When people talk about weight loss, there’s a divide in opinion. So many people say to disregard what the scale says and focus on other factors that have more of an impact on your happiness. I personally find the numbers on the scale highly motivating. It scares me that I may in fact be a “numbers person”. I’m still never going into accounting.
But as of late, I’m finding that many non-number benefits are stacking up, and honestly, it feels pretty great.
The scale tells me I’ve lost 25 lbs. My weigh-in history tells me that I’m lighter than I’ve been since 2010 – a fact that surprises me, but shouldn’t. I’m really happy with this progress, and the speed that it is occurring. It’s a relatively moderate pace but I think it’s maintainable and I just keep telling myself that I just have to keep going. My goal is to get to 188 lbs which is another 46 lbs away. A long way to go, but I’m more than a third of the way there!
The non-scale variables have been adding up as of late! Here’s a quick summary:
- People are commenting on my weight loss! A good family friend says I’m looking fit, one of my fiancee’s dancer friends says she doesn’t recognize me, and my future mother in law is telling random strangers that I’ve lost “a tonne of weight”.
- My jeans are too big for me – I had to go shopping and buy some jeans that fit my new smaller waist-line
- I fit into my High School graduation suit. I can’t believe I’ve come that far, in fact I had thought that I would never fit that suit again. But it fits and looks and feels great.
- I fit into clothes at Lulu Lemon and the Gap. I used to hate shopping and avoid trying on clothes at any store especially trendy ones because I knew nothing would fit with fewer than three X’s. I found the experience demoralizing and uncomfortable. But now my fiancee is encouraging me to try new clothes, and I love them. They make me look and feel great.
- I can tie the gym towels around my waist. I always hated the gym towels – I made fun of them for being ridiculously small, and when I walked to the shower I would have to hold both ends of the towel in one hand to keep it on. Now I can tie the towel around my waist and comfortably walk to the showers, hands free!
- I feel happier. I saw a counselor six months ago for depression and to work on my binge eating. He simply told me that exercise 3 times a week is as effective as most pharmaceutical anti-depressants. I’m feeling happier, healthier, and way less bingier.
All in all, my life is improving from this weight loss journey. I’m enjoying the process, and it’s amazing that I’m starting to enjoy the results of it, too. I hope that the next time I feel discouraged or I fall out of my healthy-living routine that I can look back and remember all the benefits of committing to a lifestyle change and be motivated by this feeling.
What are some of the things that you notice when you get healthier? Are you more motivated by the numbers on the scale or the other factors?
Fatness to Fitness 