Progress updates!

I've been feeling really light lately.  Light in my spirit, and physically lighter.  I've lost almost 50 pounds so far, and there are a couple of really nice new experiences that I thought I'd share.

• When I put on my older shirts, they feel heavier, and I notice how they drape loosely on me.  I love it :-)
• I have happily retired several items of clothing and I look forward to donating them.
• I am officially in a size where I can buy clothes in most stores!  I don't have to look in the plus size section anymore, and shopping has become a completely new experience.  I used to only shop when one of my standard clothing items wore out.  I had some basic professional clothing that I had been wearing for the past 7 years.  Now I am starting to LOVE venturing into clothing stores just to see what clothes look like on my newly shaped body.
• I can stretch farther and in new ways when I'm in my water aerobics class.  The "junk in my trunk" prevented me from reaching behind my back to stretch, and this week I was able to do it for the first time.  
• People are noticing, especially my hubby :-)  I have inspired him to focus on his diet and exercise so we are changing together.  I hadn't posted a picture on Facebook in a while, and when I posted this one, someone commented on my weight loss.  It was really wonderful!

My great-nephew and I are comfy in our chair.

• In the picture above, I was sitting on one of those resin Adirondack chairs.  Normally, it would be quite wobbley and a tight fit.  I felt very comfortable in this chair and it was such a relief not to feel that stress about fitting or causing it to collapse.  Freedom!

I've updated my Progress in Pictures, though I think it shows only gradual progress, and I have to admit, that I'm terrible at adding slides to this post.  I'm trying not to distort the original picture, but they aren't perfect - as I try to make all the mug shots look similar. I will probably opt for more "real" shots in the future.

I hope all of you are feeling the lightness of Spring (or energy of Fall in the case of those readers south of the equator) wherever you are on your weight loss journey.  Thanks for stopping by!