I don't feel different? Do you?

I know I look different (note my previous grumpy post about people not recognizing me).  I know that I'm smaller (I fit in size 12 skinny jeans...wth? :)).  I know that my endurance is better (one hour on the elliptical is nothing to me now, and my active/resting heartrate is lower than ever before). 

I just don't feel any different.  People say - oh, you must have so must have so much more energy now.  You must feel so much better.  But really, I don't think I do feel any different?  I was active before, despite my weight (I would run, work out, go out socially, etc).  I've always been very self confident, so my attitude about myself isn't any different now- I thought I was great before the VSG, and I think I'm great now :) 

My answer when people ask me how it feels that I lost so much weight is "It feels weird".  Weird is the only word I can use.  I'm not sad or dissappointed that I don't feel like a new me or something.  I just feel weird.

How about you?

Weird is a good word for it.  I can cross my legs, I look better in my clothes, but the only real difference I've noted is I can do more in Pilates because my body is smaller.  I don't have tons more energy or stamina.

In some ways, I'm right there with you.  By far, weird fits the bill best. I don't have a great memory for former states, so I would love to go back to my heaviest weight (244) and get a fresh sense of what that felt like.  I bet it's more different than it seems from my current perspective. 

There are two things that are noticeably different:
1) Chronic back and neck pain are GONE.  This is such a relief, and I love living my life without pain.
2) More strength on my bike.  I had been biking for six years prior to losing this weight, but I've never ridden hills so easily as I have in the last few months.  I know I'm carrying less weight, but shouldn't I have had more muscle strength biking at my former weight??  The only thing I can think of is that I don't have to oxygenate all that extra mass--does anybody know if this is true?

I do have a little sense of let-down sometimes that I don't feel MORE different, but it's tiny.  When I feel it, I always run through a reminder list of the things that are better for me now and the disappointment always vanishes.

I'm with you 100%. I was a pretty damn fabulous fatty, and now, I'm just as fabulous. Nothing more, nothing less except my pant size. Weird sums it up pretty well in my opinion.

Yup, I'm right there with you.  I'm at the gym more, but I was always active, worked too much, etc. I wasn't MO long-term, though, and I tended to live my life at size 30 much like I did at size 12.  In fact, I donated the last of my 12's that I still had in my closet bought in 2005-2006 just before new years. My husband saw a picture of me in my In-law's apartment over the weekend and said, "Wow, you were huge. I never really noticed."  While he doesn't have the best filter between brain andmouth, took it as a compliment.  I was still 'me' to 'him' as well. 

I just spent 5 days in South Florida with extended family/family friends who haven't seen me in a while.  Between the hospice and funeral (my husband's grandfather passed), I was asked "Do you feel differently?"  hundreds of times, literally.   Between that and being introduced to my in-law's friends as, "This is Carolyn, you've met, but you probably don't recognize her because she lost 150lbs" about 100 times, I found my patience shall we say waning. 

I'm hear you and I understand.  In many ways, I feel the same.  But, somehow I do feel differently, I just have trouble describing it.

I was also one of those people who loved life, loved myself, was happy, blah blah blah before surgery, so I don't have a lot new going on there.  I was fab fat and am fab now.  I was assertive then and I'm assertive now.

The most noticeable changes for me are: not tiring out as easily/quickly, more clothing options, fit in smaller spaces (plane seats are the best now... especially because I travel a lot).

But I look in the mirror and I'm still very much the same.  Same shape, just smaller.  And I need comparison pics to see it because my eyes deceive me.

In some ways, I like the compliments and in other ways, I want to crawl under the table.  I don't like attention or drama so not really good with getting more attention drawn to me.

Anyway, just wanted to say that yes I understand and feel similar!