by Dean0408 » April 13th, 2005, 8:49 pm
The Donna confusion is understandable. One is Doglover and the other is dlr2424. The DLR almost looks like an abbreviation for doglover. I am going to guess that DLR are your initials Donna (the Donna from R.I. that is). If that is the case, then you could be Donna R......or Rhode Island Donna.......sort of like Boston Rob on Survivor (and now on Amazing Race). When there were two Rob's on the show, he became Boston Rob. I never get you confused though........I know which Donna is which.
You are right Scrabbler, I should list some differences I have noticed now that I am more than 20 pounds lighter and three inches smaller in the waist. (actually, almost 4 inches).
Remembering that I pretty much just needed to get rid of a gut that I had somehow grown, the biggest thing I have noticed is how much easier it is to bend over and tie my shoes. A second thing is how much easier it is to do sit ups and crunches.
I also have a lot more flexibility. I can swing a golf club or a softball bat with much better form.
I have tons more jeans, shorts, shirts and suits that I can wear without even having to buy any new ones. In other words, I can once again wear the things I couldn't button just a few short weeks ago.
I can run faster, walk further and can do more push ups because there is less to push up. I can do these things without breathing nearly as hard as before.
When men have a protruding gut that is hard to the touch, (beer belly type), it means that the fat is beneath the stomach muscles and is actually pushing on your internal organs. This type of fat is much more dangerous to your health than surface flab. Your heart, lungs and other organs need room to do their job. It is hard to take a deep breath with this kind of fat. I can breathe MUCH easier now.
I can stand up straighter and actually feel taller (my wife said I even seemed taller when we were standing and talking the other day). I guess the big gut was causing me to slouch forward or something.
I don't have to try and hold my stomach in anymore when speaking to people, going into a store or passing a pretty woman on the street. This is a very good thing, because trying to suck in a gut is very tiring and sometimes the gut wins at the most inopportune moments.
When I go to the grocery store to buy water, I am not stopped by security and accused of stealing watermellons and hiding them under my shirt.
I can go to the doctor for a checkup and have her say.........You are losing weight! Great job!.........instead of.......you have gained a lot of weight since your last check up. ( then she goes through a list of all the bad things that being overweight can cause). I like it better when she tells me about all the good things that are happening because I lost weight. She likes it better too. I can tell.
The weight problem was something fairly recent for me. I was always somewhat self confident in the past..........but I have to say that I lost a lot of that self confidence when I knew I just plain did not look like I was in shape. (especially from the side when I would forget or be too tired to hold in that gut) Once your belt buckle starts pointing to the floor.....and your pants start riding a little lower in the front (in order to avoid the ever expanding equator that was once a trim waist and flat stomach), the way you feel about yourself changes......and in my case, not for the better. I love feeling better about myself again. It just plain makes the day go better and it is easier to look people in the eye, flash them a smile and give them a heartfelt "Good Morning!".......or "How's it going?".
.....and the best thing of all is that when I hug my wife, I can hold her much closer..........just the way it used to be. Mr. Belly no longer stands between us.
I started at just about 245 pounds. 210-215 is about as far as I want to go, any more and people will start to kick sand in my face at the beach. I am currently at 219, having had one of those dreaded plateau weeks last week.
The road to Thinville has it's share of potholes and even detours sometimes........but once we all arrive, I know we will want to take up permanent residence. I never want to live in Bigbellyburg again!
Dean