Skinnier than I used to be

In case you haven't been following along over the past couple of months, I'm on a journey to get healthy again and reclaim the man I used to be. But there is a problem I have with losing weight. Perhaps some of you have experience this as well.

I see myself in the mirror every day. And, as far as I can observe, I don't look any different. Every morning when I wake up and jump out of the shower, standing in front of the mirror as I brush my teeth, I look at the same figure I've always known. I still appear to be just as chunky as I don't want to be. I still have my gut. I still have the jowls.

Yet, I am shedding pounds. Slowly the weight is coming off. How do I know?

1. The Belt.

This one.

That's four holes less than where I started. That's four holes skinnier than I used to be. One more hole left in this belt. After that, I'll either need to punch new holes or get a new belt.

2. The Scale.

When I started my weight loss adventure, I weighed 216 pounds. 211 when I started tracking my weight on a daily basis.

I love this. In previous attempts to lose weight, 200 pounds was an invisible barrier that I couldn't pass no matter how health I ate or how much I exercised. I've now smashed that wall. I am still not where I want to be, but I am 24 pounds skinnier than I used to be.

3. The Pants.

I'll spare you pictures of this one. But my favorite jeans - ones that were a loose fit when I got them - now fit like wide leg cut jeans. A couple of other jeans (a relaxed fit and a straight leg) both fit more like skinny jeans. Now they fit like they're supposed to.

I'm skinnier in my jeans than I used to be.

4. The Appetite.

Funny thing. I just can't eat as much as I used to ingest. I get fuller faster.

My stomach thinks I'm skinnier than I used to be.

5. The Kids.

Even if I'm not able to visibly notice the difference, my kids can. Christian points it out to me. He has been one of my biggest motivators over the past couple months. Zu thinks I'm losing weight, but "just a little." And JJ, well, he just smiles and laughs at me.

The kids know I'm skinnier than I used to be.


24 pounds down and 42 to go. Anyone else working toward a skinnier and healthier version of themselves?