Three year anniversary TODAY!

Jul 24, 2009

7/24/2009-

3 years ago today.....I had laproscopic gastric bypass surgery.

It has been quite a ride and I am amazed at how far I have came in such a short time.
I expected to have the surgery and lose weight. I NEVER expected all of the changes that would occur to my soul, my spirit, my personality, and my self esteem. Luckily, I had the foresight to hire a bariatric counselor/psychologist to help me deal with the changes after surgery. Losing the weight is the easy part, dealing with all of my emotions & the varied responses from other people was harder for me. Overall, I had a wonderful experience...No side effects, ill health, no physical issues. Mentally, it is a WILD ride! Hard to believe that I am the same person, I never  dreamed of the things that I would feel confident enough to do without fear of ridicule. Losing the weight gave me my confidence back, it gave me the feeling of being invincible, and instilled in me a new attitude of giving everything I do 110%! Wow....those are HEADY feelings! What a trip to finally succeed at my goals instead of the continual failures & negativity within myself. Being morbidly obese kept me from aspiring and making goals for myself. I was in such fear of being embaressed for trying and the dismal feeling of defeat. I don't know if the fear of public scrutiny or if it was my own fears that held me back....still trying to figure that one out. 
I am leaning towards my own fears!

I learned a valuable lesson that has NOTHING to do with weight loss and EVERYTHING to do with LIFE...
I learned how to set myself up for SUCCESS! Setting myself up for success made me successful in ALL areas of my life: weightloss, fitness, health, beauty, education, career, family relations, and the future.  
Not only have I lost weight, I also found the key to enlightenment. How can I ever be unhappy with the directions my life takes me? God has a plan for me, but I have to give him a hand in getting from point a to b, I have to be in the passenger seat, navigating the twists and turns, taking an active part in the direction my life goes by processing what is needed and what is not needed to be successful!

When I look back on my part in making my life successful in the past, I feel sad. I barely had the energy to get up in the mornings, no wonder I lanquished & became morbidly obese. I lost the spark, I lost the will, I gave up.
Whatever happened that day in January 2006 to get me off the couch, away from my pity party, and actively trying to change my life...was huge! And do you know what it was? The first step.....I walked into a Curves and asked for help. Then the second step...stop one bad habit at a time. (1st bad habit to change-sodas) The third step......if I failed at my diet one day, I would start fresh the next day. The fourth step.....Stop being hard on myself. The fifth step......Exercising three times a week & gradually increasing as time went on.

These were the first few steps that led me here to where I am today!

Today, I am happy that I am three years out. Today, I am appreciative of ALL the people who assisted me in my journey, starting with my surgeon, Dr. Davidson. Today, I am thankful that I am healthy. Today, I am blessed to be where I am. Today and further more.....I am THRILLED to share my experience with others. 

God bless you all! 

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