Broke 200!!!

Yesterday I reached a huge milestone, hitting 199.6 on the scale. I haven’t seen south of 200 in…gosh, I don’t know how long. 20 years? More? Since shortly after high school (I graduated in 1987), at least. I was just looking at some old pictures last night, dating from the late 80s and early 90s, and I was already bigger then than I am today. Anyway, that makes a total of 51.4 pounds lost, and it makes me feel like a million bucks. I can’t imagine I used to carry around an extra 50 pounds, only a few short months ago! I think it’s time to reflect a little, and point out the long list of positives of all this weight loss:

• I feel light on my feet, and much more agile and quick.
• I can see my toes without leaning forward.
• I used to get a lot of lower back pain when standing or walking for long periods of time. Not any more.
• I don’t know how this is related, but I used to get headaches 2-3 times a week. They’ve almost entirely disappeared.
• I’m more, um, “regular”.  ‘Nuff said, but it sure is nice.  Couldn’t leave that item out.
• I spend less money on food.
• I do more home-cooking, which I love to do.
• I don’t feel stuffed and bloated after meals.
• I’m more educated about what I put into my body.
• I have far more energy for my kids and can play with them much more actively.
• My kids can hug me bigger and better, and latch their hands behind my back when they do it.
• My wife and I can hug and get close without my gut in the way – I never realized how much it kept our bodies apart.
• Sex is massively improved. This alone is worth all the hard work. 
• I get compliments from friends and co-workers every single day. At work, I often get overt double-takes from people who haven’t seen me in a while. Everyone stops me in the hallway to congratulate me and ask how I did it. It’s a big ego boost.
• I’ve inspired friends and family. I love how infectious the whole thing is, there are several people who are now on their own weight loss programs because they were inspired by me. Just as I was inspired by others. Also a big ego boost.
• I have bonded closer with the friends who are doing it with me.
• Amongst those of us doing it together, it’s almost like being part of a little community and provides much fodder for discussion.
• I bought some new clothes, and man, do I feel good wearing them and looking thin.
• I joined a gym, and instead of being a chore, I’ve found it to be fun and something I look forward to.

There is one negative, something I didn’t anticipate. I’m cold all the time! Losing all that blubber has made a big difference with regards to the temperatures I’m comfortable in, and I have to wear a jacket or something all the time. On the plus side, I imagine it will be far easier to get through the hottest days of summer in comfort. This is not a big deal at all, of course, but it amuses me and I thought it worth mentioning.

There you go, just off the top of my head. When I started this initiative, back in September 2009, I felt like I was taking the first step in climbing a mountain. To my surprise, it simply hasn’t been as hard as I thought it would be. Reflecting back over the last 6 months, they seem to have flown by, and I’ve developed new habits that have completely eclipsed the old habits, to the point where eating right and exercising doesn’t really require a lot of extra effort or discipline. In short, I want to eat right and exercise. It’s become a natural part of my routine, and it’s become easy to tell myself “no” to something that wouldn’t be good for me. It’s been more than a mere diet, it’s been a lifestyle change, and while I wish I had done it years ago, I’m glad I finally did it now. I’ll never go back to the way it used to be.

All right, 15 more pounds to go to reach my goal! A huge thanks to all my friends and family for their totally awesome support. I am so glad I announced my intentions to everyone, and the fact that everyone rallied around me has constantly inspired and motivated me. I don’t think I could have done it without all the encouragement! A special shout-out to my friend Bill for planting the seed by doing it first and gently encouraging me to join him, my friends Todd and Cory for nurturing it to bloom by doing it alongside me, and my wife Jennifer for doing it with me and losing 23 pounds herself! It is so much easier to do something like this when those you’re closest with are doing it with you; the mutual support and companionship is invaluable. Thanks all, and I promise to keep going!