I've now lost almost 15 lbs since mid-April, and something crazy just occurred to me: that means that I've lost about half of the weight that I put on in law school.



Crazy, right? This 30 pounds has become so...talismanic, a symbol of everything I was dissatisfied with in my life. It doesn't seem plausible that something which has caused me such anguish for 2 1/2 years (give or take) can be so quickly eradicated.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not beating myself up at all. There was no way that I had the focus and energy and optimism to tackle this while I was still in the maelstrom of school. (I would have used a less dramatic/more colorful work, but I've already figured out that the SparkGods will chastise me for doing so. Sigh). There's a reason why law school practically has its own entry in the DSM IV. We all ended up a little mentally ill during the journey, and I wore my proof around my middle (and my butt, and my face, and my upper arms...). As Raspberryberet put it yesterday, our colleagues already look so different after a few weeks away from the stress - and this is with the bar exam still looming!

Anyway, I have no intention of stopping when I reach my magic pre-law school point. I wasn't at my optimal weight when I got here, and had already crept a decent ways beyond my healthiest, fittest self. It's just that when I got to Michigan, I was a more or less healthy woman who could stand to shed a few pounds...but I quickly became a chubmeister who was embarrassed to have her picture taken and had to buy all new clothes (several times, I might add). It's really affirming to realize that I've undone half of that damage in a little over a month's time.