E-N-E-R-G-Y

145 pounds ago, I ached. A lot. My lower back was chronically in pain. A trip to the grocery store would fill me with dread. I knew before I'd make it through the whole store, I'd be in pain. My lower back would go numb from the pain.

My husband and son would ask me to do things. Walk around the mall. Take a walk through the park. Explore the neighborhood. Anything. My answer was always the same. No. I'd find any excuse. I have a headache. My back hurts. I'm tired. Let's watch a movie instead. I'd say anything - do anything, to not be physical. God forbid I move my fat ass. 

Same goes for cleaning. I never had the energy to clean my house. I'm not talking about a casual tidy up job. I mean like on my hands and knees scrubbing the toilet, or mopping the floor type cleaning. I just couldn't do it.

So much has changed. 

I invited my mom over for Easter dinner, so knowing this, I know I need to get my house clean. Normally, I'd rely on my husband and son to handle it for me. But I've been a productive gal this week. I started in my foyer closet. I tossed 5 garbage bags full of old coats, shoes, etc.  **Side note - I've always heard people mention that when they've lost weight, they've gone down in shoe size. I have yet to experience this. Or so I thought. I have a pair of slip on sneakers I keep by the door. My husband always throws them on when he runs outside to check the mail. I noticed that they were really loose and I figured he stretched them out. Then I tried on a brand new pair of sandals I had tucked away in my closet, and a favorite pair of leather sandals from last year. Both are too big, slightly so in length, but in the girth of my foot.  Who knew??  Anyhow, after cleaning my closet, I organized it and mopped our foyer. It's never looked better!

Today was living room and bathroom day.  I scrubbed the bathroom top to bottom, and it finally smells great!  (I live with 2 boys - need I say more??)  My living room is vacuumed, tidied up and looks fantastic. And I still had energy to spare. 

We live in a 2-story townhouse and I have to tell you, I always hated running up and down the stairs. I no longer get winded. I now run up and down my stairs with ease. And I'm no longer too lazy to not make multiple trips. I'm no longer too lazy to avoid doing something myself, because I'm too fat or too stubborn to just get off my ass.

One thing I'm struggling with still is clothes sizes. I'm still reaching for the largest size on the shelf. I needed new pajamas so bad, because everything I own is 2-4 sizes too big. 4X pants no longer work for me and fall right down. So, at Walmart today, I immediately wanted to reach for the 4X size. I had them in my cart and had to stop myself from walking away, because I knew they'd be too big.  I also picked up a pair of spandex capri work out pants. I need some compression pants and a compression top so when I jog, my fat stops clapping for me. I figured ok, 2X spandex pants, (they look small on the hanger); they'll work. I figured no way will a 2X fit me, from not the plus size section, from the regular women's section. So, I was hoping those would work for me as compression pants. Nope. They fit me like a glove. This size thing is a challenge, and it shouldn't be, but it is!