Just the Boost I Needed

So I think I mentioned this before. Probably a couple times (I didn't go back to look). I am on a weight loss journey. It started January of 2012 after getting an unexpected glimpse of myself in the mirror. Not that I hadn't seen myself in the mirror before. I own mirrors. Several of them, in fact. But this time, I SAW myself. Do you know what I mean? It was like one of those "AHA! Moments". I thought "Oh my god. Is that what I really look like? All blobby and fat? Ew! How the heck did I let THAT happen? No, I didn't LET it happen, I DID it." I realized I weighed 100 pounds more than I did in college. So I decided to UN-do it. It's been a long and slow journey so far. I haven't been the ideal dieter. I start each and every day with great determination, and most days I do OK. Not great, but OK. Ii cheat - a LOT. It's been 18 months, and so far I have lost 30 lbs. I started in a pant size 20. Last year, I got into an 18. This spring I got into a 16. My weight loss has been stalled for a while. The scale goes down, and then back up again, always within 5 pounds. I am jogging, which is something I never thought I'd be able to do. I still walk while jogging, taking a break every mile or so. I am doing some minor weight training at home. So I suppose my stall could be a period of muscle growth. I can't find my measuring tape so I don't know if I have been losing inches. So I decided to test something. I went to the store and found a pair of 14's, in the same brand and same style and the 16's I am wearing. They are starting to feel loose and I wanted to see how far I still had to go before the next size would fit. When I tried them on, I expected to be able to pull them up, but no button them. I was wrong. Not only did they pull up, they zipped and buttoned without any drama or stomach sucking. I could breathe with them buttoned. They FIT!! My eyes popped out, my jaw dropped and I did a happy dance right there in the dressing room - which my daughter got quite a kick out of. In high school and college I always wore a 10/12. After having my son (who is now 15) I started wearing 16's, and the sizes crept up little by little from then on. So having size 14 jeans fit like a glove made me ecstatic. When I went home, I went through my pile of "someday" jeans (jeans I have kept even though they are too small, because I WILL fit into them.....someday). I had tried them all on last month and I was sorely disappointed to find, then, that none fit. But last night was a different story. I found 1 pair of jeans and 1 pair of shorts that fit perfectly, and 4 pairs that will fit very soon. Anyone who has ever tried to lose weight knows how frustrating it can be to stall or plateau. But this was just the boost I needed to keep me going. The scale may not reflect a difference yet, but my body IS changing.