Curious - What has surprised you the most?

Hello! I've been curious and thought that I would start a new topic -- for those of you that are post-surgery, what has surprised you the most about the surgery, recovery, weight loss, reactions of people (including your family), etc. Even quirky little things. Thanks! Regards, Martha

Family who told me they would be supportive and then hardly mention how I look (72 lb loss). Then friends (acquaintances) who I haven't seen in a while come up and totally "gush" over how great I look! That's the best ~~ it's such a head rush. I wonder also if my head and mouth will ever catch up with my new tummy. Eating something I shouldn't or more than I should ~ and knowing it! My pouch always gets to be in control!! The fact that I now look like a raisin ~~ I'm really tan (I have the all-over because of the fake bake) and all my new wrinkly skin... The glow from my 9 y/o son who thinks I look great!!! That's the best of all. Janie

Great topic, Martha!! Let's see, my overall general health has been a great change. The ability to be more active and have more energy is wonderful! Nice surprises include my mom saying she is proud of me, my 17 year old son comparing me to old pictures and saying that I look nothing like that and my dentist saying that he thought he would at least recognize me after 6 months and then noticing that I have dimples. A funny one was when a 90 year old man at church grabbed my arm a couple of weeks ago and said "Are you ill? You've lost a lot of weight. You looked good before and now you look good skinny." Also cool was when my surgeon walked into the room and said "who's this?" I introduced him to my daughter and he said that he was talking about me because I look so different, not her. WOW! Awesome surprises are the kudos that I got from everyone here when I finished a 4 mile race/walk and my 17 year old son telling me he is proud of me for walking the race. (You don't hear compliments from a teen too often, but he has been really good about them). The best are the compliments that I get from my husband. He tells me every day how beautiful I am. His increased desire for me makes me feel so good I tell him that no compliments mean quite as much as those that I get from him! Thanks again for the fun thread. God bless, Andrea

Everything suprises me.......I have had good and bad surprises.....I love my new found health....no more high blood pressure.....no more super high pulse......more energy for kids.....biggest surprise yet, size 12's...that truly blows my mind! I was surprised about how hard it would be......I still crave junk....I still snack too much......I have to work really hard! Surprising is the reactions I get......people think I look great, while I am not seeing it.....It is hard to feel great when your arms sag to the ground along with what used to be your boobs Anyways it is all great......never a dull moment! Take Care Jesi

Only being 11 wks out, I haven't seen any of my family yet. That's the middle of Aug. But my mom told me she was proud of me! Washing my upper arms this morning was strange. I could actually feel the bone! A friend at work gave me a big hug this morning for the 50 pound loss. I still do a double take when I look in the mirror and wonder where the heck all those chins went!

Martha - this was a fun thread. Since it will only be a month on Wed I do not have much to share. But it was great reading others replies. Melinda

Ha! I love you guys! It's great hearing about both the good and the bad -- and especially the funny. By the way... I have dimples, too. Unfortunately they are on my butt and thighs. And -- forgive me, gentlemen -- but since my boobs could make the Guiness World Book of Records for size but insist on constantly scanning the ground, I have this fear that, after I lose weight, the "girls" will look like the "stockings hung by the fireside with care" -- BEFORE Santa visits, that is. Regards, Martha

Martha - too funny. Several weeks ago, my husband and I were talking about plastic surgery possibilities for my future. We still want another baby, so plastics will have to wait till after that. Of course, we both want the "girls" done as well as the tummy tuck. I reminded him that the girls would have to not only wait till after the baby, but after nursing too (nursed my 2 year old for a year). He started cracking up. I asked why and he said, "what are you going to do, lay the kid on the floor to feed it?" If I wasn't laughing so hard, I would have thrown my shoe at him!!! Anyway - after all is said, done and picked up off the floor, the tummy and the "girls" will undergo plastics. Thanks for the giggle and God bless, Andrea

So many things surprise me on a regular basis- that I can sit with my legs crossed under my desk or at a restaurant table, that I am not the biggest person in a room, that I can now fit into misses clothes, that the girl in the reflection is me, that skin can actually look as horrific as mine does, that my son can wrap his arms all the way around me, that I can walk by people I have known for years and they don't know me. I'm surprised by how darn big my ego has gotten and how self absorbed I am !! I'm also surprised by some of my friends who have let me know that I "have changed"- well hello, I've lost 130 pounds in 7 months- of course I have changed. One of the biggest surprises for me is how differently men treat me. While men were never rude to me before- they didn't hold the door for me at a gas station, or give me a quick wink at a restaurant and they do now. It is amazing to me, even the co-workers and customers treat me differently. That was surprising to me! The single biggest surprise for me has been how very much the surgery changes EVERY aspect of your life, in ways you never imagined.