- I feel better; that’s an obvious plus. I have more energy, I sleep better, I move better, and I can even keep up playing with my 5-yr-old (for a time, I am only human). My blood pressure levels are better than ever, and my resting heart rate went from high-80s to right around 60. I also no longer look at staircases with a feeling of hatred and resentment. These, I’m told, are all good things.
- I look better, and I take way better selfies. Proof:
- I’ve reset my relationship with food. That’s not to say I don’t still crave things at times, but I used to eat to feel better, or when I was stressed out. Then I just started eating all the time – I didn’t even notice it. By forcing myself to follow a meal plan to the letter, I noticed more and more the desire to reach out for snacks when certain things happened or emotions arose. Did I still reach out for the snacks? Sometimes I did – but for celery or broccoli instead of chips or candy.
- It’s still shocking to look in the mirror. Not all the time, but sometimes I’ll look in the mirror and just be stunned for a moment while I realize the face and body I see are not the face and body in my mind’s eye. That leads me to…
- I still think I’m massively overweight. That’s why the mirror still confuses me at times; I don’t see the ‘new’ me in my mind’s eye. I graduated highschool at over 300lbs, so I’ve got a lot of conditioning of how I look to overcome.
- People (strangers) look me in the eye more, and are generally nicer to me.There’s not much to really add to this. I used to notice people averting their eyes, trying not to look/stare, and being largely (haha) dismissive of me. It’s disappointing that it’s a real thing, and that I’ve noticed it so clearly, but it is what it is.