and I celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary this past Monday.  I don't have the greatest memory about some things but I do remember how much I weighed when I got married...probably because I remember that when I returned from my 10-day honeymoon, I had gained 10lbs.  And for the next 16 years, I never looked back...the scale just climbed and climbed and I gained a total of 74lbs in those years.  Four years ago I joined Weight Watchers and lost 37lbs, but when I quit WW, I gained 27 of it back.  Finally, two years ago I began my TRUE healthy journey and this past Saturday, I weighed.  And I'm SO excited to say that I am back to my wedding weight...exactly.  This of course, was the perfect opportunity to try on my wedding dress.  I was shocked:  my dress was big.  Wait, wha????????  Yup.  I had to wear this crazy-ass sucker-inner thingy on my actual wedding day and on Saturday when I put my dress on, it was loose.  Isn't that insane??  My body, at the same weight, is NOT the same body I had 18 years ago.  It has got to be from the strength training I'm doing?  I can't explain it but maybe it's because I'm toning parts that weren't toned in my 24-year old body?  Anyway, it goes to show that that stupid EM EFFER the scale doesn't know what the hell it's talking about.

NOTE:  Please excuse the awful pictures, we had no money when we first got married and couldn't afford a professional photographer...I literally have ONE picture of Hubs and I on our wedding day that is somewhere in a box (I'm old, people, no digital photos back then...what I have here is courtesy of my wonderful Mother-in-law and a quick call to scan me some pics for this post from her photo albums - thanks, Mom!)



So the picture on the left is current - the pics on the right are from 2005 - Same weight / not the same look, eh?  Not sure why I'm making that face in both of these - my only guess is that my sucker-inner thingamabob was compressing my lungs so much that I'm gasping desperately for breath...

 

2013 - Where my Girls at??????



2013 - Not a great view (do you love my humidity hair??)
but I'm holding the dress up in the front.



Also, side note on this same victory:  I weigh less than my hubby now - yippppppeeeeeee!  Technically, I could be like one of those commercials where the girl runs down the beach into her honey's arms as he swings her around in circles...okay, okaaaay...I don't weigh THAT much less...yet.  But it's SOOO on.

Hope everyone had a great week, as well!