Things I am happy about

I'm only a quarter way from my goal weight, but I just wanted to share how excited I am and the little differences I have noticed after losing 40 pounds.

- I am extremely happy that my boyfriend can actually lift me up and carry me around now. I have spent my whole life screaming at men who try to lift me as I always felt too embarrassed that they'd know how heavy I really was. Now I don't stop asking to be carried, I just squeal and giggle every time he does.

- I haven't lost a size yet, but my clothes either fit better or getting loose. I am thrilled because I used to cram my chubby arms in coats and cardigans trying to deny that I needed to shop in the plus size shops. In fact I'd cram as much to my best ability as I could in my clothes purely because I didn't want to go up a size. I am really excited to go down a size and go to shops that I avoided because I knew I couldn't squeeze myself into their biggest size. I am excited for cute clothes, and feeling cute.

- I am more flexible! Maybe because my fat disappeared and doesn't hinder my movements as much anymore, but I almost feel like an acrobat now. I actually like yoga now because I seem less conscious about my rolls and chub getting in the way.

- I squeeze myself into small spaces just to get a feel of how much smaller I am. I only noticed I lost weight when my thighs stopped touching the sides of a seat I had often avoided. I was livid and ran out to tell my whole family, and dragged them outside just to show how much I can wiggle around.

- I can cross my legs... almost! I have to lean to the side a little bit but they cross nonetheless! Can't wait for the sexy leg cross with my girlfriends while having coffee.

- Male strangers don't ignore me anymore! I am getting so much attention I almost feel awkward and socially inept because I felt like I missed this fundamental stage of growing up. The only male stranger attention I got was creepy cat calling and being called a fat **** out the car window. But now I get free drinks, phone numbers and genuinely nice conversations. I get all excited at the attention in the moment, but the best attention is from myself and my partner because I feel so much more confident in my sexuality. I even started wearing lingerie, I will slowly throw my fat girl panties out!

- I feel more energized, my feet don't kill me after a 10 hour shift. Feeling this energetic and confident about my body actually makes me exercise more because I'm fitter so it feels easier. The confidence and empowerment is so different from the uncertainty and discomfort from pulling your clothes away from your rolls and wondering how comical you must look to ongoing traffic. I would just imagine them all laughing at me in their cars, but now I don't even have those thoughts.

I honestly can't wait until I am at my goal weight, I don't even dread the scales anymore because I just think the number is only going to keep going down as long as I believe in myself. If I feel this great from such a tiny loss, I can't even imagine how I'd feel at maintenance. I hope these small changes encourage you to keep chasing your goals and dreams, because you are worthy of better health.