Haircut and Haul

There were a couple things that happened yesterday that really made me feel good about myself – and after this tough week (with my three-pound gain), they couldn’t have come at a better time.

1) Haircut.  I warned you all last week that I was gonna get a haircut, and I got one!  I had Heather, my hair stylist, take before and after pictures, so here’s the before:

And the after:

Lookin’ sharp, right?  I love it.  I’ve trusted Heather at Glendale Salon Spa with my hair for years now, and she’s never let me down.  When I went up to the front desk to pay, Renee (the manager and quite possibly the owner – not sure) looked up from what she was doing and blurted out “Oh my god, you are so hot!”  That was my cue to start blushing.

Every once in a while, I catch an unexpected glimpse of myself – usually, it’s a reflection in a window or mirror, where, for a split second, I don’t realize that it’s ME, and all I see is this thin figure and I wonder who the hell it is, and it catches me off totally off-guard.  Once I saw a shadowy figure in my bedroom and thought someone had broken into my house, and I was ready to bolt for the kitchen to grab a knife before it sunk in that the person that I saw was ME in a mirror.  I suppose, living in this body every single day, that I’ve gotten accustomed to my own point-of-view, and I completely love and appreciate those moments, scary as they might be, when I see myself, and this body that I’ve worked so hard to change, from a different perspective.

When I first looked at the above photos, on the little screen on my camera, I had one of those moments again.  I saw the before picture and thought, ‘Who is that in the background?  I don’t remember anyone else near us…  WHOA! That’s me, in the mirror!”  I zoomed in and looked again… at my long neck… the absence of additional chins… what appears to be pectoral muscles… and it felt really wonderful.

2) Produce Haul.  Nothing quite lifts my spirits like a stroll through a produce department.  And I was due yesterday for a little shopping trip.  After eating breakfast and lunch, I barely had any produce left in my house – just a single lonely tangerine, some alfalfa sprouts (originally bought for my kick-ass sandwich for five – see the recipe here), and a few remaining kumquats that came off my friend Robert’s tree:

Since I wasn’t in the mood to create a kumquat/alfalfa/tangerine recipe (note to the producers of “Chopped” on Food Network – that could be a challenge on your show!), it was time to go to the store.  Lucky for me, there’s a Whole Foods a few blocks away from my salon.  So I zipped over there after getting my hair did and ended up bringing home a nice big produce haul that I can’t wait to dig into:

There’s some glare from my flash – sorry about that!  Starting from the top right and going clockwise, we have:  pre-washed kale/chard salad mix, baby carrots, strawberries, blueberries, a red onion, 2 tomatoes, sliced mushrooms, black grapes, cherries, zucchini, santa rosa plums (they’re small and tasty), 3 peaches, 4 valencia oranges (I plan on juicing them), 3 nectarines, a green pepper, a cucumber, a bag of celery hearts, bananas, and a container of broccoli and cauliflower.

And, I saw another new-to-me stone fruit that I can’t wait to try, since the apriums I wrote about yesterday were so delicious.  Anyone know what these are?

They’re called mango nectarines.  I know nothing about them, except that they’re still pretty firm, so I’ll let them ripen a bit before digging in (and sharing the experience with you).

OH – one more picture to share.  The Glendale Whole Foods is right across the street from the Casual Male Big & Tall store that was one of 3 stores I could shop in when I was at my heaviest (subsequently, they got hundreds, possibly thousands, of my dollars over the years).  Well, the Casual Male used to be across the street.  I must not have been paying attention, because at some point in the recent past, the Casual Male and the gas station next door were demolished, and construction started on this building:

I don’t know what that building is, or will become, but I checked online, and the Casual Male moved about 10 blocks away.  Not seeing the Casual Male there reminded me of one of my all-time favorite blog posts – from last fall, when I said good-bye to shopping at big & tall stores FOREVER.  If you haven’t read my open letter to Casual Male, click here – it’s a good read that I’m quite proud of, and when you get to the picture of the store in my car mirror, know that I spent 10 minutes aligning myself in the parking lot, blocking traffic, to get that shot to line up.  I do it for you, blog readers!  NO.  That’s a lie.  I DO IT FOR ME.  Your enjoyment is an added bonus, and my knowing how much you enjoy it is the best added bonus of all.

Keep it up, David!

COMING UP:  There was another great moment yesterday that I want to share, but since I thought this post was getting a little long, I’m going to save it for next time.  It involves a major Los Angeles landmark (no, not Angel’s Flight)!

Mas Malo AND New Before/Current Photos!

Yesterday I headed downtown and met up with my friends Heather and John for lunch.  Heather came up in my blog two weeks ago, when we had a delicious (and noisy) dinner at Bottega Louie.  John was working and wasn’t available to join us then, but both Heather and John were free today (they work on a touring musical, so their work hours are mostly nights and weekends), so we headed to a place that I heard great things about (Heather and John had heard good things too): Mas Malo.

Malo is a popular Mexican restaurant and bar in Silver Lake (a neighborhood not too far from downtown Los Angeles) that’s really good, despite its name, which means ‘bad’ in Spanish.  Recently, the folks behind Malo opened a second restaurant downtown, which they cleverly called “Mas Malo” (More Bad).  It’s in a beautiful space that was originally a jewelry store that opened in the ’20s: high, ornate, carved ceilings, lots of rich wood panelling – I took a picture, but it didn’t turn out well, so you can check out the pics on their website.

Generally speaking, I’ve been staying away from Mexican food lately, because, compared to other cuisines, Mexican menus are difficult to order off of if you’re try to eat healthy, like I am.  Everything on them is so tempting, too!  What isn’t delicious when it’s wrapped in a tortilla and covered in cheese, sour cream, and guacamole?  But most good, trendy establishments in Los Angeles offer menu items geared towards the health-conscious, and Mas Malo was no exception.

I ordered their Grilled Local Fish Salad, and the fish today was Red Snapper.  The salad part was cabbage, spinach, tomato, and some avocado.  It was dressed in olive oil and lime juice, but I had them hold the oil off of mine.  How good does this look?

It tasted even better.  The fish was really flavorful.  Heather and John got chips and salsa, and the salsa they ordered (because Mas Malo has five different kinds) was Burnt Habanero and Creme, so I tried a few teaspoons of that with my fish, and it was amazing.  And spicy, which I don’t mind at all!  I could feel the residual heat in the back of my mouth a good half hour after finishing our meal.  I’d totally go back to Mas Malo – no doubt about it.

OH – And this is VERY exciting: I have a new  “Before” and “Current” photo comparison to share!  I meant to do this a few weeks ago, but forgot.  One of the “Before” pictures that I’ve been using throughout this whole weight loss shebang is this one:

It’s a classic “Before” picture:  I look huge (which I was), and it’s also wonderfully unflattering, even for a “Before” pic:  I’m shiny, I look tired (which I’m sure I was, as the photo was taken around 1am), there are sweat marks on my shirt, I hate my hair, and that background isn’t doing any favors whatsoever (it’s this weird glowing wall in the basement of a downtown skyscraper).

Literally millions of people have seen this picture.  It was featured on Richard Simmons’ website last summer, when I was his featured success story (read what I wrote here), and it was shown on national television when I was a guest on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” (which you can watch here).

But I’m not the only one in the picture… I cropped out Heather!  Wanna see the whole picture?  Here it is, I’m showing it publicly for the very first time:

Ugh – that background is so hideous.  SO.  HIDEOUS.

That photo was taken in August of 2009, and with Heather back in town now, I thought it’d be good fun to take another photo of the two of us together.  Because I’m not the only one who’s lost weight!  Heather has, over the past year or so, dropped 50 pounds and kept it off!  She did it using Weight Watchers, and it’s amazing and wonderful.  Everything about Heather, for that matter, is amazing and wonderful.

John took a picture of Heather and I today outside of Mas Malo, so here we are two years later – and what you don’t see is the 215 pounds we’ve collectively lost:

And here’s the side-by-side (for maximum comparison):

If you wanna see more “Before” and “Current” photos, check out the Photo Gallery – there’s some good pics there!

One more photo for I wrap this up…  My friend Amanda sent me this picture yesterday:

Amanda made my zucchini salad recipe that I blogged about the other day and sent a photo of the end result!  This really made my day.  Amanda made the recipe her own: she added chicken and black beans for protein, and a little feta on top, and served it on a bed of lettuce.

Does my blog or my recipes inspire you in the kitchen?  Send me your pics!  Find out how to contact me here.

Keep it up Amanda, and keep it up Heather, and…

…Keep it up, David!

Footage From My Game Show Appearance!

Yesterday I stayed on program – I ate well, and had a great workout at the gym (30 minutes on the arc trainer, 30 minutes on the elliptical, over 950 calories burned between the two).  But I couldn’t stop thinking about that stupid pound that I’ve been unable to lose for a few weeks.

So, time to adjust my thinking.  Time to focus on what I’ve accomplished, instead of dwelling on what I haven’t.  And I have the perfect visual aid to help: video footage of myself, on national television, from when I was significantly heavier.  And that footage is from… WHEN I WAS ON A GAME SHOW!

It was “Merv Griffin’s Crosswords,” which aired for a year, starting in the fall 2007.  I taped my episode on September 17, 2007, and it first aired on April 4, 2008.

This was during a long period in my life where I didn’t own a scale and couldn’t even weigh myself at my doctor’s office, because her scale topped out at 350 pounds, and I weighed more than that.  I would guess that I weighed in the high 300′s – oh, and keep in mind that the camera adds 10 pounds – ha!

Now, I weigh 238 pounds.  Focus on what I’ve accomplished, instead of dwelling on what I haven’t.

Wanna watch?  Here are the videos.  It’s broken down into the four segments, and because these don’t have commercials or end credits, you’ll need about 20 minutes to watch all of it:

PART ONE:

PART TWO:

PART THREE:

PART FOUR:

It’s not easy for me to watch these videos.  I’ll explain why, and share some behind-the-scenes scoop… in tomorrow’s post.

In the meantime, you can compare this to much more recent video footage, from when I was on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” a few months ago, which you can watch here.  Here’s side-by-side screen grabs from both shows:

My god, what a huge difference!

Keep it up, David!

ID Badge AND Chart Update

Before getting into today’s post, I just wanted to take a hot second to thank everyone for all the lovely comments over the past few days.  The response to my way-off-program Sunday was so reassuring and motivating, and while I had a hunch the awesome photos I posted yesterday would elicit a nice response, I didn’t expect it to be as enormous and enthusiastic as it was.  I have such awesome readers, I really do!  I’m going to post more photos from that shoot on Friday, so be sure to come back for that!

One other quick thing – I’m the featured “Bloggin’ Dude” today on Femmena Mala, a really fun blog, so definitely check that out.  And a big thanks to Stephanie for featuring me!

Two more topics for today:

1) New ID Badge. It’s been a while since I’ve posted a “Before” and “Current” photo comparison, but yesterday a wonderful opportunity presented itself.  It starts with a bit of good news:  I’m back in the workforce.  I recently started a new gig that will keep me busy for a few months, so that’s exciting.  Don’t bother asking what I’m doing, because I’m not going to tell you – I gotta separate my work life from my blog (and both from my own actual life) or it will only be a matter of hours, I predict, before I go certifiably insane.

But the new job is in a building where I get an ID Badge that also serves as a key.  So, earlier this week, I stopped by the badge office, and they snapped a photo and printed up my new badge.  It looks totally different from my last ID Badge I had, so here they are, side by side:

The quality isn’t great – they’re thumbnail-sized images that were scanned and enlarged for the blog.  The photo on the left was taken in August 2008.  The photo on the right was taken Monday, March 21, 2011.  Look! I have a neck!

FUN FACT: Because I’m so tall (6’4″), in order to take both photos, I had to squat in front of the background, so my head would fit in the frame, as the camera was fixed.  Squatting this time around was a lot easier than last time.

When the photo on the left was taken, I remember liking it enough, and wishing I had worn a shirt that wasn’t the same color as the background, although how was I supposed to know what was the background was going to be?  As photos go, I don’t absolutely love the one on the right, but show me someone who loves the photo on their photo ID, and I’ll show you my pet unicorn, because the two are equally mythical.  Plus, on the badge, it’s one inch square, so who really will ever get a close-up look at it anyway?  Oh, and I approved it.  The guy who took the photo nicely allowed me to see it on his monitor before he printed up the badge.

2) Chart Update: I had a weigh-in this morning, and, miracle of miracles, I stayed the same!  The scale showed me at 237 pounds, which is (still) a 165-pound loss.  I say ‘miracle of miracles’ because I was prepared, after Sunday’s junk food splurge, to see a gain.

Oh – this may qualify as too much information, and you may want to skip to the next paragraph, but on Monday morning, post-splurge, I definitely wasn’t feeling too great.  My body responded to the gifts I had given it on Sunday by giving me a slight case of the runs.  It wasn’t full-on diarrhea, but I definitely spent more time on the crapper than normal.  Sorry to be gross – I just wanted to be honest, and commit that truth to writing, as a reminder to myself the next time I’m in a setting with abundant pigs-in-a-blanket and brownie bites.

So, unpleasantries aside, time to update my chart:

The dashed line is 220 pounds, which is my next goal weight.

I’m almost at the end of my sixth page, which is notable because when I start my seventh page, the chart will have officially out-grown the wall that it resides on.  Gotta figure out what to do:  Do I move it?  If so, where?  Or so I rearrange it where it is, so it’s in two lines?  Decisions, decisions!

Keep it up, David!

My Incredible Shrinking Clothes – Dress Shirt Edition

Time for another installment of My Incredible Shrinking Clothes! To see the previous installments, go to My Favorite Posts at the top of the page.

I was inspired to write this post this past weekend, because I had to dress up all fancy.  I was volunteering at the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra‘s annual Concert Gala, which was held at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in downtown LA (a frequent Oscar venue from the ’70s-’90s).  It was a formal affair, and I wore the only formal outfit I have right now, which is made up of elements I’ve blogged about before: the jacket you readers helped me pick out, the pants that I bought at the same time, and the dress shirt that I picked up last month before my grandmother’s funeral. 

When I was getting dressed for the Gala, I pulled out the wrong dress shirt by mistake – my old dress shirt, that fit me at my heaviest.  It stopped me dead in my tracks.  Wow, what a big shirt!  I knew I had to write an Incredible Shrinking Clothes post, and well, now I am!

Here’s both dress shirts:  The white one is the one I wore at my heaviest, and the blue one is the one that I wore just the other night:

I lined up the seams along the side of the shirts to fully show the difference.  I don’t exactly remember when I bought the white shirt, although I know I bought it at Casual Male XL, because I recognize the label, Comfort Zone, as being one of their lines.  I know I bought two suits (both from a catalog) in the 2 years prior to beginning my weight loss journey – each one for a different wedding.  I have a hunch I bought the white shirt in June 2009, before going to the Jersey Shore for the wedding of my friends Lisa and Matt.  Here’s a picture of me from that trip – I’m pretty sure this is the same shirt:

That was a really fun wedding, and here’s a fun fact that’s indicative of the way I used to eat:  I was in New Jersey for probably 48 hours max, and I distinctly remember going to Dunkin’ Donuts three times in those two days – and that each time was at a different Dunkin’ Donuts location.

Anyhoo – if you’re not familiar with how men’s shirts are sized, there are two numbers.  The white shirt is a 22 37/38, which means that the neck is 22 inches around, and the 37/38 refers to the length of the arm.  The bigger the neck number, than the wider the shirt will be.

The blue shirt is a 16 36/37, which means…  DRUM ROLL PLEASE!…   I’ve lost 6 inches around my neck!

I’ll leave you with a photo my friend Lacey took of me at the Concert Gala, before all the festivities began.

Keep it up, David!

Off To A Wedding!

‘Before’ and ‘Current’ Photo Time!

I posted this photo a few weeks ago, when I began shopping for a suit, but I think it warrants re-posting.  This is from July.  I had lost almost 100 pounds at this point, and it was the first time I wore a suit since my weight loss adventure had begun.

And here I am right now at this moment, in the new jacket that you all helped me pick out, minutes before I head out the door to another wedding.  I’ve now lost 151 pounds.

So, eagle-eyed readers, what’s different between the two photos? Look closely.

Nope, it’s not the tie.  That’s the same tie – I only have two, and I like this one more.

Answer: If you noticed that my parents had their front doors refinished, than you get a gold star!

It’s been a nice day.  Earlier, I helped my parents put up and decorate the Christmas tree, and this morning, I got my butt out of bed and to the gym to take a 9:30am step class.  It’s been about 3-4 months since I’ve taken a step class, and I was a little rusty.  Actually, for the first 10-15 minutes, I was thinking ‘hey – this class is pretty easy!’, but by 45 minutes in (it was an hour-long class), my tune had changed, and I was struggling to keep up.  It was tough and fun, and I was both the youngest person in the class and the only guy – just the way I like it!  Ha!  The class ended with some ab work and lots of stretching, which I like, and then I did about 10 or 15 minutes of toning with some free weights, and called it a day.  Tomorrow I think I’ll swim laps.

Keep it up, David!

PS – here’s the Christmas tree, all decorated.  Tis the season!

Last Slimmons Class of 2010

Tonight I went to my final class at Slimmons for 2010.  I’m leaving Los Angeles to head back to Michigan on Thursday (don’t you worry – I’ll still be blogging from the Great Lake State) and I’m not coming back until until we all turn the calendar page to 2011.  Richard was teaching, and the class was fun, and I was sweating.  It’s been a while since I’ve posted these pictures, so in honor of my last class of the year, I’ll post them again: My ‘Before’ and ‘Current’ pics with Richard:

Before (January 16, 2010 – My first ever Slimmons class):

Current (well, not so current – from September 2010):

Yesterday’s exercise was cardio at the gym.  I started with 11 minutes on the treadmill to warm up, as I waited for an elliptical to open up, and once I got the elliptical, I went for an hour straight.  The time flew – I was watching “The Sing-Off” on the little TV built into the elliptical, and I was enjoying it much more than I thought I would.  Except for Nicole Scherzinger, who is a bit of a snooze as a judge.  She sure is good at talking without ever actually saying much.

Tomorrow I’ll be up early and headed to the park to workout with Oscar and Joe – it will be the last of these park workouts this year, too, before heading to Michigan.

I wish I had something interesting to write about in regards to my eating, but I don’t.  I haven’t cooked or prepared anything noteworthy since the frititty the other day, and the table queen squash that’s sitting on my counter will likely sit there until I get back in the new year (good thing they keep, like, forever).  It’s been a lot of raw fruits and vegetables the past two days, often rolled up in tortillas, and beans and egg beaters for protein.  And oatmeal.  And a Lean Cuisine.  And some other random things thrown in there.  There! You’re all caught up.  And you’re bored – I know I am.

But hopefully good news tomorrow – I’ll be weighing myself, and maybe, just maybe, I’ll reach my next goal!

Keep it up, David!

A Hot Guy in Class Today

Whew!  It’s been a great Saturday, but a busy one, which is why it’s 6:30pm and I’m now just sitting down to write a post.  I intended to write one first thing in the morning, but my internet was acting up, and I decided to just walk away instead of fighting with it, because it doesn’t take much before I’m ready to throw electronics against the wall over and over and over and over again until they’re in a million little pieces.

I was prompted to start writing this morning because I stepped on the scale, and I’m… DOWN ANOTHER POUND!  151 pounds total, and one pound away from my next goal.  I’ll say that again, so it sinks in, because it definitely took a minute to sink in for me:  One. Measly. Pound. Away. From. My. Next. Goal.  I’m so close!

I’ll lose that one pound in the near future, I’m sure of it.  Until then, I’ll focus on the pound I just lost.  Here it is on the chart:

Oh, how I like how that line continues downward.

Yesterday was also a great day – I spent all afternoon with a really good friend and former roommate from college, Collin, who was in town from Seattle, where he is a hotshot lawyer winning cases, changing lives, putting bad guys behind bars, and walking around with briefcases, just like on “Boston Legal” or “Law & Order.”  We went for a nice long walk up and down the Venice Beach boardwalk, dodging marijuana legalization advocates and dudes peddling their reggae music.  We also had lunch at a sidewalk cafe that was cleverly named ‘The Sidewalk Cafe’ (I had an egg-white omelet with spinach and onion, dry wheat toast, tomato slices, and sparkling water) and did a lot of catching up.  I haven’t seen Collin for over two years, and I hope he doesn’t mind making an appearance on my blog, because of I have Before and Current Photos!

Summer 2008 in West Hollywood (I don’t know what’s on my shirt – I must have spilled something?):

Yesterday (12/10) on Venice Beach:

Look at that handsome devil.  Oh, and Collin.   HA!  That joke never gets old.  Collin is also very handsome, as you can see.

I’ll end this post with a little anecdote that made my day today.  Earlier, before running errands and taking care of a few things, I spent the morning at Slimmons, where I took Richard Simmons’ aerobics class.  I said hello to a friend – a woman that also takes classes.  I’m withholding her name, because I don’t think she knows about this blog.  I don’t know her well – just from small talk before and after classes, but this is what she said to me today:

“Oh my God, you look great!  I haven’t seen you in a few weeks, and when I came in, I didn’t even recognize you!  This may sound weird, coming from an old lady, but I saw you when I came in and said to myself, ‘Oh yay!  There’s a hot guy in class today!’  And then I looked again, and realized it was you!”

I really have nothing to say to that except for…

Keep it up, David!

PS – For the record, I’ve never thought of her as an old lady, even know she is older than me.  Those were her words, not mine!

I Need Your Opinion! *AND* ‘Before’ and ‘Current’ Photos!

In July of this year, I got a new suit.  I had lost nearly 100 pounds at that point, and had a wedding to go to, so there was no way I could wear my old suit.  I ended up at Men’s Wearhouse, where I left with this snazzy number:

I had a great time at the wedding – a dear friend from high school was the bride – and felt great in my new suit.  Then, a few months later, I had another wedding – another friend, who was also my former roommate.  I took the suit back to Men’s Wearhouse (free alterations for life!) and had it taken in in all sorts of ways, as I had dropped another 25 pounds or so.  I got the suit back a few days later, and voila!  I looked good at another wedding, and got all sorts of compliments:

Which brings us to the present.  I have a third wedding next weekend – another great friend and former colleague – and so I headed back to the Men’s Wearhouse to get it taken in again, as I’ve lost around 25 pounds since the last time I wore it (and about 50 pounds since I bought it!).  As I stood in the alteration nook-thing with the mirrors on 3 sides, I was given the unfortunate yet exciting news:  this suit couldn’t be altered anymore.  I had lost too much weight.  The main problem was in my shoulders – tailors don’t mess with shoulders, and they needed to be brought in.  They could have shortened the collar and brought in another seam in the back, but the suit wouldn’t look right – all the proportions would be off.  Plus, doing all that work would constitute a suit “rebuild” – which is not a free alteration – and would cost a cool $130 or so, without factoring in the pants!

The manager was telling me all this with a ‘I’m-so-sorry-we-can’t-help-you’ tone in her voice, but I know I was beaming from ear to ear.  Yeah, it kinda sucks that I only got to wear that suit twice, but it’s also pretty awesome that I only got to wear that suit twice.  The manager asked if I was planning on losing more weight (yes), and then took my measurements so I had my correct size, and suggested I buy a suit elsewhere, where I could get one cheaper.  I liked that idea.

Yesterday, I hit up four discount-type retailers (T.J. Maxx, Marshall’s, Burlington, and Sears) and decided instead of buying a suit, I would buy a sportcoat and a nice pair of pants.  I came home with one pair of dress pants, and 2 sportcoats.  And now, I need your help! Which of these sportcoats do you like more?

Option #1: ($105, marked down from $175)

It has a subtle gray pinstripe:

Option #2: ($85, marked down from $180)

It has a slightly-less-subtle blue and gray pinstripe:

I’m leaning towards one more than the other, although now that I see both photos, there’s not really a huge difference.  I won’t tell you which one I’m leaning towards, because I want your opinion!  Leave them in the comments section!

Oh, and also, I will be wearing a tie to the wedding (just didn’t feel like putting it on), and and FYI about the pants, which I really like:  They were $15, marked down from $68!

One last note about sizes – the new pants have a 40″ waist.  The old suit pants were 50″ (!).  Both sportcoats are 48 Long.  I can’t find the tag in the old suit jacket, but I’m pretty sure it was a 54 Long or a 56 Long.  Nicely done, me!

Keep it up, David!

My Incredible Shrinking Clothes – Swimsuit Edition

I bought a swimsuit yesterday.  I haven’t bought a swimsuit since early 2008, before going on a family vacation to Key West.  I still have that swimsuit, so the first thing I did when I got home was take a photo to compare my new swimsuit to my old one.

This isn’t the first time I’ve photographed my Incredible Shrinking Clothes – check out the inaugural edition here and the workout pants edition here.

But before you go clicking on those links – check out my Incredible Shrinking Swimsuit!

I lined up the seam along the right side of the photo (left side of the swimsuits) to create the optimal comparison.   The purply-grey pair with the red side panels is a size 3XL.  I never liked the color – it’s hideous and unflattering – but I didn’t have many options at the big & tall store when I bought them.  I wore them almost daily to the pool during that week in Key West, and actually, now that I think about it, that may be the last time I’ve worn a swimsuit.  Almost three years ago.

When I was growing up, if I had been told that there would be a period in my life where I would go three years without wearing a swimsuit, I would never have believed it.  I practically grew up in water.  The house I grew up in had a pool, and I have memories of being in it before I knew how to swim.  I actually learned to swim as a toddler at the YMCA, and I have memories of that, too.  And then there were the 10 years of being on competitive swim teams, and 2 years of water polo – all told, I spent thousands of hours in the water by the time I graduated high school.

I bought the new swimsuit (the black one, which is a size XL) because later today I’m headed to Colorado to spend Thanksgiving week at my sister’s house, and she and her hubby take their kids to the local pool every Friday night, and I’m excited to go with them.  I was in Colorado last year for Thanksgiving too, and opted not to go to the pool, because I didn’t want to wear my swimsuit (although that wasn’t reason I told my family at the time).  If, a year ago, I had been told that in 1 year I would be excited to go to the pool, I would never have believed it.

Just because I was curious, I scoured the photos I have from that Key West trip to see if there was one of me in my old swimsuit.  There’s not, which doesn’t surprise me – I wouldn’t have allowed anyone to take a photo of me shirtless – but I saw other photos and decided to end this post with a ‘Before’ and ‘Current’ photo comparision.

Me in Key West (I was in a head-shaving phase):

Me now (another photo from a recent visit to see my friend Judie, who has llamas):

Keep it up, David!