As of my last weigh in (which I do every day with Noom) I dipped below 260 pounds for the first time in years. Since I started my (latest) weight loss journey at over 280 pounds, that means I've shed over 20 pounds.
Here are six things that have happened since losing 20 pounds:
I snore less
I have to take my wife's word for it, of course, but she says that I'm snoring less than I used to.
It used to be that I would drive her out of the bedroom with my snoring. She would go downstairs on the living room couch — and she could still hear me upstairs. Not good!
Not snoring as badly is a virtuous cycle. Better sleep encourages better weight loss, which encourages even better sleep, and so forth.
I don't hurt as much
I still get sore if I walk around a lot or stand around a lot, but going up and down stairs is noticeably easier. My back, feet, and knees can take my movements more in stride.
This is another virtuous cycle. Hurting less means that I can move more, which improves my health and encourages more weight loss.
My cheeks have more definition
This was actually the first thing my wife noticed. It happened maybe at about 10 pounds off.
When I was up at 280+ pounds, my face was really round. It looked like Captain B. McCrea's face from WALL-E.
After losing 20 pounds, though, I'm getting definition in my cheekbones. It's the first outward hint that I'm actually losing weight.
My clothes fit better
I currently wear 40-30 jeans. At the start of my weight loss program, those jeans were almost too small. Getting those jeans buttoned after they had just been washed and dried was … an adventure.
I resisted getting 42-30 jeans, but it wouldn't have been long before I had no choice.
I'm not down to 38-30 jeans yet, but it's no longer a chore to button my 40s.
Additionally, some of my T-shirts were getting way too tight around the stomach. I had started buying 3XL tees and those fit all right, but the 2XLs were more sausage casings than clothes. The 2XLs are fitting a bit better now.
Eventually, getting down to XL size would be great, because the larger sizes cost more money.
Hugs are easier
My wife and I are both “physical touch” people so we hug each other a lot (among other things).
At 280+, she could still wrap her arms around me, but she could only hook her index fingers behind my back. It tickled her when she could interlock all of her fingers.
It's not painful to look in a mirror anymore
My daughter is fifteen and an athlete. She's drawn to mirrors like flies are drawn to cow pies.
Prior to starting my weight loss program with Noom, looking in the mirror was something I avoided most of the time. I could brush things off most of the time, but seeing myself heavier than I'd ever been in my life was painful.
Though I still have a long way to go, I'm headed in the right direction, and that's good to see.