Alright. I’m not a saint, I’m not eating perfectly well every single day, I do have my moments of weaknesses when I still give in (much to my dismay) to cravings. However, generally speaking, it’s a fact that my lifestyle has improved tremendously compared to what it used to be when I wasn’t taking care of my health at all… and one very good thing is that the consequences of this don’t “only” appear in the weight loss itself. All in all, this is pretty much encouraging on many accounts!
First thing, I think I’m starting to look younger than my age. It’s a bit weird for me, for I’m not exactly used to this - I’d be more used to looking older, the exact way it’s been through all my teens, given how early puberty hit me. Anyway. I now get people ringing at the door asking to talk to my parents, which leaves me dumbstruck, to say the least; I’m sure not old, but either all 26-years old people are expected to still live at their parents’, or I really doesn’t look my age. It may, of course, be a simple consequence from the weight loss, my face having lost its puffiness and my overall attitude being really more bouncy than before. Whatever goes, I suppose.
Second simple external sign: my skin looks better. Actually, for the first time in decades, it almost looks pretty (is this an appropriate word for skin?). No more of these dreaded small pimples that’d be here all the time and look even worse right before getting my period, no more greasy-looking nose and forehead… How funny, that I couldn’t notice it myself, but that people who haven’t seen me in months, like my sister, can point it immediately. I know that this is none of my doing, as I don’t make any particular effort such as applying creams or masks (okay, I evidently do wash my face every day, but if this was the universal solution to everyone’s pimples, we’d know it!). Getting on the pill two years ago sure had improved this condition, yet it had never been to such an extent. I can now see only one real explanation, save for some kind of miracle - I’m getting more nutrients, more vitamins and less crappy things through my “new regimen”. Probably I’m also getting more exposure to the sun, the right way, due to being more active outside; it can’t hurt, as long as it’s not overdone.
Of course… the better and most enjoyable consequence remains my increased energy and strongerhealth. As I wrote above, I’m bouncy. I bounce when getting up or down the stairs, I tend to bounce when I walk… I’m feeling constantly energized, and on the days when I’m tired, a good night of sleep is now enough to erase it all. It’s like all the nervous tiredness was waning, now that it’s faced with regular exercise. My sleep is also of better quality; even though I wake up in the middle of the night, every night (hey, all this recommended added water sure needs to get out somehow), I don’t feel tired in the morning. “Sleeping like a baby” would be the word.
Then, I’m healing more quickly than before. When a simple cold used to last a good three weeks, spent gobbling down various medication to no avail, it now gets better in a few days only. I’m lucky enough to have a naturally strong health, but colds had always been my weak spot, and I was dreading them terribly every winter, piling up three, four or five of them for weeks. Can’t say that I regret them! Here also - vitamins and good nutrients, anyone? I can certainly see a correlation!
When losing weight was a great motivator for me to start this healthier living style, there are moments when I think that it now looks like an added bonus, rather than a motivating engine. I know that I need to keep clear thoughts about this, about how I now feel, compared to what it was, what I was, before. There will still be setbacks and moments of discouragement, there will very likely be at least a few plateaus on the road, during which I’ll need all my mental strength and commitment in order to hold good and not give up thinking that it’s over, that I can’t lose weight anymore. This is why I must focus on the good consequences - to overshadow the bad parts.
Tell you what, girl - the better health that came along with the weight loss IS priceless. Even when comes the day when I can’t lose anymore, I’ll go on no matter what, for this simple pleasure of feeling physically well!
