After my last weigh-in, I thought about all the things I'd do once the extra weight was gone, but also what I've accomplished since I started this journey. So here are a few self-realizations:
I'd lost 52 pounds. That's more than a bulk bag of flour.
My knees stopped hurting. I still have osteoarthritis in my hips, but I can walk longer and farther now. I don't need the motorized carts to go shopping anymore! Why is that exciting? Because shopping was becoming so painful, I refused to go into the stores anymore. I limited myself to staying in the car and letting my family do the shopping. Even doing fun shopping like clothing or craft supplies was near torture because they didn't have motorized carts, or they only had wheelchairs that required someone else to push.
Showering is no longer the ordeal it used to be. Of course, the tub rim at this new house is high (the old house had a walk-in shower stall), but other than bending my knees a bit past my comfort zone, I can stand without pain and reach a lot more places than I used to.
I'm starting to like clothes again. I was never a clotheshorse, but I hated looking in the mirror and seeing nothing but fat tucked into straining fabrics. I just put on what used to be a very tight pair of insulated leggings, and to my delight, found I could slip them on with barely a wiggle!
My face is thinner. My cheekbones are more prominent than before, and I can see a significant difference in my chin and neck. My face lights up when I smile now, and I don't see the top of my cheeks as much when I do. Also, my reading glasses aren't smudged by pudgy eyelids anymore (I didn't even know your eyelids could lose weight!), and I'm beginning to see more definition in my jawline.
My husband can reach entirely around my waist and touch hands now! I also can touch bones that I knew were there but were too...um...insulated for me to feel them. I definitely see a difference in my waist-to-hip ratio, and my feet aren't swollen like over-inflated footballs. In fact, all the swelling in my body is gone!
I'm more active and looking forward to being outside when the weather warms, just to go for a walk or even do some spring chores like sweeping and clearing away last years' leaves.
How awesome is that?
The mindset is so different from before IFing, but also since the last time I was my current weight. I want to do active things. I want to go out for walks and shop in stores for extended periods. I want to savor the pace of a stroll as I peruse the craft store shelves without having to worry if there's seating nearby. I want to dig up the weeds outside our house and plant herbs and flowers.
And I'm starting to enjoy the idea of working behind the counter when we open our bakery!
The attitude has done a complete one-eighty. I know I can lose weight. I know I'll be more fit and healthy. I know I'll be more active and happier as the pounds go down.
Like that old 80's song, 'the future's so bright, I gotta wear shades'- with no eyelid smudges!
If you're IFing, what positive changes have you noticed about yourself? I'd love for you to share in the comments!
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