Self Esteem

I haven't done any weight loss pictures in a while.  I had my daughter take some this morning before I went to jury duty.  Even though I've only lost 11 pounds since April, I was amazed at how much my body has changed.  That's what working out like a crazy woman will get you    :)

(All pictures can be clicked on to see the full sized image.
There is a button on the left side in the Photobucket site that lets you see the full size)






I think this set is the most telling of how far I've come.
I cannot believe I'm the same person:



I did not believe this was me when I downloaded the pictures.
I cried when I saw this picture:




I cried for the person I used to be and I cried for the person I've become. I'm trying to learn to overlook all of my imperfections.  I need to be happy with the way I look.  I should be ecstatic since I've defied the odds and lost more than any doctor ever dreamed I could.  I should dance a jig that I've gone from a size 36 pant to a size 12.    I should delight in the fact that I can contort my body in ways I'd never dreamed since losing over half of my body weight.  I should scream "Hell Yeah!",  every morning when I jump on the scale and see that I'm still down more than 200 pounds.

I forget who I am sometimes and still feel like the fat woman that I once was and have a hard time understanding why people are treating me so nicely.  It's not until I look in the mirror that I remember that I'm not her anymore.  The problem is, I don't know who I am...

WOW! You look fabulous!  I know sometimes it's hard to see the change because we are living it.  I don't see my coworkers during the summer (teacher).  When I went back to work last week, everyone was telling my how great I looked.  I had to stop and ask myself "Why?"  I've lost about 15 pounds this summer, so I can only guess that is what they are noticing. 

I know for me, it does take looking back at the pictures to see how far I've come.  I know I have more weight I would like to lose and I'm not planning on having a TT or anything anytime soon, if at all.  But seeing how far we've come is a very cathartic process.

I will leave you with two of my favorite quotes:
"Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly." - anonymous

AND

"Happiness is a journey, not a destination...." - Souza

You deserve a big pat on the back for all of your hard work!  Tina

Tina,

Thank you for the kind words! 

How incredible that you have lost 15 pounds over the summer!  You encourage others who are far out from surgery to continue on when they thought weight loss could only happen in the first year.  Way to go!

I really enjoyed the quotes.  How true they both are for all of us. 

Jenn

Jenn,

You go Girl!!!!!  You have done great.  Your face looks totally different.  You should be very proud of yourself.  We all go through feeling like the "fat person" in our head.  I really don't think it ever goes away.  Just take it one day at a time.  This is all still new for you. 

Take care and keep up the great work.

Carey

Carey,

I'm thinking we need to focus more on being kind to ourselves to help the "fat person" inside.  I don't ever want to forget her, lest I go back to my old habits, but it would be nice to quiet her down, lol.

Jenn

Jenn, what awesome pictures.....you are so beautiful!!!

I am proud of you and how far you've come in your WLS journey ..... what an inspiration you are for everyone.

You go girl!

Hugs,
Pat R.

Pat,

You are an inspiration to us all!  You are the prime example of how this surgery can work at any age and you continue to help all of us out with your wisdom.  Thank you!!


Jenn

Hugs, my friend. You continue to amaze me at every step. You are my inspiration


ETA:   I CTWAS (can't type worth a ****) lol

Michele,

You and I have been around a while. I'm so glad that I've been able to guide you, even if just a little, during your journey.  You are going to take the WLS world by storm!

Jenn

Giggling with happiness for you!!!

You look INCREDIBLE!!!!!