I bought this hoodie while at my alma mater Murray State (go Racers!) at a homecoming probably 6 years ago. I didn’t love how it looked, but there weren’t a ton of cute options that came in 3X (at least not in my price bracket). It was a just little big, but it fit pretty much as hoodies should.
Fast forward 5 or 6 months, I had my surgery, and the weight started dropping. I continued to wear this same hoodie every time I went to the gym when the weather required it. I then wore it after I got pregnant all the way through my pregnancy. And now, as I’ve surpassed my lowest weight, I continue to wear it. Nearly every time I have left the house to go to the gym since starting this journey, I have worn it.
So I realize I’ve written more about this one article of clothing than many of you may have cared to read, but obviously I’m talking about more than a hoodie. I have a few articles of clothing left from when I was 140 pounds heavier. I got rid of several things the first time I lost the weight, much to my chagrin after regaining. This remains one of the only clothing articles that remains in regular circulation.
Every time I put on this hoodie, I look in the mirror and can remember where I started. I remember the girl who was too embarrassed to go to the gym, and instead did zumba Wii dances until she got the courage to attend a live class. I remember later conquering that fear, starting to attend the gym first a few days a week, later 5-6 days, and some days going twice. I remember feeling the comfort of it as I outgrew my other clothes through regain, knowing it would always be there for me. Now, I wear it and feel slim, proud of my accomplishments, and mostly grateful that my body decided to start losing weight again after a couple years battling a plateau.
I still have a pair of the largest pair of pants I own, and it is double the size of my current favorite pair of jeans. The hoodie is 3-4 sizes larger than the majority of tops in my closet now.
I think it’s important that we value the journey, and while it’s important we don’t dwell in the past, we can look at things from it and remind ourselves as to how far we’ve come. I’m not sure what my next goal will be, but I will likely be wearing this hoodie as I attempt to figure it out!
A Work in Progress 