How It Feels

My dear sweet blogging friend, Mrs. J., asked me to post on a few questions.  This one is from my last post, where she asks "tell us how the loss of weight makes you feel, too?! As I lost weight I felt more energy, less aches and pains ('cept from lifting wts, LOL), and so on. I know that have two little active people at home doesn't exactly give you time to notice all the changes, but I am sure you would not have the energy you do right now if you were still lugging around the extra pounds."


So, I hope I can do this justice, but I'm sure I wont. :)


How it feels...  That's a crazy question because I still bitch when I'm running, even though I've left a small person behind.  All in all, I find that I can breathe easier (although I never noticed I couldnt breathe well before) and that my joints dont ache nearly as much as they used to.  Because of the DJD in my knees, I'll always have some sort of knee pain, but what I have is minuscule compared to what I used to have.  I havent had to ice or elevate, and I havent had any swelling in a long time.  


I find that I'm faster.  Initially, I couldnt run a mile in under half an hour.  That's about 2mph...  Old ladies walk faster than that.  But I was huffing through the first quarter and then dragging my ass with something you could call a walk before trying to "jog" some more.  A lot of my speed is a result of increased cardiovascular health, but I'm sure the weight has played a role, too.  Now, my PR is a mile in 9 minutes.  Which, if you are a runner, is still slow.  My average is still about 6mph or a 10 minute mile for short runs and 5mph or about 12 minute miles for long runs.  I'm happy with that.


I find that my Irish temper is slightly better.  Only slightly, though.  I still fly off the handle.  But I'm working on it.  According to a priest I saw for confession last year, he's still working on it too.  And he's 60.  So, it's a work in progress that I dont think a few pounds will help.


I'm stronger.  Last night we were setting up some furniture and I was able to help Peter in a way that I wasn't able to do so before.  


Eating less and better also has given me some mental clarity (not too much, mind you- I'm still a Gemini through and through!) and I have less migraine headaches than I did when I was heavier.


That's all I can think of for now...  Like I said, I'm sure there's more that I'm forgetting!  Mind isn't that clear!