Isn’t it amazing how what you are wearing and what you have put in your body effect how you look? Take a look at this picture, it was literally taken 6 days apart! The picture on the left was taken first, I was wearing one of my very favorite dresses, the ‘fit and flare’ by Land’s End. I may have about 6 different colors and prints of this dress, and as you can see, it’s very flattering on plus size women (I’m a 18W or a 2XL). And it was taken after a week of hiking and eating clean (like on Whole30).
We were at one of my favorite places, the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. We were staying at one of the Air Force Recreation Areas called “Farish Recreation Area”. If you have military affiliation I highly, highly recommend this place. It sits right by Pikes Peak, the hiking is amazing without being overpowering (lots of meadow and foresty hikes). The price is super cheap and there is everything from tent camping to cabins to a lodge. The folks working there were amazingly helpful and true to Brejcha form, we checked in and turned around and someone in the parking lot yelled“HEY, CHIEF BREJCHA, long time no see” and sure enough there was someone we were stationed with at Edwards AFB, California.
The picture of the right was taken 6 days later, a unflattering flowy top (sometimes we feel like more material ‘hides’ things, but in reality it just looks too big). I think the way I was standing played a part in looking so much heavier, as did a week of eating sugar and carbs.
If you’ve never heard of Whole30, it’s a ‘diet’ that is based on whole foods, and eliminates sugar, alcohol, grains, legumes, soy and dairy. At first that sounds impossible, but one of the first paragraphs of the book (yes there is a book, written by Melissa Hartwig and Dallag Hartwig in 2009) …paraphrasing… says: Whole30 isn’t hard, kicking a heroin habit – that’s hard, beating breast cancer – that’s hard, giving up dairy, sugar etc. for 30 days… not hard! So at the suggestion of my daughter we did it. It’s amazing all of the ‘non scale victories’ that you encounter on this. Sleeping better, skin better, and the list goes on.
So follow my progress as I do it again!
myfiftyplusjourney 
You are so right about the fit making a huge difference. The dress fits great at the spot where you are the thinnest, right under your breast. It is hard to believe that the two photos are taken so close together. WOW!!!
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