Of everything I've lost ...

...my hair the most. Seriously. Weight loss surgery causes the loss of many, many things. Not all of which are bad. I've lost a lot of weight. Today I weighed in at 222 pounds. So I've lost 93 pounds so far and finally I have less to loose than I've already lost. Read - I'm more than half way there! I've got 82 pounds to go. It's just so thrilling. Can't wait to get my pictures taken on the 15th to see how my body has changed. The weight loss has slowed by about half, from around 20 pounds a month to around 10 pounds a month. When I let myself focus on that it gets frustrating because I've still got so much to go but I'll still make my goal of 140 in a year if I continue to loose at this rate. One day, if we actually get enough money to afford the gas (I'm looking for a job for pretty much that reason, pretty sad huh?) I'll go to the gym every day. While weight is the 'biggest' thing I've lost there are others things that have vanished as well. Pain - pretty much gone. I've lost the great majority of pain in my back and knees. I've lost all the pain in my hips and feet. Shyness - while I'm not a social butterfly, I'm much more comfortable in social situations. A few weeks ago I got up to play with a band, something I would have been horrified to do five months ago. Camera phobia - on Saturday I didn't hide when the cameras came out. I smiled and stood up straight. Clothes - I've 'lost' some of my favorite fat clothes, colors and styles I loved. But it's okay because it means I can go shopping for more. Boobs - I never expected this but I've lost some boobage. Prior to WLS weight gain or loss really never made a difference. Now my C cups are loose. Because I'm still relatively wide around (a 44 right now) it's hard to find B cups that fit correctly but I have confidence that once I've stablized in my weight loss I'll find something that works. Until then I'll keep wearing all the bras in my drawer, which fit much better now by the way. Heat intolerance - Since loosing weight I've begun to tolerate the heat much better. While it'll never be my favorite time of the year I can now get out and enjoy stuff with my family rather than parking my fat arse in front of a fan. Hair - all weight loss patients hear about the hair loss. And how it does stop around six months. But man, it's hard. It's the one thing I've lost since surgery that I miss. I've got to say I've lost about half the hair on my head and I'm very thankful that I had a ton of hair to begin with. Everyone says they don't notice a thing but since I'm the one who washes and styles it, I can tell. One plus is that it takes about half the time to blow dry my hair now, which is great considering how warm it's been this summer. I leave a trail of hair everywhere I go. It's all over the bathroom floor and sink, in hair brushes and combs, in the car, the floors of the house, the counters and all over my clothes. My husband and daughter are always picking hair off my clothes. In fact there are times it looks like my husband has more of my hair than I do! But I'm 5 months post op next week and in mid September I'll be 6 months from my surgery. I'm really hoping by then that it will let up and start to grow back. I really do miss my hair! Tina 315/222/140

Hi Tina. What a great post. I too miss my hair. Actually, I just get upset with every handful that I find after I wash/style it. I wore a ponytail the other day and noticed that the thickness was just not there! How sad. I got a haircut on Saturday but I wouldn't let her take me short. I am just not a short hair person & I don't want to go there unless absolutely necessary. Thankfully I have naturally curly hair and can make it look thicker than it is. Wow, you have lost a lot of weight. I am hovering near 70 lbs. I am proud of this but it sure feels like a lot less than others. But I really try to avoid comparing myself and just love me and how I am changing on my journey. Anyway, you are gonna get to your goal before you know it. Congrats on "most" of your losses. Hugs, Robin

Hi Robin, It's so good to hear from you. You are doing fantastic as well so don't sell yourself short. You had a really rough time there in the beginning and you're doing great now! I never thought I'd like the short hair but I knew I was going to loose it and with my slimmer face, it looks really good. Hugs, Tina

I didn't realize you cut your hair! It looks great!!! I bet it is nice in this hot weather. I actually think that I'll get my hair to just above the shoulders next time. That way it'll be right in the middle. Hugs, Robin