My weight loss is completely changing my life.
I was picking up dinner Sunday night and saw a lady I know (or knew) pretty well. While I haven’t seen her since about Christmas, I had seen her pretty consistently the months prior to our hiatus. I was the head coach for a youth football team in the fall of 2008 and she was the “team’s mom.” She acted as the liaison between myself and the football league (NCFA), handled the contacting of parents, organized team parties, etc.
I made our team of 10-13 year olds (Go Panthers!) practice for 2 hours on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday with games on Sunday. Naturally, I spent a lot of time with the team mom making sure everything ran smoothly.
When I saw her this weekend, though, she didn’t know who I was.
I stared at her from 3 feet away and said hello as she looked square back at me, but she just didn’t recognize me. After a few awkward seconds, I told her my name and she replied (stunned):
You don’t look like the same person.
I couldn’t do anything but smile. And give out my blog address, of course.
Granted, it could’ve been the shirt I was wearing. The pants, perhaps. Or maybe, it could’ve been the fact I’ve lost 10 inches from my waist in the past 6 months and the XL shirt I was wearing was loose on me — down from a 4X.
On second thought, it could’ve been my new haircut.
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
Yup, it must’ve been the haircut.
Seriously, though, in addition to the incredible weight loss, I’m sure your carriage has changed significantly and you’re holding yourself an entirely different way now.
Cheering you on as you look to dip below 250!
That is absolutely wonderful! The feedback from friends and family has really kept me going. I’ve even had quasi-strangers call me SKINNY! (I am definitely not skinny, and definitely not trying to be skinny). I am fairly certain that I have always looked like the same person, yet I’ve gone from 166 pre-pregnancy to 220 the day I gave birth, and down to 143 from there. I definitely FEEL like a different person. And I love it. Keep pressing on!
Great feeling, isn’t it? I call it validation for all of the sacrifices :)
WOW! You dropped 10 inches around your waist in 6 months?!! That has to be some sorta record! :)
That is so great! Congrats on all your success…your blog is so motivating to get my butt to the gym everyday!
You know, that still is a boost for me. When you see someone and they go, “If I had seen you on the street I wouldn’t have recognized you!” I almost seek out people to surprise.
I didn’t even have as dramatic of a drop as you have. I dropped from 235 to 185. When you are under 200, just think of the responses you will get.
I’ve been at my 185 for a year now, I’m running outta people to surprise =(
You look different but you were always good-looking. Hey, guess what? I got on the elliptical today. :-) Gotta do something. You’re starting to make me look bad. I love you! We can’t wait to see you when you get home.
I’ve had that happen with much smaller weight losses. It always cracks me up… and is a sobering reminder that I can’t let things slide “just a little” without paying a real price. I think he biggest cause is that I can wear better clothes better. We aren’t talking about high-end clothes either, just moving from the Big&Tall section to the regular section at JCPenney or Target.
I can’t wait for the day that I can say an “XL is loose” on me.
It’s coming, brother.
What a nice post from your wife. You’ve got a great support system, don’t you? That’s awesome. (o:
Nice to hear from your wife on here. I hope she’ll post more often about her view from the “other side,” lol. And congrats on the “I didn’t recognize you” reaction. I’ve had a couple of those so far, and they feel fantastic :-)
Hey Tyler — I’ve been following your journey via google reader for a few months now. Your transformation has been incredible to witness — and I am not just talking about your body. Succeeding at this has opened up a desire in you for more, to do more, to be more active in your whole life and reach for something that truly matters to you. A few posts back you talked about your job and how you are unhappy there doing whatever it is you do. You expressed a desire to reach out and blog more. And it got me to wondering what you are going to do once you reach your target weight. Have you thought about different ways you can reach out to people and inspire them with your story? Perhaps it involves a career change centered on fitness: a gym teacher (any age would love you I bet) or become a physical therapist or personal trainer specializing in helping people that are morbidly obese. You’ve already changed your own life so much, and people you don’t even know are inspired by your blog. What comes after your reach your target weight goals? How far can you go? How do you keep this motivation going? I wish you the best of luck. KEEP GOING! You are touching lives by letting us all be a part of your journey.