Non-Scale Victories

Last week I kept noticing non-scale victories, and on Sunday, I figured out why.  I didn't lose very much weight.  I still lost weight - but I lost less than one pound - 0.8 of a pound to be exact.  This is by far the smallest amount of weight I have lost since I began taking control of my life and actively working towards a healthy lifestyle.

Old Allison would have been bummed.  I know - ridiculous.  New Allison celebrated that small victory, but she was also so thankful that the she was reminded of all of the non-scale victories throughout the week.

What is a non-scale victory?  You will sometimes see it abbreviated as NSV.  It simply means that you notice other changes in your healthy lifestyle journey that are not related to the  number on the scale.  Here are some examples of non-scale victories: 

So what were some of my non-scale victories?

*A pair of pants that I would wear but couldn't get zipped all of a sudden were able to be zipped last week.
*I went from wearing jeans with elastic to jeans that zip. Jeans that previously did not fit me!
*I was able to increase the weight of the weights I was using in my workouts.
*I noticed while I was working out last week that my legs looked more slender and so did my ankles.  See?

 

*I don't have exact measurements yet (because I plan on taking them on Sunday or Monday), but I KNOW that I have lost inches, particularly around my waist.  

*Saying no to junk, junk that has ruled my life for longer than I care to remember, is not as tempting as it once was.

*And the best non-scale victory?  People are starting to notice and comment on it - lots of people! I. LOVE. IT.  That is probably the most encouraging thing to me right now.  

I think these non-scale victories are important to document so that when I do get discouraged I can reflect back on how far I have come.  I am striving to remember this: