INITIAL STATS Weight: 153 Waist: 33″ Hips: 41″ Thighs: 23 1/2″
FINAL STATS Weight: 154 lb Waist: 33″ Hips: 40″ Thighs: 22.5″
The truth is that I’m going to stick with my current workout plan for a few more weeks since my boost suffered some droops toward the end. But I figured that I’d conclude the official project on the original schedule.
This project turned out to be really great for me. While I’m still sorting out what my ideal body is, I feel that my sense of it is significantly clearer thanks to the boost that I’ve given myself. I have managed to re-ignite my Pilates practice with zest and pleasure. I’ve made tremendous progress with my tailbone injury and the ailments related to it. While I still weigh the same and my measurements aren’t really that different, I look better. Thanks to the Pilates and to my healing process, my posture is dramatically improved (although when I’m under stress I revert to unflattering habitual holding patterns).
It may be magical thinking, but I have the sense that as my body is adjusting to this newly energized state, rather than an ending, I’m just beginning with respect to arriving at my personal ideal. When I started this project, I was very much in the doldrums and now at its conclusion, it seems that in all areas of my life the current is moving in a positive direction. I see this as a holistic transformation in which the entirety of me is on the rise. A disjointed analysis would give Pilates more than it’s fair credit for this change and yet, it certainly has played a key role, physically, emotionally, and symbolically.
Along the same lines of thinking, a client of mine was talking about how one of her health practitioners told her that her nasal congestion would likely remain until she stopped nursing. This reminded me of something that my acupuncturist told me about nursing, how it is associated with dampness in the body, and how it is difficult to “dry up”. I have the sense that I’ve primed my body to dry out by igniting my internal energy (think of how a clothes dryer works, heat helps to lesson dampness). Time will tell if my intuition about this physical reality of mine is correct.
Here are three beginning and ending pics that best demonstrate the improvements in my form.
Gosh, I do love Pilates and I feel so grateful to have a practice to enjoy for a lifetime!
You are a perfect example of why weight is meaningless. Your body (and from your comments) your mind are invigorated by your practice. Can we all just stop worrying about the numbers already? You look awesome.
Thank you Carol! In my own way, I’m working toward the positive body image that you are championing. It has been a process! I feel that many of us have so many layers of thoughts and emotions around this topic that we often don’t even admit to ourselves which is part of why I’ve felt compelled to share my personal process.
Eliza,
This is a wonderful post – the photos are so great to see – interesting that the numbers are relatively the same yet, yes – the body is completely different – it appears to have a great lift and life from within visually. Thank you so much for sharing your journey 🙂 Have a great week!
Thank you Andrea! More changes to come, I hope!
You are wonderful to have done this, posted your photographs, and written about it. Thank you. You already had a good practice,and it seems you have lifted up skyward. You look energetic, strong and invigorated. Beautiful work!
Oh thank you Mimosa! Such compliments keep me headed up up up. Which is to say in part that I’m realizing more cumulative effects of my efforts by sharing my progress. A good thing to remember, I think.
Hi Eliza,
Thank you so much for posting your pictures! It is SO wonderful to see the change in your body! We share this with our clients all the time, ” You will see a change in your body”! But, I never take before and afters pictures.. I always say that I should “after the fact” when I can see the results of clients bodies changing. Their answer is but I haven’t lost any weight! Sound familiar 🙂 The pictures tell it all!!!
Thanks Judy, I can think of so many times that it would have been great to take before and after photos with clients. Your comment has gotten me to think that part of why we don’t manage to do it is that it’s a whole project unto itself. And we are focused on the actual work of Pilates rather than the project of documentation. Just an idea…I appreciate the point that you make, I too have heard so many clients say that they’ve noticed changes but not weight loss. Thanks for sharing.