The Benefits of Losing Weight

Okay, I'm a white male who is slightly overweight. So far, after becoming ... The Phantom Weight Watcher! ... I have lost 14 pounds. That's pretty significant and a few people have commented on my new slimmer physique. I'm down to where I was when I left college, and I'm not stopping now -- I still have about 10 pounds until I hit a "normal" BMI and I intend to overshoot.

Nevertheless, there have been a few unexpected benefits to losing weight that I hadn't really considered before. I'll list a few of them here:

-- My clothes are baggy on me. I didn't really think losing that little weight would make a big difference, but it has! I now have to cinch my belt up one more notch tighter. For those clothes which used to be tight, they suddenly fit me quite well now.
-- My belly doesn't hang out like it used to. For a guy who jokes he's a hairy beach ape when he's seaside, that's pretty impressive. My self-consciousness has gone way down.
-- Climbing the stairs is a piece of cake now. Again, such a modest weight loss shouldn't make such a difference, but I find myself literally bounding up the stairs at home nowadays. I'm impatient by nature, and my impatience quotient just exceeded my extreme aversion to physical discomfort, and now I'm a bit more spry and just can't see wasting all that time climbing the stairs when I really want to be at the top!
-- My posture has improved and I don't have as much back pain anymore. Since back pain is what really keeps me from lifting my children, the fact it doesn't come around much anymore is very encouraging! Now, if they'd just stop getting heavier ...
-- The quantity of belly-button lint that I generate has gone down substantially. Seriously! On this topic, check out this link, where it says, in part, "Your typical generator of bellybutton lint or fluff is a slightly overweight, middle-aged male with a hairy abdomen." Um, that'd be me.

When I'm done losing weight, I'm going to train for a 5k run again. I did that a few years back (at my heavier weight) and really loved it, so I'm expecting it to be easier when I do it again. Maybe I'll even do a 10k or a half-marathon!

So, my health is improving, but it seems it really doesn't matter, 'cause I died 102 years ago ... for those who know me, do a search here and search for an obituary with my name. Quite the scandalous story!