This is to share my experience of life after significant weight loss.
It is some time already since I am not overweight anymore. After passing that overweight barrier, I was long stuck at the same weight until I made another change to my diet. Last month, horrible increase of GD drove me 5 kg down in a single month. It is like 11 lbs. That was not healthy, but I take the weight loss per se as a good thing that came out of it. No, am not going to regain those! Still going down but slower.
And by taking down my weight, I discovered how hindering all that extra mass was. True, as an overweight 6' person, I was more like a tank that nobody wanted to hit on their way thorough the crowd. But like this, I don't have problem avoiding things and people, moving in a way average people don't expect, and let's forget about other people -- I feel such a beauty of move that I just enjoy going through big crowds and making my way around people without touching anyone. It is almost dancing. And it is time I got into dance classes. Soon.
Of other things, I used to have knee pain from standing. Not anymore. I used to have hip pain from walking normal speed in female walk. Not anymore, even at fast walk. Beard shadow or not, when I see my reflection in a glass, I am happy with how my body moves. Breaking sweat? Hardly.
So that is my exercise... just quick walking the streets of Amsterdam. My genetics is such that as a man I easy gain muscle, thus apply minimal exercise to preserve look as non muscular as it can be. That part is ymmv.
I feel freed from being overweight, and don't want to go back.
Yes. Most monks have been underweight. To study and enlighten themselves, they first should decrease unnecessary body mass, being able to focus more sharply. You can easily feel and evaluate whether your health becomes better or worse after a change in body weight. It can be paradoxical that less is better or stronger.
barbie~~