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The weeks are flying by, and here we are already in Week 3 of the TC Trimdown. The TC Trimdown is a region-wide weight loss effort consisting of teams of folks all with the same goal – lose weight during the 13 weeks of the challenge. I’m on a team of four, and we’re all doing well. I’m keepin’ it real by documenting my journey here on Old Mission Gazette.
I had some good numbers for Week One and Week Two, and I figured things would level off a bit from those higher numbers at the beginning. That’s ok. I’m still losing weight and moving forward with healthy eating and exercise.
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Pictured above is me in front of the woodpile we stacked yesterday. I tell you what – cutting, hauling and stacking wood is great exercise! I’m guessing that just about every body part is worked during the process.
Running Naked Through Mapleton
It’s been an interesting weight-loss journey so far. First of all, posting my starting weight and weekly weigh-ins here on the Gazette is making me super accountable! Moreso than just reporting in to my team every week. Thank you, readers, for keeping me on track, whether you know it or not.
I’ve also had several people tell me how brave I am to post my weight out there for all to see. And yeah, that first week when I posted my starting weight, it felt a little like running naked through Mapleton.
It made me wonder why most of us – especially women – generally don’t talk about our weight in numbers. We might talk about being overweight or underweight or the struggle to get healthy, but putting that number out there? You don’t hear the actual numbers all that often, unless you’re in a supportive group of like-minded people.
Comparing Ourselves to Everyone Else
And I’ve been that way, too. During the first week when I talked about being in the 180s and 190s, that’s the first time I’ve ever said that publicly. I’ve decided it’s because we – again, I would say mostly women – are always comparing ourselves to everyone else. Not just weight, but money, homes, cars, travel, level of happiness … you name it and we’re comparing it.
I put at least part of the blame on consumer magazines, which are great at giving us unrealistic expectations for how much we’re “supposed” to weigh. Early in my freelance writing career, I wrote for a lot of those magazines – Woman’s Day, Ladies’ Home Journal, Family Circle, People Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, etc.
One reason I stopped writing for them is because I felt like I was contributing to the facade that everyone else has a way better life than we do. In fact, the dirty little secret among my writer friends is that the editors of those magazines often ask us to find specific people to interview for those stories.
While looking for sources, it was always the joke among us that we needed to find a blonde-haired woman, aged 38, with 2.5 kids, a beautifully organized home, happy marriage and thriving business that she built herself to interview for a magazine article. And those cover photos? All photoshopped. All designed to turn us into envy monsters.
Much of my previous writing career was also spent interviewing celebrities, and I can tell you that their lives are just as messed up as the rest of us – moreso in many cases!
Social Media Fiction
And let’s talk about social media. You’d think that a good portion of the people on Facebook, Instagram and other social media are seemingly living their Best Life Ever – traveling the world, living in beautiful homes, driving new cars, reveling in happy marriages and finding joy in all of life’s moments every.single.day.
If it’s true, I’m super happy for them. But more often than not, it’s a carefully curated and enhanced view of their life. And the rest of us feel bad that we’re not them.
I started my Reality Wednesday section of the Gazette a few years ago to sort of counteract that. I love posting about my ancient car breaking down, all the crap in my house, projects that take forever, and so on and so forth. People need to know they’re not alone!
But the bottom line is we all need to stop comparing ourselves to everyone else. Everyone’s journey through life is unique and beautiful, and if we’re always comparing ourselves to everyone else, we miss the beauty and magic in our own journey.
TC Trimdown – Week Three Weigh-In
This week, I lost 2.8 lbs., bringing my current weight to 183.8.
- Starting Weight: 196.0
- Week One Weight: 189.6 (down 6.4 lbs.)
- Week Two Weight: 186.6 (down 3 lbs.)
- Week Three Weight: 183.8 (down 2.8 lbs.)
- Total weight loss so far: 12.2 lbs.
Since my self-imposed goal is to lose 40 lbs. during the 13-week TC Trimdown, this puts me at 27.8 lbs. yet to lose. With ten weeks to go in the challenge, that’s 2.8 lbs. per week.
Are you doing the TC Trimdown and/or otherwise trying to lose weight? How’s it going? Leave solidarity comments below!
Also Read…
- TC Trimdown: Week One Report
- TC Trimdown: Week Two Report
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You’re rockin’ this, Jane. Thanks for reporting.
Thanks, Nancy!
I SO get what you are saying here and completely agree! Women especially, need to be more authentic and transparent especially with each other and work together to build each other up rather than tear each other down. We are each unique and that is something to be proud of and we shouldn’t be afraid to share with others. We should be proud of who we are right now. Yes, it never hurts to work on ourselves to be better, but never to compare. Each of us has our own journey. Enjoy your own! You go girl! Keep up on being you, the “Real Jane”. I have been following along and enjoying your journey, photos and adventures and sharing in your moments, both the good and bad and yes, even the weight loss journey. I have always said that “I am work in progress”. As in … I work each and every day to be the best person that I can be. I don’t always get it right. But each day I get up and I am thankful to be alive and give it another try. Sometimes that means I HAVE to order a pizza from the Peninsula Market (I am, an Italian girl after all and a girl has to live life too 😉
Thank you for the inspiration and encouragement, Kim! I love seeing your photos and inspiring notes on FB. So true – we are all a work in progress, each collectively on our own unique journey. <3
I was with trusted buddies tonight and it was the first time ever we spoke in weight numbers….I was painfully post-menopause-ably awere of that. Okay Jane you are now the Bluff Rd guru❤️
We’ll get through this together! I’m always super inspired when I see you out on Bluff Road putting in the miles. I’ve never been much of a runner, but might have to check it out again this summer, in my own slow jog-walk way.
Great article and I’m really proud of you and your determination!!!!!! WAY TO GO!!!!!!!!!1
Thank you, Becky! I’m getting to that part of the journey where the big initial weight-loss numbers are not as big, and I need to figure out how to keep the motivation going. Having my weight numbers out there for all to see helps a lot. 🙂
Love your enthusiasm, realness and the actual weight loss numbers it’s not easy to get started but now that you’re committed I hope the weight flies off. Looking forward to seeing your progress.
Thanks, Lisa! Still moving forward… we’ll see what tomorrow’s Week 4 report brings.
I love your honesty, Jane, and I admire your writing and ability to take beautiful photos and create a great online publication. While I don’t struggle from being overweight, there are certainly other ways I compare myself to others. This is a trap we must all avoid. I remind my yoga students of this; wherever you are is a GOOD place to be; we are each unique and have our own limitations and challenges; no one has it all figured out! I’m currently dealing with a blotchy face due to treatment for precancerous cells; it makes me look like I ran into a door (a “friend” I ran into up at the Mapleton Market asked if I HAD run into a door! Let’s all try to be more compassionate and understanding and nonjudgemental, especially about our appearance. What’s most important is what is going on inside; and I see a beautiful soul shining out from inside you, Jane. Thank you for sharing your journey with us. It helps all of us.
This is why I love you and your yoga class, Sally. <3 You are so respectful of everyone's individuality and different body types, and I never feel like I have to "be" anything other than what I am. I take that with me from class into my daily life, and I can't tell you how much it helps me every day. I love our yoga and meditation!
And thank you for your kind words. My journey is so embedded in my tribe – in yoga, on the OMP, my friends and family, my online groups … it takes a village to get Jane from here to there. 🙂