Big Changes

Those of you who know me, are probably aware that I had weight loss surgery on April 10, 2007. Having spent my entire adult life battling my weight, this has been an exciting (almost) five months! These pictures were the before and after pictures from April 6, 2007 & August 13, 2007. Since these pictures were taken, I've lost another 8 pounds and am down 86 pounds since the surgery!

The doctor's office takes "before" and "after" pictures and I was happy when they agreed to e-mail them to me. I wasn't prepared, however, for the shock of seeing myself as big as I really was! It is humiliating for me to realize that I let myself get so big before I took some action.

The initial weight loss surgery was really quite easy! It went off without a hitch and I was surprised at how little pain was involved. About 5 weeks after the surgery, I had a rough time and spent a week in the hospital getting my gall bladder removed. I'm doing very fine now...I'm eating well and am very energetic.

Before the surgery, it was difficult for me to enjoy working in the yard or doing anything when it was hot outside. Now I'm comfortable (actually, I'm cold most of the time) in the heat and enjoy swimming and riding my bike. The change in my eating has had some pretty big effects on me emotionally; until after the surgery, I didn't realize how much I used food as an emotional crutch. At first, I felt like I lost a very close friend (food) and went through a kind of grieving process for about a week. Now, I am quite aware that I have to ease up some of the stress in my life since I can't just go eat to calm myself. Don't get me wrong...I still LOVE food, but my body gives me clues about when I've had enough food and helps me know when to stop eating. My appetite has decreased quite dramatically, too!

I come from a home where everyone's weight was scrutinized pretty openly and, as a result, most of my family has issues with food. I know that this surgery is just a tool that I can use to my advantage and I'm determined to make this work long-term. I'm changing on the inside as I learn to have a more-healthy relationship with food. It's a day-to-day thing but I'm really enjoying myself and feel like this is a real turning point in my life.

Well, that's my story for now. I'm sure I'll write more as I find that people actually read what I have to say.