It's those little victories that add up

Isn't it amazing how much more we can do now than before surgery. I can now bend and pick things up from the floor, am not embarrassed to go out and get the newspaper off the ground. I can walk fast again and not have my hips hurt (most of the time) and I have so much more energy than ever before. Today I was trying on clothes, ones that I purchased to wear as I got smaller. Hal has always been a Disney fan (me too) and has many Disney t-shirts. A few months ago they had a sale on t-shirts and I got brave and bought 3 in a size XL. Today they fit and looked pretty good, but would like them just a little looser so will wait to wear mine for a couple more weeks. What a thrill tho to have it fit. The 18/20 blouses/shirts I bought all fit now too, so I will start wearing them now. Some of the shirts are Large and they fit too. It is so neat to have things fit in the shoulder and not need the shirts to be super long to cover my tummy. I feel good about me. Mary -93 lbs total

That is great Mary. Isn't it nice to have the shoulder seams almost where they should be. The underarm seams are no longer at my waist. I'm a shortie like you and the 2X shirts use to swallow me, but I had to have them to cover my large abdomen. It is strange getting into sizes I haven't seen in 13 years. Strange but so nice. Debbie -54

Debbie, I understand totally. I needed a 4X/5X because of my large tummy so the shoulders always hung over on the shirts. Now my tummy doesn't stick out further than my chest. I'm 6 lbs heavier than high school graduation weight (34 years ago!!!). I've always been heavy even as a kid. No idea of what a normal weight will feel like. Yes, strange but so very nice. Mary 305 highest 250 day of surgery 212 today

You are right about the little things, Mary. I keep a journal and try to write them down when I notice them. I can easily cross my legs at the knee instead of actually having to use my hand to lift my leg up and put it on my knee. It really is those little things that make me feel good about myself. Probably things that most people take for granted but mean a lot to me! Congrats on being able to fit in the shirts Linda -59 (hoping for 60 by Friday)

Good for you for doing a journal. I considered it, but never got one started. I think my biggest thrill was being able to buy jean shorts and have them look good. I haven't had jeans in a zillion and one years, so this was major for me. The next was being able to sit at a booth and have room to spare. Gone are the days of asking for a table because I couldn't fit into a booth. Bet you will be down a minimum of 60 by Friday ... be sure to let us know. Mary

I'm finding that what I appreciate the most lately is going to the gym on Monday and being able to advance on my workout schedule. I'm doing a walk-to-jog program. When I started, I cycled walk 4 minutes jog 2 minutes for 30 minutes. This week I did 2 walk 3 jog for my 30 minutes. That's an increase from 10 total jog minutes to 18! My goal is to be able to do a 5K by the end of the summer. I haven't been able to do anything like that since I was in high school 20 years ago! I have about 13# to go to get to the weight I was when I graduated (160). I never dreamed I'd be able to get there again, but then WLS came into the picture. I'm truly grateful for all I am able to do these days. Linn

Linn, You are doing GREAT!!!! How wonderful. Isn't it amazing how much more we can do now, how much more energy we have!!! Are you planning on entering a race (5K) this summer? Mary

Mary, I would like to find one in late Aug or Sept to run. I'm not sure if I'll be able to do it until then. It may not make any difference, though, since I'm not finding any that are being held in my neck of the woods. Here in Montana events like that are hard to find sometimes. By the way, you had surgery on my birthday! I think you are doing wonderfully well also. I love hearing how people are enjoying their lives more and more and giving positive feedback. That's the reason I had surgery in the first place, and that's the reason I keep coming to this website. Linn

Linn, I have a couple of on-line friends who have signed up to run a 26.2 miles marathon in Hawaii in December!!! Something they would of NEVER considered prior to losing the weight. It is amazing the twists and turns our lives take because of the surgery. Hope you find some "runs" close to home, that would be wonderful. Mary