New Things to See

I've been on a quest to lose weight since March 2005. Since then, I've lost about 80 pounds and, as of today, about 10 inches off of my waist.

But until this week, I still felt like a fat person.

My perception of my own body is so skewed that I have a hard time focusing on the aspects of my body that have improved, and still primarily see the imperfections.

Don't get me wrong -- I'm by no means svelte, and I do have several pounds to go. However, in the past week I've really started to notice some positive changes in my body. Last night I was having my hair cut, and sat in front of a full length mirror for about half an hour. While sitting there, staring at myself in the mirror, I noticed how much definition I'm getting in my neck. I also noticed how powerful my forearms are starting to look. There are veins and sinews visible that previously were hidden. The other morning I was stretching while standing in front of the bathroom mirror, and I noticed that I have nooks and crevices in places where I haven't previously, as pretty much all the natural concavities of my body were covered in fat.

It's a pretty great feeling, seeing these changes. It's really reinvigorated me, and so did fitting into a pair of jeans tonight smaller than I've worn since I was in middle school. I'm about 34 pounds away from my goal weight, and I hope to be there by March -- the two year point. God willing and if the creek don't rise, I'll be looking for some new clothes in spring.