Today's Surreality

On my way in to work today, as I passed by the counter of one of the businesses in the lowest level of the building in which I work, I was stopped by the owner.  He complimented me on my weight loss and then he asked me how I was doing it.  He said that he wanted to shed some weight himself and then he told me that he didn't eat dinner last night.  I told him that was the worst thing he could do because the weight always come back that way.  He needed to eat leaner meats, watch his sugar and get some exercise.  I advised him to start walking.  It is free and it is easy and nearly everyone can do it barring some serious condition.  He thanked me and I went on my way.

I get these kinds of inquiries all the time now.  It really is surreal to think that I am that someone that other people think to ask for advice.  They look to ME for motivation.  They think I know what I am doing.  It feels good.  I know that I've done the work to get to this point, but I always have the thought wiggling around in the back of my mind "how did this happen?"

Before I finally found whatever it is that I needed to do this I would read blogs such as PastaQueen and DietGirl and marvel at their success.  It seemed unreal to me that this was possible - breaking free of the prison that is morbid obesity.  The woman inside of me was trapped and screaming to get out.  The shell I existed in was not me.  It was a hideous enclosure that hid the real me from the world.

This isn't to say that I am not grateful for the miraculous changes that have occurred.  I am just having a really hard time making an adjustment to them.  This new reality is still blindingly bright and quite surreal.