Ilene -- I still pull a small pair of jeans out of the dryer and hold them up and say they'll NEVER fit (but they do) -- I don't know if that delusion ever goes away. Speaking of clothes, it's the same thing when I go shopping ... in the old days, I'd be going through a rack of shorts or pants and I'd see a smaller size -- hold them up and sniff in kind of a snotty way, making some rude comment about how no one can really wear pants that small (but now I do -- they don't look so small any more ) When I was bigger than DH, his jeans looked so small coming out of the dryer -- now they look so big ....

Buffets! Don't even get me started on buffets! I'm not sure if this is just a Pittsburgh phenomenon, but here we judge our restaurants on how large the portions are, not on the service, quality, atmosphere, presentation or anything else. People (here at least) want "value" for their money when they go out to eat, which they see as large quantities of food. They want buffets or a restaurant where you'll get an appetizer, soup, salad, bread & butter, entree and dessert -- in huge quantities -- all for one low, low price.

I used to be like that. Now I would rather go gourmet. Delicious, fabulously prepared, and smaller portions! Worth every penny to me.

So true, Quality not Quantity is my moto now...

When we go out to a restaurant now, I think I enjoy the dressing up, the atmosphere (flowers, candles), the chance to have a glass of wine and relax with friends or just DH even more than the food ... the food's almost secondary. But I do want it to be wonderful because I hate to waste calories on something that wasn't even that good!

There's a buffet next to work that I haven't been to once since I started working here 2+ years ago and I know this sounds bad, but seeing a lot of unhealthy people walking in reminds me to stay out of there.

Meg: it's not a Pittsburgh phenomenon, it's also a Montreal thing (still don't quite get that, Montreal has so many fabulous restaurants of quality stuff), an Ottawa thing and I am sure almost everywhere else in North America thing. I prefer quality to quantity. I usually feel much more satisfied with a smaller high quality meal, than a chain restaurant's portions. I am just worried my BF's dad wants to take us out to a steak house tonight so I have no idea what I'll confront. Some steak houses are quality, others are huge quantity havens.

Gen: Wow, just saw you're from Montreal after mentioning it! I was born/raised there (my parents still live there)! Congrats you are doing great!!

Cheers!

Ali

Being cold all the time was a very unpleasant surprise for me. I was always colder than other people anyway, but now I'm always freezing! Do you think it's more common in people who used to be overweight? It seems as though my friends and family who have always been thin aren't cold all the time.

I think it's a weight loss side effect since it seems to be so common for all of us, but I'm not sure why it is -- I guess because we lost the insulation that we were accustomed to?

I thought of another one today -- I didn't expect that I would be twice as fast taking a shower in the morning! I hop in and zip zap! I'm clean! I guess it takes half as long since there's only half of me left to wash!

I'll admit, shaving the armpits is harder, BUT shaving my legs is sooo much easier!!

Cheers!

Ali

How about sleeping?

I tend to sleep curled up on my side, and it was never a problem. Now I have to either put a small pillow between my knees or stagger my legs so my knees don't touch or I end up bruising myself.

That was totally unexpected!

Along those lines, how about discovering butt bones? Man, those can hurt!!

You're telling me! I was camping last weekend and spend a fair amount of time perching on a log close to the campfire (there's that always cold thing again!). My butt hurt soooooooooo bad!