I was just reading this article by Tim Gunn and it made a lot of sense to me. It was about what he calls "vanity sizing". The article was in response to a comment made by Kirstie Alley who has been publicly battling her weight for quite a while. Recently due to her time on DWTS, she lost a lot of weight and announced that she's wearing a size 4. Timmy initially told me about that comment. He didn't believe it. He did not believe that she was a size 4. She looked good but she wasn't that small. So, Tim Gunn responded saying a very similar thing - Kirstie looks great. She's lost lots of weight but she is not a size 4. That's when he talked about vanity sizing. He did a little experiment where he took size 8 dresses from 1980, 1990, and 2000 and compared them. The difference between them was 2.5 inches in the waste.

That's a huge difference!

I'm been doing a bit of shopping the last few weeks. I'm not going crazy. I still refuse to do my big shopping until I reach my goal weight. However, I also refuse to buy all my new clothes at full price, so I've been buying summer shirts at clearance prices :) What I've noticed is that it depends on the brand and the store whether I wear a small, medium, or a large. Really? Now, I know that fabric and cut make a difference but I'm also drawn to similar types of clothes so I am not entirely sure why this was the case.

I especially noticed it with the Sonoma brand at Kohl's. I love Sonoma. It's casual but nice. It's comfortable, but not shorts and a tshirt comfortable. All my new Sonoma shirts are a small. Their medium looks huge on me. (One of my shirts is actually a petite small.) Do I like buying smalls? Of course! Do I actually believe I'm a small? Not really. Then yesterday while filing through the clearance racks, I found a pair of pants for $3.20, a Sonoma size 8. I decided for three bucks I would try it on and they were huge. They would fit me for a couple of weeks with a belt and then I wouldn't be able to wear them again. Is Sonoma telling me to go to size 6?! Because that's definitely not right!!

So, Tim Gunn must be right - vanity sizing. Sonoma knows their clients. They know how to make their clients feel great and how to make money off of it. "What? I'm a small shirt. This is so much fun! Let me buy more."

Sometimes I wish women's shopping was similar to men's. Measurements. They are great. They don't change. But then I remember Timmy complaining about his 34 pants aren't always 34 inches. It annoys the crap out of him - 34 inches is 34 inches. Grab some measuring tape!

Anyway. Nothing huge and profound. Just something that helped make sense of something I've been thinking about it. Maybe I'll try to post something soon about something important :)

This past Sunday, the 11am service reached 346 people. We only have 240 chairs. I wasn't there but I heard it was standing room only and there were people standing in the lobby as well. Crazy. What's really crazy to me is that there were 346 at the 11am service and the first weekend of July there were 377 at all three services combined. That's September for you. Insane. Good time for a second campus to start :)

I did this fun little thing this week that no one really knew I was doing. I'm in this fantastic awkward phase where my clothes don't really fit because I've lost so much weight. However, because I'm not at my goal weight yet, I refuse to buy new clothes. Instead, I went digging through my drawers wondering what I could wear. What I found was a bunch of clothes I haven't worn in forever.

So, a week ago Saturday, I wore this outfit that included a pair of brown capris and green shirt that I haven't worn in two years. Boy, was it the outfit to wear if I was looking for compliments! So many people commented on my weight loss. It was probably because I'm always wearing jeans and t-shirt and that day I went to church wearing real clothes. It was so much fun. When Tuesday came around and I was looking to get dressed for work, I decided to wear something I haven't worn in two years and I thought it would be fun if I did that everyday this week. And I did and it was lots of fun. In a way, it's like I have this new wardrobe without having to buy new clothes.

In May I put a plan in place: to get healthy and to lose the weight that's been both physically and emotionally bogging me down. So my long term goal was to lose 25-30 lbs by the end of 2011. I broke that plan down into two phases. Phase One was the summer: June, July, and August. The goal was 3-5 lbs per month with an end goal of 10-15lbs. I would use a Slimfast diet for the three months and exercise regularly. Phase Two would be to finish off the remainder of the 25-30 lbs and go back to all regular foods.

I am very proud to say that Phase One is complete. Not only did I make it through Phase One but it was a huge success. During these three summer months, I have lost a total of 18 lbs. I feel great. I look good. I'm proud of myself and I'm hopeful that weight doesn't have to control me.

Some fun highlights of the last three months:

1 - that first weigh in where I learned that I lost 9 lbs the first month - I'm doing it!

2 - when I first ran on the treadmill for 20 minutes for two days in a row, which meant it wasn't a one time fluke - I'm becoming a runner!

3 - when I found a pair of pants that had been missing for two months. When I put them on, I realized just how much my body was changing - it was awesome!

4 - when Timmy walked into the room while I was changing and his eyes twinkled a little differently - he likes the changes he's seeing!

5 - when I realized that I have tightened my belt loop to the last possible opening - new belt soon!

6 - when I wore Timmy's "wifebeater" to the park. I won't lie - I looked hot!

7 - when on my way from the park, Timmy dropped me off a mile from the house, so that I could run home. Even though, I wanted to die, I made it!

8 - when I comfortably wore a pair of jeans that have been sitting in storage for a year - woo hoo!

9 - when I ran my first 10 minute mile. man it hurt the next day, but it was totally worth it!

It's been a lot of work and it's been very all consuming. But it's totally worth it. I really do feel great. I can sprint Jessie up the stairs and I don't huff and puff. When I wake up the morning and first walk down the stairs, my knees don't hurt. I feel confident working out at the gym in front of guys. I'm starting to feel sexy again.

Phase Two started yesterday. I have four months to lose the last 12 lbs because I have decided that I want to lose the 30 and not the just the 25. Even though, I have until the end of the year, I would like to work toward losing my weight before Thanksgiving. I think it's going to be hard enough to not gain weight with the holidays much less to try to lose weight. I'm also back to regular foods. I'll probably still drink Slimfast on occasion but I know it's important to eat real food and I've missed it.

This fall I especially want to focus on my core. That's where most of my weight lingers. That's where I feel most self-conscious. That's where extra weight is most dangerous. I'll let you know how it goes.