In which there are surprises in my drawers

If you're like me, the minute you read "drawers" you thought "pants" and laughed to yourself as if you were 12.

However, I meant "drawers" as in "where you keep your clothes." Interesting side note, "drawers" is one word I absolutely cannot pronounce due to a lifetime of living in New England and my natural aversion to the letter "r". If I try to say it correctly, I sound like I'm having a stroke.

Regardless, this week like most of the country we here in Massachusetts have been enjoying unseasonably, wonderfully warm summer weather. March to July, boom, just like that.

Needless to say I didn't have any of my summer clothes readily accessible, so I was digging around in my drahs for T-shirts, light jackets, capris and the like, all of which I haven't worn since last fall.

On Tuesday I dug out a cute knit zip-up hoodie from LL Bean. I put it on, zipped it up and thought, Didn't this use to be much tighter? This must be a Large. Wow, it's big.

When I shed it later that day I checked the tag. It's a Medium. Damn, I am way smaller.

What's really interesting is that since last fall, my scale has stayed in the same 5-lb range, so numbers-wise, nothing has really changed. But, body-wise? Thanks to bootcamp, my upper body is suddenly much smaller than it used to be.

You hear it all the time: "It's not just the scale." And it's true, especially when you get down to a healthy weight range where your body is happy. At some point, your body will be like, "Nuh-uh. I am done losing weight. I ain't movin'."

At this stage of the game, the numbers on the scale may not move like they used to, but the numbers on your clothes still can. There are victories still to be won. This is also where strength training is so key - not just for your physical health, but your mental health, as well.

However you do it, strength training builds strong, healthy, lean bodies. And the mental lift you get from wearing smaller clothes is a big ego stroke and mood enhancer.

Later in the week, I dug out some T-shirts that were, shall we say, "snug", when I last tried them on in the fall. They were in the bottom of the drah, the "Well, I Don't Like How They Fit Now But I Don't Want To Donate Them Yet" category. But I needed Ts because I was behind (again/still) on laundry. I tried them on and, what do you know, now they're loose and comfortable.

Previous to the past 18 months, my drawers usually only held bad surprises. They were full of clothes that barely fit or were too tight. Now, a season later, I can pull out anything, everything and it fits or, worse, is too big.

Nice problem to have.