Big congrats to Shawn!!

WOW!!!  that was quick and not that far away!!!  Congrats

Good luck today!!!!!!

Wow I could have posted the same thing.  I have not been very good lately.  I started walking with a coworker at lunch.  I need to start running again.  I loved it when I was running but then it got too cold and I hate running on a treadmill.  The weather is nice so I have no excuse now. 
I need to start my food journal again.  It really makes us accountable. 

Thanks, everybody!  :)

I posted this (rather long) entry to my journal today about the strange mixture of emotions I feel right now:

My brain is very slow to catch up to these developments. I look at myself and see some changes - loose skin that indicates fat loss, bones more prominent, etc. - but when I look in the mirror, I feel like I don't really look all that different (i.e. still fat as ever). I know it's just a trick of the mind - it takes a long time for our mental image of ourselves to match the real thing (if ever). But it's just...weird.

I really need to get some good before/after photos going so maybe I can see the difference more clearly. Unfortunately, there are few photos of me from when I was heavier. I lost a ton of them in a hard drive crash last year and those I've scrounged up from other folks aren't exactly the best for comparison. But, I'm going to do it anyway, if only to try to pound it into my thick skull that I have lost almost 65 POUNDS. [from when I started looking into WLS]

Clothing is a much better indicator for me. I bought a couple of tanks to wear under some sheer shirts that I have, and realized that I could easily wear the smallest size available from this particular plus-size manufacturer. It is very strange to me to realize that I will soon not be able to wear any of their clothing because it will be too big for me!

I also had to pick a size so my friend could order my shirts for a convention this summer, and I finally told her to go ahead and order Larges for me (men's/unisex sizing). A large? Really? LOL And they might actually be too big by then! I can't quite wrap my head around it.

I guess the odd thing is that I feel so out of shape even after having lost so much weight. In the past, when I lost this much (and 60 pounds was my max weight loss through other means, so I've already surpassed that!), I had to exercise like a fiend in order to get the scale to budge, so I was in much better physical shape than I am now. I'm working on that, though. Richard Simmons continues to kick my ass, and the weather is starting to get decent enough again for walking.

As much as I hate to exercise (and, oh yes, I very much do), I miss the feeling of strong limbs and the ability to physically do whatever I set out to. I suppose that's a great motivator to exercise right there, which is probably what will keep me on track.

Weight loss surgery is a tool. It has basically gotten me to this point and now it's up to me to see it through. Yes, I will continue to lose weight "easily" for a while due to reduced capacity and malabsorption, but being skinny(er) and out of shape is nearly as bad as being heavy and out of shape. So...work to do. But I believe for the first time *ever* that I can actually get to a "normal" weight and state of health, and *stay* there...not just bounce down somewhere close, then lose my way again (heh, Freudian typo - typed "lose my weigh" the first time! LOL).

I know this has been rambling, but I guess I just needed to "talk" it out to myself. I'm really proud of what I've done so far, and will continue to see it through. :)

I was talking with a friend of mine who also is struggling with weight and health issues - we've been motivating each other. She told me that she was looking forward to riding the carousel in Griffith Park this summer because the last time we were there, she didn't feel comfortable with it. I remembered that I hadn't ridden it either...well, I stood on the platform, but being a fair amount above the weight limit, I didn't dare get on one of the antique carousel horses. That's all I needed, right, to have the damn thing break underneath me??? LOL I'd forgotten how crappy that felt...to have to settle for something less than the full experience, especially since the carousel has been my favorite fair ride since I was a little girl.

But not this time, baby! The two of us will be on that carousel this summer, riding the horses just like everyone else! I'll get pictures. ;)