Hello Everyone!

 
I can’t believe that after 8 months I am doing so well.  I am in a size US 14 and will soon be moving to a size 12 and looking “skinny”… I had the greatest compliment the other day, I was in Albuquerque visiting my boyfriend and his family and the next door neighbour mistook me for his sister who is THIN!!!!!!!  Yippee.   I am most happy and grateful to have him and his family in my life; they have all embraced me!

Unfortunately the gurglies and I have become best friends, every time I have finished eating or drinking they start!! Sometimes I can be heard across the room, it can be quite comical when they do not occur at a most inappropriate time!!!!  I can now eat practically everything and do, however fruits and veggies still scare the system a bit.  When the weight loss slows down a bit I up the fat intake and the next week I experience a whoosh in weight loss!  I love this surgery!!  Sometimes when I eat too many crackers or have too much sugar ( not very often) I get a stomach ache and feel sick, it is after all a “side effect” which I asked for and I am happy my body works that way.

The major things I have noticed are that people and perfect strangers are so much friendlier and outgoing towards me.  Now that I am this weight I feel I am truly part of the world and society.  My fear of going to new places and meeting new people has completely vanished, I know now I won’t be judged nor looked at with pity.  Someone told me last week-end that when I was so obese I looked as though I were in my fifties and now I look so much younger… I tend to agree.  What is fun is that I compare pictures of my sisters and I and I finally look like them again…. I thank my mother for the high cheekbones…

Emotionally this surgery has completely changed me; I am so much stronger and healthier.  I look at the world through different eyes, and don’t see myself as huge… Well most days anyway.  It’s fun to hold up jeans and realize just how “small” I have become. Physically, there is no comparison, I am energetic, there is a spring in my step, and I can run!! I don’t huff and puff, I am no longer in pain of any sort.  Sometime stairs bother me but other wise no obesity related problems…  The most fun at the moment is to be able to buy clothes right off the rack and they FIT!!!   I haven’t bought much, but a few things to carry me through the sizes.  Another piece of excitement is that by Christmas day I will be in the 160’s!!!!

I can’t believe that this is the second to last update before I hit goal!! At that time I will post a bunch of pics in a series!!!!  Some of you have asked me about skin issues, and I can say that it isn’t as bad as I thought it would be.  I obviously have loose stuff but on the whole I look good…..   Though for the last 2 weeks I am struggling with my food addiction.  I will always be an addict, but I am managing, some days are really hard, I want all the bad stuff!!! Sometimes I give in and other times not at all.  The weight is still dropping at a slow steady pace.....

I am happy to be strong and healthy, I am so much happier in all aspects of my life and things are coming together nicely.  The job is very stressful at the moment, we have enough funds for 6mths and then I don’t know what is going to happen, so in the meantime I live in the moment.

As some of you know our manager was fired and the position has been eliminated.  SO…. As a result a lot has been piled on me and I have been given some of her responsibilities.  Unfortunately the pay hasn’t gone up but what can we do in these rough economic times?!!   I am just grateful to have a job, a great co-worker whom I just adore and the best boss I could ask for!

I hope you are all doing well and have a really Happy Christmas and Happy New year….

Lots, love,