As many of you may or may not know, 12 months ago (today)  I had weight loss surgery. Click here to see more about that. Well since having weight loss surgery I’ve lost 155 lbs. Yes, 155 big ones. I was literally carrying around another person. Hard to imagine that now but, losing 155lbs has been an amazing experience for me, and with this experience has come some awesome “Wow” moments.

Now, the “Wow” moments listed below may seem juvinille and minor to some but, for me, they are amazing and joyous.

Here are just a few of my wow moments:

• Walking a flight of steps without being out of breath – this is a task that we do daily but, for me it was something I dreaded as I knew I would be out of breath before I hit the last step. Now I take the stairs instead of the elevator every chance I get. I can even run the steps and not get winded.
• Wearing a suit and heels to work – I was never a suit person, still not but, my mom gifted me with a gorgeous black suit that I paired with heels for our company’s holiday party. For me this was major because no one at my job had every seen me in a suit and I felt comfortable and confident  in it and the heels didn’t hurt my feet. lol
• Flying in an airplane without having to have a seat belt extension or inconviencing my neighbor – OMG!!! I use to be a nervous wreck when it came to flying not because of the fear of flying but the fear that I didn’t fit in the seat or that I was smushing my neighbor. I use to get looks of relief when I passed empty seats on the plane. Well when I went to LA for “The Makeup Show” that fear came back. I knew I had lost weight but I was still scared I wouldn’t fit. Well I  fit,  without having to have a selt belt extension and friends the tears began to flow. I cried so much that the flight attendants and passengers all stopped to offer assistants even after I told them the tears were from joy.
• Fitting and shopping for regular sized clothes – not in the plus sized or “Women” section but, the regular ladies clothing area. I’ve been heavy my entire life so paying extra and shoping for clothing in the back of the store has always been the norm so, when I walked in Old Navy a couple weeks ago and tried on a few items, and they fit. I squeeled like a kid and the flood gate of tears began, again.

These are just a few of my ‘wow” moments and although I still have about 80 lbs to shed to be at my target weight. I’m feeling good, healthy and happy about my decision to take control.  Having weight loss surgery is not the easy way out. Trust me when I tell you, it is probably harder than the conventional way. There is a lot of physical and emotional stuff you have to be ready to deal with. Example, you have to know that some days when you look in the mirror your not going to see the weight gone.  Or that there is loose skin everywhere and will require plastic surgery. But if I had to , I would have the surgery again in a heartbeat if it meant I would feel this great.

Here are a few before and after pictures. Can you see a difference?