You're So Vain... And So TRIM!

I've lost about 45 pounds this year (I can hear you clapping - thank you). And I'm extremely proud of myself for doing so. I weigh around 235 pounds, and I feel great about it. That's a total loss of 90 pounds since my highest weight six years ago. But I've made a few observations that I'd like to share with you today.

First of all, everyone wants to know how I've done it.  And invariably, they're upset at my answer. I think it's because they expect me to say, "Oh it was easy! All I did was switch to sugar-free gum and the weight just melted off!" And then they could either lament the fact that men lose weight easier, or they could say, "Oh, I can do that!" But my short answer is essentially "diet and exercise." And my long answer is, "Well, I work out 4 to 6 times a week, and I eat as little as humanly possible. I substitute meals with fruit smoothies, I don't drink soda, and I eat the majority of my calories earlier in the day." But people don't like hearing that. They want to hear how easy it is. And I think it's because they like feeling incredulous and/or motivated. An explanation of how difficult it is just bores them.

My second observation about weight loss is this; I'm an extremely vain person. And it took losing some weight to realize that. I have tried every possible way to bring up my new weight loss. I post on Facebook about it. I tell people I meet that they've missed out on my transformation. And I pretty much annoy everybody around me with unwanted updates about it. I'm even blogging about it right now. It's so bad that I even considered posting a picture of myself on this blog... something I vowed never to do. (If I ever become famous, I'll give you guys a before/after to ogle at.)

And lastly, I've observed that a lower number does not make for a muscular, in-shape Taylor. I always thought if I could get back down to around 230 that I'd be happy with the way I look. But part of the aging process is apparently the fact that a weight range doesn't equal a specific physique. The first time I hit 235 pounds (on the way up the chart), I wasn't nearly this flabby or bumpy. It doesn't quite come off the way it was added on. So my journey is not over. I'd like to get down to 200 pounds. I could look really good at that weight. And yes, I know that's incredibly vain.