“You Must Feel So Much Better”

Many fat and thin friends alike say the same thing to me about losing weight.  “You must feel so much better.”

The answer is actually, “No.”  See, I did not feel badly before.  My knees are good, thanks to not much overuse since childhood.  My big bones are strong and have been highly developed from having to carry my body around all these years.  My hips are fine, not a click or hitch in any of my giddy-up.

My internal numbers are good too.  I have unbelievably low cholesterol and blood pressure.  My only bad number was the one on the scale.

When you feel good to start and lose about 2 pounds a week you don’t really notice the change.  Now if I strapped a forty-pound bag of flour on me and had to run around I am sure I would say it was harder, but I know I could still do it.  I lift much more than 40 pounds at the gym.

I am sure it makes people feel better to look at me, but the view and feel from the inside of me is the same.  I am not discounting the fact that eventually something would give way on my body and I would feel worse, but as of right now I feel the same lighter as I did heavier.

Perhaps if something did hurt I might have not gotten in this position.  All this is to say, even if you feel great it is better for you to be closer to an ideal weight.  You don’t have to wait until you feel bad to lose weight.  That day might not come in time to do anything about it.