I wore a DRESS!!

Last night was my work Christmas party and I decided for the first time in over 30 years to wear a dress! I thought I looked pretty good and it was wonderful to see people that I hadn't seen in for a long time. People didn't know me and it was great to see the expressions on their faces. A man who used to work in my plant came over and started flirting with me. This man used to call me a fat ass everytime that I had to meet with him. I don't like him, and still don't, he's so arrogant! He kept asking me my name and where I worked, was I married or involved or did I just fool around! It was all I could do to be civil to him. Finally he asked the woman sitting next to me what my problem was. She said, "maybe CATHY GABBARD and her fat ass are just not interested." He turned to look at me and I thought that he was going to fall out of his chair! I said she's right, Cathy is just not interested! I've waited all of my life to say that to one of the pretty boys who thought it was their god given right to make fun of me. When I was leaving, he came up to me and apologised for his rudeness to me for the past 20 years. I didn't say a word. All I could think of was that he had no idea how his words used to cut through me and how I was always so embarassed when I ran into him afraid of what he would say next. I left there feeling very sad for him. I am so grateful to be who I am today. I hope that I never forget how far this surgery has allowed me to come. And I loved my new dress! Happy Happy dancing ME!

Bravo Cathy - what a great post. It always amazes me when adults act like that - totally and completely despicable. But what a great way to handle the situation- you really taught him a lesson! Congrats on your amazing success! Melissa

Wow, Kathy! What a story. I encountered a boy like that when I was a junior in high school. I was greeted with some kind of snyde fat remark every time I boarded the bus. It's nice to know that one of the ******** got theirs! How I would love to experience that moment myself. There is a certain (female) manager that I felt bias from when she joined the company I work for. I don't think she thought of me as the kind of trainer she wanted in her department and was very snotty towards me. Funny enough, I transferred to another department that is 95% men as their only dedicated trainer, and I never felt so loved as I do there. They're all excited to see the changes in me that 2006 has in store. Since then, I think she's been cursed, because she hasn't been able to retain a quality trainer since I left. I'm three floors down from her now, but I can't wait to show her my new look this summer and let her eat her heart out again. Valerie

Ooooooo, NOTHING is as good as THESE stories. It seems sort of petty to enjoy their discomfort and "punishment"--yet THEY had the black-hearted cruelty to torture US for untold amounts of time! I am still waiting for my approval--and everyone in my world is still very kind and respectful to me, thank goodness...but it wasn't always so. A number of years ago I lost a great deal of weight "all by myself"...imagine that...but I don't recommend the way I did it. I was a single mother raising three little ones on about $10,000 a year--with little child support. Some of you have "been there". I needed to lose lots of weight anyway so I decided I would kill two birds with one stone and just save the money I'd spend on groceries for me...and just feed my kids better, on the same grocery budget. I got reeeeeally thin--went from a 22W to a petite size 5. Some ideas are plain stupid--I was younger and dumb. Thank God I did not die from starvation or suffer any great health problem (I was probably taking in 2-300 calories a day). WELL an upshot of that is that I got quite pretty--didn't know HOW hot, till I looked at pix years later! My measurements were 39-23-36. No kidding--I was Pamela Anderson. I looked like her too, with my waist-length platinum-blonde hair. There was a single guy next door I had SUCH a crush on--he was so cute, and I adored him. In my heavier days I had tried to 'chat him up' when we were walking our dogs, tried to be friendly etc--I guess I was dreaming, he was so handsome, I just wanted him to talk to me nicely. He pretty much ignored me, but one day he turned around and said so nasty: "LOOK! You need to stop trying to talk to me!! I'm NOT into fat chicks!!" He looked so disgusted as he walked away. I was devastated, to say the least. I cried into my pillow for a week. Well I was working a lot during my losing-time and he didn't see me...but that skinny-skinny summer, I had on my short-shorts and my bikini top while I walked my dog--and guess who RAN like crazy to catch up with me. He did not recognize me--and he poured on his hardest flirting ever--he was like a little doggie himself, panting and almost begging for some of my time (I was hysterically laughing inside). I watched him make a total fool of himself for several minutes--then I said: "David, you already told me about six months ago you didn't want me talking to you. I intend to keep obeying your orders." It struck him then who I was. His jaw dropped open and he was stuttering "but, but...but..." As long as I live, the picture of his face will be imprinted on my mind, and I still get pleasure recalling it. He tried for two weeks to get to me any way--knocking on my door, calling, and chasing me when I went to my car. I very coolly told him I would get a restraining order against him if he did not stop. He stopped. I had a very similar scene with my ex-husband a few weeks later, he had not seen me in a year, and he relentlessly called me awful names while we were married--and one of the reasons he "found someone else" was because I "let myself go till I was a fat blob". Well he did not know me either till my daughter said "Dad, that's mom!!! That's not our baby sitter!!" Ohhhh, my friends, no gift in this world will ever equal the gift of his stunned expression. With his new wife standing right there, he could not speak and could not remove his eyes from me--he was pale and shaking. His wife had to actually speak to me to make arrangements to return the children--he could not talk, even a few minutes later. (Maybe it wasn't QUITE fair that I had on my Daisy Dukes cut-offs with my cute little deeply tanned butt hanging out, and a low-cut shirt tied up under my push-up bra, and high-heeled sandals to show off my dark-tan thin legs. Well, just maybe.) He looked like he'd just seen his own death. He actually sat down on the ground. I ignored him. When I got in my car to leave, I looked back and she was whomping on him, just whacking him all over, he was holding up his arms and trying to protect himself from the blows. In that very instant, I was healed. I laughed like crazy all the 200 miles home!!! I hope to surprise some folks again, sort of like that...now girls, some words of wisdom, from the perspective of many years of experience--listen to me. You younger single ladies--when you lose all this weight and become hot babes, you MUST use your head in dealing with men!!! You are not accustomed to lots of attention, you will lose your minds and do the MOST ENTIRELY INAPPROPRIATE THINGS!!! Watch out, step back, and THINK each time. There are many, many very wonderful men in this world. Find one who will love you, no matter what--they are out there. Remember morality and restraint--you can do it. Stay away from the wolves and predators who will prey on your desperate need for love and attention--oh, they'll give it to you OK--then decimate your lives. Don't do it. THINK. I speak from very cruel experience, sweeties. Luck and great 'skinny' lives to each of you out there--mine is coming again soon, I hope. Hugs!

Cathy, What a great WOW moment! And you in your dancing dress! I will smile all day tomorrow after reading this. And Susan, you are so right. At my age, I have no expectation of looking good in daisy dukes or even the push-up bra (nothing left to push up) But I do enjoy looking great in stylish clothes (even shorts and tank tops) and shocking the socks off of people who haven't seen me for a while. Who knows, I may even go to my gazillion-year class reunion whenever it comes around. Hugs Kitty B. RNY 12/13/04 - Lost 114 pounds - Now at "GOAL"