Happy ReBirthday to me!

I saw my doctor today for my one year checkup. All of my blood tests came back great and I have lost 95% of my weight! I started at 358 and am now 180. I have lost 1/2 of me! It is difficult to fathom. At 6ft tall I still feel big, but life really has changed for me. Yesterday I walked into Banana Republic and perused the shelves and the racks. I was not buying anything, I was just enjoying the fact that I could be in that store and not feel like everyone was thinking that I don't belong. I had every right to be there! I started out as a size 30/32 and I am now a 12/14. Freaking unbelievable! I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror and I can't believe it is me! I have not been this weight since I was a freshman in highschool. That was a long time ago! I am now 47 years old. I was not near this thin when I married my husband 22 years ago. Needless to say, my son has never known that I could look like this. He is 18 and very proud of me. My family tells me that they were really worried about me for a long time. They thought I was killing myself. They are all so happy for me. The pride in my father's eyes is wonderful. Sometimes I feel as though I gave my family a gift. I have been flirted with. Men open doors for me and talk to me. They smile at me and look me in the eyes. I am uncomfortable with the attention, since I have never really been treated this way. It is not like I can go back in my history to remember what it was like. It was never like this. But...I am determined to learn how to enjoy it! I am more confident in my job, and yet I don't feel as though I have to be defined as my job. For most of my life I measured my self worth in how well I did my job. That was the only way I could hold onto some self esteem. Now I am beginning to believe that there is more to me than how much I can prove myself by pleasing others. I am beginning to believe in me! My relationship with my husband is getting better. At first I thought that it was because I looked better and had lost so much weight. Now I realize that because I am happier, my husband is happier. I don't pick on little things, and I appreciate the good things more. I am enjoying smiling much more than I frown. We are more playful than we have been in years. What a wonderful time of our lives for this change to happen, our son is a college student now and we are rediscovering each other. Yes I worry sometimes that this whole thing will go away. I am afraid that the head hunger will over take me and I will once again be the obese person I was before. Maybe that fear is good. I hope it will keep me from sliding back to old habits. Now that I am so happy and thin, could I really let it go? I hope not. Thank you all for being there this past year. I have not posted that often, but I gained strength from reading yours. My wish is that next year at this time we are all as happy with our progress and who we are as we are today! Merry, Happy, Healthy! Terri

HURRAY Terri Donna

WOW! Awesome Job!! You have so much to be proud of for sure... (((BIG HUGS!!!!))) Have a happy holiday season!! Chelle 423/253/180?

Happy Rebirthday (i'm late ) but its better late than never right? Congrats to you and I'm happy to see that we are all success stories. Keep up the flirting girl! It's so much fun Gracie

I wanted to comment on the flirting. It's something how we are treated so differently when we are obese by men and even women but I noticed that men do look at me more now then before. I'm still Donna, only change is that I have lost 177lbs. Donna 338/161