I remember reading this thread and being so envious that my eyes probably turned green. I soooo wanted to be able to talk about what it feels like to be 100 pounds lighter. I yearned to know what it would be like to get out of that prison of flab and just live in the world as a regular person that doesn't get the pitying looks or suffer the terrible moments of self awareness at grocery stores, restaurants, swimming pools etc. I so desperately wanted to get out of bed and feel like attacking the day rather than surviving it.

Well, I am there. I am up early every morning with a bounce, I wear clothes that actually fit me rather than the over sized stuff I was hiding in before. I chuckle now when I go to the grocery store and people eye my bacon and cheese filled cart with disdain. I get an especially good kick out of it when they people are heavier than me and have their cart filled with lean cuisines and whole grain junk.

Oh yeah, there are people that are heavier than me now. I take no pleasure in their pain but it is nice to not be that person anymore.

I bound up and down stairs. I play catch with my wife in the park near our house, I am not afraid to go to sporting events or fly (without a seat belt extender no less).

I don't lie awake at night listening to every sound or feeling my body makes worrying that it could be the beginning of a heart attack. I wear jeans, I shave regularly because frankly I have a nice face and feel comfortable showing it off.

I am pursuing my dream of being a chef. I am in culinary school and working in a production kitchen all ready. I could not have done this before my weight loss. My ankles and feet would never have stood up to the pounding I give them now.

I truly feel like I have been let out of prison. I can't wait to see what it feels like to reach my goal.