Treasure Trove

I found a treasure trove of info tonight: my military records! That means I also found my next few goals!

I served in the Navy from August 30, 1995, to August 7, 1998. When I joined the Navy, I was overweight, but under their max body fat, and so I made it in! One of my long-term goals has been to get below my Navy weight, but after finding these records, I have a couple (or more) Navy weights (and some measurements) to strive for.

When I entered the Navy on August 30, 1995, I weighed 161 pounds. I also had 26% body fat (per Navy guidelines/calculations), a 14" neck, a 28" natural waist, and 40" hips. I finished bootcamp in November 1995 but don't have a record of my weight until the following May - six months after leaving bootcamp: 194 pounds.

33 pounds in six months. Boy, am I good at this weight-gaining thing or what? I will say, I spent A LOT of time in the McDonald's on base, or in the cafe/bar/gaming center. I can't even tell you what the inside of the dining hall at my A-school looked like.

Somehow, from May 1996 to July 1996, I managed to get down to 180. I hovered around that weight for about a year or so, then on January 8, 1998, I have a record showing me at 185 pounds. Seven months later on August 5, 1998, two days prior to my discharge date? 212 pounds. Another massive jump.

I was under a great deal of stress during that period. Well, I was under a great deal of stress from early 1996 until early 2000, and while it definitely added to the stress eating and weight gain, that's a story for another time or blog. But during this period, it was even worse. And stress eating came to the rescue.

Put all of this together and it shows the story of a gal who eats for comfort when under stress, or who eats for pleasure when having been on a strict regimen. Well, this strict regimen won't be going away - my tiny tummy is here to stay - so now let's take those weights and measurements and use them as new goals!

Note: The goals below also include two other goals I already had.

2015 Goal 1: Get to my 2003 wedding day weight (to my second husband, who I'm divorced from) - 218 pounds. I'm calling this the "I finally shed a pretty dull and unsatisfying part of my life (except for that AMAZING son I got)-goal." Only 9 pounds away!!

2015 Goal 2: Get to my 1998 Navy discharge weight - 212 pounds. Only 15 pounds away.

2015 Goal 3: Get to Onederland! 27 pounds to go!

2016 Goal 1: Get to lowest post-bootcamp weight (1996) - 180 pounds. 47 pounds left.

2016 Goal 2: Get to my 1995 bootcamp weight (and lowest recorded adult weight) - 161 pounds. 66 pounds to go!

2016 Goal 3: Get to my 1984 sixth grade weight - 156 pounds. 71 pounds away.

2016 Goal 4: Get to the 140's. Anywhere in the 140s. That's my goal range: 140-149. Instagram says 140-160, and I would honestly be happy with 160, but the 140s is what I'm really striving for.

2016 Goal 5: Get down under my Navy measurements and body fat %. I've already hit my neck measurement! 14" in the Navy and 14" as of October 7 (the last time I measured). I still have 9.5" to go on my waist and 8 inches to go on my hips. Considering I've already lost 9.5" on my waist and 12" on my hips, I'm well on my way! I'm at 46% body fat (per Navy standards) as of Oct. 7th, so I have 20% more to go on that. It will get there!