this PHOTO

I love this photo. I love Sophia Loren! Maybe I'll watch one of her movies this weekend. The only one I ever honestly remember watching is "Grumpy Old Men." But this photo.. THIS PHOTO!! What is shocking is that *my own body* resembles that of the woman in this photo! My friend posted this picture on FaceBook with some quote attributed to Sophia Loren, which everyone on the interwebs refuted. But honestly, this photo needs no quote attached. Just look at this woman - bellissima!!

So this hasn't been the best week, re-entry to the real world after the EuroTrip has been HARD. I am happy to say that... work is actually better. A nice long vacation certainly helps you appreciate that the crap you deal with on a daily basis can provide you with stellar life experiences. So, there's that. But getting back into the crap you deal with on a daily basis? DIFFICULT. I went off the rails for two days - TWO WHOLE DAYS, DAMMIT. Totally wish I had this stress-eating thing licked, but I don't, and that's OK I'm back on the wagon and I'll just move on. I'm up 0.8 lbs according to WW scale. And, speaking of the scale...

I did not want to weigh in this morning. I really didn't. I went and I even TOLD the girl checking me in that I didn't want to, and she offered up the "no weigh-in" option to me. But I said 'nope, it's just a number.' And I stepped on the scale, it was up 0.8, I enjoyed the meeting and ran in to Target before work. And then I came and got to work. So that's what 'carrying on with the generally healthy life I've been living' looks like.

I've set a goal to be down 6 pounds by Halloween. Again, a number, and not that I'm focusing on it but it will give something to progress toward. No worries if I don't hit it. I can't believe it is FALL, already.

Happy Friday, friends.

Significant (post EuroTrip)

I have just returned from an incredible EuroTrip that started off with a week in Paris, a day trip touring the champagne town of Reims, a train ride to Milan, a few days on Lake Como, an excursion to Parma-Reggio-Modena, a few days in Umbria including a visit to the city of Assisi (as in, St. Francis thereof) and then 2 days in Rome. I was with friends, I met up with old friends, boyfriend and I had a spectacular few days of just the two of us driving around Italy and I got to visit my favorite place in the world once more. It was a magical, magical trip.

There are millions of great photos from that trip. The one I’m posting here is not one of them – however, it may be the best photo of my weight loss journey. My whole goal before the trip started was to lose enough weight to look good in the pictures. You can see my backside in this one… and for the first time ever, I don’t hate how I look. I think I look great, and like a NORMAL HUMAN BEING. And in most of the other photos taken on this trip, I really love how I look. It has taken such a long time for me to do the work and GET THERE, and also to get where my head is in this space of being positive about my appearance.

There is a story behind the jeans I am wearing in this photo. They are called “The Dreamer” by the manufacturer; it is sewn on the inside of the waistband. I have kept them high up on a shelf in my closet for a very long time. Every once in a while I’d pull them down and try them on thinking ‘Maybe this time?’ but I was always met with too much resistance to zip them up. I’d quickly fold them back up and think they were appropriately named, as I was just DREAMING I would fit into them. Well, before the trip as I was looking for the clothes I wanted to take, I went through that same routine of pulling them down off the shelf ‘just to see.’ And this time… they zipped up, and they fit perfectly! They were the best fitting pair of jeans I owned, so they went on the trip with me and they are the ones I was wearing in this photo. I turned my dream into a reality!

One other thing that is significant – being away and completely off any routine for almost three weeks, not tracking and not making 100% good choices, I returned to reality only one pound heavier than when I left (according to my bathroom scale this morning). I do feel a bit “puffy” not having done weights for so long but I’m excited about heading to the gym after work to rectify that situation. I give myself credit for making *pretty good* choices the whole time I was gone and I also got a lot of activity walking for hours each day. I’m super happy that I can go away and have a great time and basically maintain my weight – that is a FEAT and GO, ME!!