Just checking in

I realize my blog doesn't really have a following yet, but if I let it go, it never will... so despite the lack of readership, I'd like to check in anyway.
I've been super busy lately, mostly with work, running errands for my family, and whipping my room into shape. The general excuse brought about by all of this is that I've been decidedly lacking in the cute outfit department as of late. I expect all of that to change, plus I've really got to get people on board with taking photos for me.
I'm really quite excited about some new finds (a fantastic ruffle edged vest that somehow manages to look girly and professional all at once, and a Cry-Baby T-shirt... best movie ever), as well as finding some new ways to wear clothes I THOUGHT I had outgrown (maybe the weight loss is working? Regardless, I am experimenting with new ways to wear two favorite button up shirts that look just a tad too strained when I wear them... buttoned up). My room reorganization will also hopefully clear up space for clothing, which should accomplish two things: making everything easier to find, and giving me room to bring in new stuff without having to put other stuff into storage.
Also, as far as weight loss goes, I'm all for promoting body confidence, but this is something I've been needing to do for a while. Without going into the horrific details of what I went through 2 years ago, I would like to sum up my "getting into shape" goals for potential future readers of my blog...
In a long story short, illness induced starvation diets, depression, and a 50% discount on fattening pastries all make for one HORRID combination on the waistline... about 2 years ago, I got very, very sick... pertussis, a.k.a whooping cough (or the 100 day cough). It's actually very strange for me to realize that in a month, it will have been 2 years since my nightmareish illness began. The cough brought about by pertussis makes it very difficult, and sometimes impossible to eat... this is not an eating disorder, and I hate the fact that a few worthless losers have accused me of using being sick as a cover up for anorexia. I lost a lot of weight being sick. Unfortunately, for anyone else who's ever been on a starvation diet (whether on accident or on purpose), you've probably figured out that it slows your metabolism waaaaaaay down, and when you get better and get hungry, you gain weight. A lot of weight. I was also in a pretty bad situation that put me into a deep state of depression at the time. I'm a food therapy sort of girl, and as soon as I'd gotten better, I get the job that I still have today (Barnes & Noble ^_^), and a fantastic discount on food I shouldn't have been eating. I promptly gained 25 pounds and have been stuck at that weight for over a year now, the heaviest I've been my whole life. I can partially blame it on junk food and depression, and also partially on health complications brought about by pertussis, including my tendency towards ovarian cysts rearing it's ugly head when my body was too sick to deal with it. The hormones that promote ovarian cysts are also linked to weight gain.
I don't have any unrealistic goals. I want to weigh somewhere between 125-135, and I think that's perfectly healthy for someone of my height and my curves. I don't think there's anything horrible or un-beautiful about my current weight (which has recently dropped from 150 t0 147!). I'm a big proponent of people being able to look beautiful at ANY weight, and I don't want anyone to get the wrong impression simply because I'm trying to take care of myself. What I want to get across is that the reasons behind my weight gain concern me. When I see the extra flab in the mirror, it's a painful reminder of what I went through, and I need to be able to move on and be healthy, both emotionally and physically. And if I lost 3 pounds already, I sure as heck should be able to lose 10 or so more over the course of a few months! I don't do crash diets or freakish amounts of exercise (hell, with all the internal scarring on my lungs, I CAN'T do freakish amounts of exercise). I do a healthy amount of daily exercise, and I'm trying to remind myself that I should eat only when I'm hungry, not out of habit. That's a big problem for me: eating because I'm watching a movie, eating because my friends are, eating because there's food in front of me, eating because I'm reading a book and I always wanted snacks with books when I was kid... stuck like that. There's nothing wrong with snacking, as far as I'm concerned: you just shouldn't do it if you don't genuinely need the food. I'm also trying to listen to what my body tells me... there's a difference between giving into cravings for junk food, and eating what feels right... for instance, some days I'll feel like eating a practically vegetarian diet, other days I'm dying for protein! I've been feeling healthier and more energetic since I've started eating this way. On top of that, my number one "healthy eating tip" would have to be this:
Every time I crave sweets, or just want to eat purely out of habit instead of hunger, I make a cup of tea. Tea has zero calories. Tea can be naturally sweet. Tea can satisfy the need to be consuming something for any activity I'd eat habitually during. Tea can make for a fantastic dessert after a nice filling meal. I'm a big, big fan of tea. Endless flavor choices, totally healthy if you pick your brands right (I recommend Numi for bagged teas, though really, everyone should be going straight to loose leaf teas), can be hot or cold, there's really no limit to how you can take your tea, and hey, if it keeps me away from overeating, it works for me!
(Unfortunately, the past few weeks, I've been on a mini sugar binge, and I'm not feeling too hot...)

Way longer rant than I intended, but there you have it. Clothing pictures should be back up soon. Hopefully, a new and improved, much more fit and healthy Kathryn will be modeling them in the posts to come.