So It Turns Out Dieting Makes You LOOK Good, Too...

I know this probably doesn't come as a surprise to anyone but me, but I've never been particularly looks-focused. I'm not a girl who wears nail polish or enjoys shopping for clothing. I can go from sound asleep to out the door in minutes, and I don't carry make-up unless I'm traveling for work. The whole appearance thing just isn't often on my radar. Until recently.

A lot of people start out dieting to get down a dress size or look good in a bathing suit or some such thing and then report happily that they FEEL great. I started out intending to improve my health and lower my blood pressure and cholesterol, and now I'm here to report happily that I LOOK great.

I'm pretty sure I've never said that before in my life, although once upon a time a couple of decades ago I looked like this:

I definitely don't look like that now and I'm unsure about the whole "before and after" picture thing because I really think that the importance of healthy eating and even weight loss is non-cosmetic. Obviously, the change in my blood pressure and the drop in my cholesterol will be more significant than the photographs, even though they don't draw the same kind of attention.

But suddenly, after many years of just being a mom and not really giving any thought to my looks one way or another, I find that the issue just keeps cropping up. And, more surprising, I find that it's making me feel pretty good.

A few days ago, the woman who runs the coffee shop at my local train station told me that I looked like I'd "lost a ton of weight". When I repeated this to my daughter, she said, "Well, you have."

"Actually, I haven't," I protested. "I've lost 14 pounds." She carefully appraised me and then said, "Well, I guess it was a significant 14 pounds." Frankly, I'm a little frustrated that I've been stuck at the 14-pound mark for a solid month, but a funny thing has been happening during that time--my clothes just keep getting looser.

This afternoon, my sister asked me whether I was wearing eye make-up, because my eyes "seemed more noticeable" and looked good. I wasn't.