Its not just physical...

Huge changes are going on physically. Everything is shrinking ( and sagging lol ) on my body. But also mentally things are changing... 1. I am more confident in myself then I have been in years. 2. I am more patient than I have been in years now that I am not fighting that "always tired and feel like crap" mood. 3. I am happier than I have been in years. 4. I am working hard on not letting people take advantage of me anymore. I tend to give and give and give and then when I get little to nothing in return I just take it instead of standing up for myself. 5. I am calmer, as I am learning to judge the importance ( or lack there of) of getting upset on what ever the given topic is. 6. I am learning to see pride in myself and what I have done. To let the negative people's words just fade away. 7. I am not letting my family and my husbands family get to me anymore. I am standing up for what I believe is the best for me and my family and be damned to the rest of them. 8. I look for the good in every day. 9. I give the benefit of the doubt more easily. Even though I am still working on the irritation level when I feel I have been wronged... 10. To not be so sensitive and to just breath thru the hurt feelings and move on. 11. I am learning to lean on my friends not just let them lean on me. 12. I am taking more time before I speak ( and type ) to really think of what I am saying and now it will not only effect the person I am going to say it to but how it will make me look as a person when I say it. 13. I am letting go of the resentment and anger I have over my CRAPPY neighbors and just learning to understand that they are selfish and that is just NOT worth my time to even think about them anymore... ( ok and so the new fence is going to help there to ) 14. I am learning to fall in love all over again with my husband. To remember that I have to show affection to get affection. 15. I am learning to show my son that he is my world not just think it. And the list goes on.... There have been huge changes for sure physically but the ones I am most proud of are the changes I made and continue to make mentally.. How about you... What are your mental changes in this WLS journey? *huggles* Felicia

WOW!! Greatly said to the mental and physical changes going on and how I can relate to most of the 15 of them. Where do I start? 1. I am more confident in myslef than I have ever been in my life. 2. I am learning to show to true me instead of hiding behind myself because I think that someone really would not like the Real Me. 3. I am happier even on those off days of feeling down. 4. I am learning to show the ones that I love that I love them instead of just thinking that I love them. 5. I am letting the anger out that I have had inside for way to long out. 6. I am trying to learn how to not worry as much about things---If I can not change it I can not worry about it. 7. I am learning not be so sensitive to things say to me and work through it and if need be ask them why they said that if it was meant to hurt or be helpful in the long run. 8. Show Hubby that I am here because I want to be here and that there is no better place on earth than to be with my husband and boys. 9. Looking for the good in the day instead of always feeling sorry for myself. The list is growing and I could go on for days but I will stop there. This is a very changing thing in my life and I guess when I did this surgery I really did not know fully how it would effect my life but now being this short time into it I know that I did the right choice and I am so happy from the outcome of everything and all the wonderful people that I have met along the way. Along with a great support system with everyone here at Oct board along with the support of Hubby, family and friends. Hugs~ Deanne

Love what you wrote. I agree "Life Changing" is what I found to. I knew things would only get better as I lost the weight but I had no idea how MUCH better and how little it would take to make it all start turning around. I only have one regret and that is that I didn't have WLS 3 years ago lol. *huggles* Felicia

Change the 3 to a 4 and that's my regret too. I can relate to basically all the changes you guys wrote about, so I won't enumerate them here. However, I think the biggest change has been that I'm willing to go and do things where before I was looking for reasons to stay home. Now when my hubby says "put on your shoes and let's go" I just grab my shoes and go. Before it would have been "where are we going?", "who is going to be there", "what are we going to do?" and a myriad of other questions. Now, I'm just up for whatever adventure he has in mind. Life is definitely more fun now. Oh...and I had a semi "wow" moment when my sons were home sick. The little one wanted me to come into his room to see something and I sighed - because I had JUST sat down to the computer to check the boards and didn't WANT to go - and he said sadly, "Never mind, You're too tired." LIGHTBULB moment. I popped up out of the chair and said, "NO, I'm not too tired, it was that I just sat down." Then I went to him room and played for a while. Before I would've been doing the poor pitiful me song about how no one considered me and what I wanted to do instead of being happy they WANT to do things with me. That's a big change. Susan

I so hear you on this... its almost a strange feeling to not have to keep telling him no to going places lol I had them down pat. Every reason in the book for not going. Tired, didn't feel good, etc.. etc.. etc.. you name it I could work it! lol I still tend to do it now on a few things but every day I am closer and closer to never saying no again unless I REALLLY don't want to go lol. As for your wow moment I have to tell you that I have so been there... This is what was my light bulb moment that got me going on WLS : Written 2005 : Came right before Christmas when Joshua ( my 5 year old ) came up to me and asked to play like any little boy would and I had to tell him AGAIN "Not right now honey Momma is tired". I hadn't done anything all day. There was no reason to be tired other then I was/am so incredibly over weight. But that wasn't the "moment" the moment was when I looked at his face and he turned and sighed and walked away saying ok... He got about 5 feet or so away and turns and says..."That's ok Momma I still love you anyways". And went on down to his room. I was just physically and mentally sick. It hit me all at once that I had lost 5 whole years of his life being fat and trapped and just worthless. So yup!! SOOOOOOOOOOOO been there. But like you now when he asks me to do things and see things etc.. I am right up out of my chair and going. I never ever want to see that look on his face again. *HUGS* Thanks for sharing!! Felicia