Butterfly

As I write, I'm a teary eyed mess. Yesterday, I posted the photos (below) on the Farewell Fatso Facebook page. Soon thereafter, comments started pouring in.

"You were always beautiful...Now you're GORGEOUS!! Inside and out my dear!..." ~April M.
" Amazing transformation!" ~Debbie H.
"You look AMAZING!! Not just your quest for physical fitness, but from the look on your face on your "NOW" picture, it is obvious you are finding fulfillment on the INSIDE as well!" ~Michelle N.

As I read the comments and glanced at the photos it came over me...I've changed. I've really, really changed. All of me has changed.

I looked at the photos one-by-one. I wept and wept. Tears of sadness, joy, and triumph. All that I've endured, all the changes I've made to get to where I am today. The changes with food: How I interact with it, prepare it, and what I eat. I discovered, I love carrots. Raw carrots. The changes to my social life: I no longer shy away from social events or settings. Instead, I'm out and about -- here, there, everywhere. The changes to my physical activity level: Now, I workout regularly and I take the stairs because I can. And the biggest change of all: The internal change. I say this all the time, battling obesity requires a real deep look within. It wasn't or isn't just about the physical weight. I had to change my attitude, my outlook, and by doing so I've turned a whole lot of negatives into a whole lot of positives.  "Your new name is butterfly," my girlfriend Jeannine wrote after seeing my Facebook post. So appropriate. So true. This has been quite a transformation. I've spread my wings. I'm like a butterfly.