Veterans! Lets Paint a Picture for our Newbies!

Shoes!! Shoes!! I forgot to put shoes on my list, dang it!! 

Looking great, as usual, Dana!!

You look AMAZING!  Congratulations!

You look gorgeous, inside and outside match perfectly!

5 things....

I love the outdoors now, I walk, take pictures, can be outside all day doing whatever and never feel the need to cover up or hide or take a break or sit down.

I live in heels almost all the time, I adore knee high boots, and always love to try on more and add to my collection.

I feel like I can breath without the weight of my insides crushing me, I used to feel so heavy and uncomfortable, I could never get close to counter tops because my body was physically in the way, same for booths at restaurants, now I just feel comfortable in my body.

I don't obsess over food any more, I try hard to make food be no big deal in my life.  I tried to raise my son that way hoping he wouldn't have a weight problem and he never did, but could never take that advice myself.  I was always thinking about my next meal or snack.  Now its pretty much all planned out and I don't think about it at all.  My mouth doesn'****er when I mention chocolate cake like it once did.  It took a lot to re-train my brain on this one.

I am thrilled to be off my diabetes meds and to have good blood sugar readings, my mother died at 61 as a type 1 diabetic and the scare that was thrown into me when I developed type 2 diabetes was horrible.  My doctor said someday the pills will probably not work and you will need shots.  I am a needle phobe, I used to hide in the bathroom when my mother injected herself 5 times a day, I used to have nightmares about needles and still cringe when anyone talks about getting blood work down.  I could feel myself fading away when my friend mentioned the blood test she had done on Monday, I leterally had to leave the room it is so bad.  So for me this has been the greatest gift of wls.

The before picture was taken in 2000 when I went to visit a friend in Sydney Australia and felt like the largest womyn on earth, I couldn't even bring back anything in the way of a clothing souvenir, it was awful.  I asked what womyn of size did, they told me catalogs. 



This was taken last summer, not bad for 47 years old.

Heidi ... please inspire us with your beautiful pictures!!!!

Here you go, they are from my OH album, but you get the idea.

Fabulous, Heidi!! We 40-somethings rock!!

WOW! You all look so radiant and beautiful! Look at those smiles...I've never seen myself smile like that in pics.
Maybe in a year I'll be smiling like that....no I WILL be.

This is very inspirational. I'm not a year out yet and lately I've been feeling down and out and stuck.

This really helps to illustrate a bigger picture.

 Helps to get some perspective, doesn't it? Keep on truckin', OK?

1. I'm healthier than I have been in 20+ years..especially with  40th Bday coming up..woohoo
2. I'm a runner and do marathons
3. I LOVE ME
4.I no longer let anything get in my way as I want to do it all
5.I AM ALIVE!!!! 

My before was 10 days pre WLS highest weight was 280 size 22-24 and 1X to 2X tops 

My after was taken today... I'm at 155 wearing a small dress and medium top  pants are 8's deciding if I want PS or not.....