Day 61: It's The Little Things That Count

I’m use to expecting the big changes that are occuring to me during this program, like lost weight and new clothing sizes, that sometimes the teeny little ones sneak up and surprise me. It’s not that the big ones are any better than the little ones, as both have equal merit—it’s just that the big ones are many times more noticeable than the little ones.

Observation: The weather is progressing to a more autumn feel. That means longer nights and cooler temperatures. For the past couple of days, my feet and hands have been absolutely freezing. The last time I experienced this was way back many years ago when I was a lot thinner. On one hand, it’s nice to be reminded that I am getting slimmer. On the other hand, my hands and feet are ice cold! I guess I’ll need to start digging out my mittens for Halloween.

Observation: I have a boney backside. 'Nuff said.

Observation: For many years I was drinking soy milk because my body was having issues with cow’s milk. Some people say I’m lactose intolerant; I would say I was lactose confused. Not all dairy products bothered me. Cow’s milk was bad. Yogurt was good. Melted cheddar cheese was bad. Hard cheddar cheese was good. Breyer’s all-natural ice cream was bad. Generic ice cream loaded with all sorts of multi-syllable chemical names was good. However, that seems to be changing now. I can drink 2% cow’s milk with no problems whatsoever, which I think is just amazing after years of not being able to have it. I know my grocery budget is happy about it. (No need to have two different kinds of milk in the house!)

Observation: I haven’t felt the familiar pull to devour candy, cookies, or other snack foods for quite some time. In fact, last night I made a batch of chocolate chip cookies for my partner, using three bars of organic gourmet free-trade chocolate in place of the chips. Not once was I tempted to sample the batter, lick my fingers, or test “just one” cookie. He had a treat to take in to work and I got the chocolate bars out of the house. Amazingly enough, I placed those bars in the cabinet a few weeks before I started PCP just in case I “needed” something to snack on. I realized that I never really needed them at all.

Observation: Today I when looked in the mirror, I just realized that those annoying “love handles” are missing. Oh, there’s a miniscule bulge there but it’s nothing like the great mounds of flesh that use to wave “good morning” at me. I don’t know why I hadn’t noticed it before, but let me tell you it put a little extra spring in my step as I walked out the door on my way to work.

Yeah, big changes are the things that will get noticed by the world, but sometimes it’s those little things that mean the most.