50 Pound Pressure

Reader Request:  Can you write a post about what it is like to be 50 pounds lighter?

Yes I can, but the problem is, I will never be able to put into words exactly what it is like for me.  I won't be able to explain the intricate differences between me before the weight loss and now.  The big differences will be obvious, but there are smaller ones that I have not even discovered yet.  So by request, I will do my best to shed some insight on being 50 pounds lighter.

If you read the post, Shopping in the Mall of Despair, you know that I have started wearing clothes that have been too small for quite sometime.  Six weeks into the weight loss, I was wearing jeans that I had not been able to wear for about three years.  Those fit me for about a month, and are now too big.  As one friend told me, "You look ridiculous in those jeans!"  Thank you for your honesty.  I can't go out and buy a whole new wardrobe yet because I am still planning on losing another hundred pounds, so I made a trip to Value Village.  I purchased two pairs of pants that fit now, and two pairs that I hope to soon be wearing.  Too baggy has never been a problem until now.  It's a good feeling...

If you have not seen my car, good for you!  It's an eye-sore, but it gets great gas mileage and it has nothing but space on the inside, so I fit in it extremely well.  Now, I fit even better.  I now notice a lot more space between me and the wheel.  This space was not an issue before, but the difference is noticeable.  The seat belt is not as uncomfortable as it used to be, and I can check my blind spots easier.  For those of you that don't have weight problems, sometimes whipping your head around to check your blind spot can be tough for the large-necked person.  The world is safer now that I weigh less.  Another car difference, I "dance" while driving more now than I did before.  I don't know if that is because of the weight loss, or that I was recently hooked on Macklemore, but it makes driving more fun!

Make a fist.  Right now, make a fist.  Squeeze tight.  Was that difficult?  What I did not realize before the weight loss was that making a fist was hard for me.   I just thought that's what it feels like to make a fist, but now I can feel a big difference in making a fist.  I did not realize that the fat in my hand made it difficult to squeeze, or grip tools.  My yard work is easier because my hands fit around the tools better.  A simple thing that makes my progress more motivating, a fist.

I have had questions about my back pain, and knee pain.  My back has been feeling OK for a couple years, which one of the reasons I wanted to start my life-change.  I did not have that pain holding me back, and I really had no excuse to not get started(I like the double-negative).  I never had knee pain, but I have noticed that my feet feel better at the end of the day.  My feet never hurt the way my back did so I guess I never gave it much thought, but with less weight pounding on them each day, I have noticed a reduction in pain.  Take care of your feet, you'll need them for awhile!

I am sure I could go on, but let's save that for a future post.  For now, thank you for being the people that changed my life.  Value Village, my car, the people that watch me "dance" in car, my fist and my feet also say thank you!