yet another NSV

First of all I want to thank everyone for their comments on my previous post about this subject.  Your encouragement and your happiness for me is so uplifting.  I feel so accepted and cared for on this forum.  Everyone here is awesome.  Thanks so much for being here for me through all of this.  Often times I ramble on, post too frequently and share too much information but I am always met with positive comments and postive affirmation and an understanding that only other obese people or perviously obese people can share.  You have all come to be a very important part of my WLS process and I truly appreciate each and every one of you.

Last evening I went out with my husband to a gathering at the home of my best friend (who is also morbidly obese and just now contemplating having her doctor refer her for consideration).  The people (couples) at this gathering are part of the group we will be travelling with on our upcoming cruise (we sail in 33 days ya hooo).  These people gather pretty regularly and my husband and I join them as often as we can.  We plan our cruises ( we have all travelled together before and had a blast) and sing karaoke and eat and laugh and have good times together.  But because  I had surgery and then caught the cold from hell, we have not joined them since before my surgery on Dec 2.  We arrived at our usual time.  I had not dressed up at all, it is a very casual gathering.  I wore jeans that were too big and a Tee shirt but I had decided to put on a little bit of makeup because I am still looking kind of sickly. 

Once we got there and got our coats hung up, I was not even able to enter the room totally before everyone started commenting on my weight loss.  I really actually felt embarrassed but also rather enjoyed the comments and the praise.  I don't like to walk into a room full of people to begin with (I never have due to my weight) but these people were all our dearest friends in the whole world  - family really and so normally I don't mind but last night I was definitely blushing.  One of our friends, a lovely gentleman who is truly the salt of the earth, a caring and loving man, stood up, put his arms around me and hugged me and said "Ann you look amazing, really amazing.  You done good honey"  I nearly broke down.  Then he turned to my husband and said "you must be very proud of her"  and my husband said "I sure am". 

You have to know too that none of these people except my best friend and her husband, know the real reason I had surgery.  They only know that I had a hernia repair, which I did really have at the same time. 

Now I am crying while writing this because that moment of greeting my friends after nearly 2 months was the most special moment of all of this process so far.  If I never lose another ounce, if I struggle for every gram of weight loss from here on out, that moment was worth it all.  It was worth the 5 plus years waiting to see the doctor, the struggling to lose each time I went to the clinic, the dreaded Optifast diet for 2 looooong weeks, the surgery with all its fear and anxiety, the discomfort (though minimal) from 5 incisions, the horrendous 36 hours of constipation hell, the liquid diet, the puree diet, the chewing chewing chewing.  It was worth all the future struggles like getting stuck, sliming, hair loss and plateaus.  It was worth it all to see my dear friends so happy for me.  For them to tell me that I looked wonderful, for them to say those things and to truly feel good for me was the most uplifting, affirming moment of my entire life.  I only hope each of you, my friends on Obesity Help, have a moment like that as you proceed to your goal. 

This, along with sitting on the floor playing with my grandchildren, will probably be the best NSV I will ever report.  It is not about the numbers on the scale, its about feeling good, feeling strong, feeling healthy and feeling proud of the accomplishment.  The numbers on the scale mean nothing - absolutly nothing - it could say XYZ it does not matter.  I don't want to measure this experience by the numbers on a mechanical device, I will however measure the experience by how I feel inside and out.  So I have decided not to worry about a goal weight.  I have decided not to worry about total pounds lost.  I am just going to try to monitor how I feel and try to keep the feeling that I had last night alive each day from here on out.  So how do I feel today well today I feel amazing!

Ann

Wow...what can i say. You've summed it up.  I am so happy for you.    This is a tremendous success, with lots more to come.  Congratulations.

Patsy

Thanks Patsy,  For you too,  lots of success to come after your tremendous success so far.  We are in this together and your support means so much to me. 

Ann 

Ann,

I for one, welcome each and every word you share with us ... especially since I can get a bit long when sharing too.  lol 

It is an honour to share in your journey, both the ups and downs, as it better prepares me for my next steps.  I am proud of your successes, and it is so true that the ones without any numbers will be the ones that truly touch our hearts and souls to make this journey worthwhile.

Take care!

M

Thanks Michelle,

I appreciate your words so much.  This journey/process is indeed worthwhile, I realized that playing with my grandchildren and again last evening.  I promise to rejoice in your successes too.  I owe you and everyone else on this forum so very much. 

Ann

That is just wonderful Ann. Scale victories are hollow without the NSVs.  I am hoping to have my surgery soon, so I can go home this summer and wow  my family!

Thanks Charline,  I hope your surgery date is very soon and I can hardly wait to hear your story of going home and wowing your family.  Just remember to wow yourself first after all you are the architect of you future but you have to build on a firm foundation.  I just feel in my bones that your call is going to come very very soon.
Ann

Reading your posts are like hearing great news from a dear friend. I can almost hear your smile! For us waiters, it's a dream that we wish for ourselves and when you say it, we feel it. We know that is the kind of NSV's we want too and when you report them, we say YES I can't wait for my turn. Keep on posting Ann, you give us hope.

Thanks so much for your post.  I think of all of the people on this forum as a dear friend. So many have helped me in one way or the other either by commenting on my posts or by posting about their personal experience.  And yes, you will have moments like the moments I have shared or maybe even better moments than mine in your eyes because each experience is different.  I hope when it happens to you that you post and share and inspire with your success so that the others who follow you will have hope as well.  I posted to share so that we all could see the light at the end of the tunnel.  I can hardly wait for your stories of success.  It will be wonderful I am sure.

Ann

Ann

I enjoy reading your posts so much I think because like Michelle said I also can write in great length! LOL- so I always enjoy the spirit and heart from which you write from .

More importantly though I enjoy these moments with you because for the first 3-4 months I didnt get to enjoy any of my moments - I feel like I get to reflect and think about these NSV that I have had also along the way but not at the time did it dawn on me- only now am I having my wows and ahhhss.....

I think no matter what surgery you have or how old you are or whatever weight you began as and especially being all women -we can so relate to each other- when you got down on the floor with your grandchildren - no I dont have grandchildren but I can now can be active with my 12 year old daughter where as before I was jus****ching her and my husband from the side lines....... what a very unique special group this is.

My first 3-4 months I was so ill and so sick in and out of the hospital that no one including myself went wow look at you or you couldnt have done 50 or 60 lbs ago - they were all scared I wasnt going to make it..... and I looked so ill and so very unhealthy..... I truly scared close friends and family and I dont blame them for being so nervous- I was just as concerned..... and so frightened I had made the worst mistake of my life.

I now say why didnt I do this years ago!

Keep sharing all your moments Ann I personally find it so encouraging and it makes me appreciate the little wows and my own journey so much more.

You are a very special person and so deserve all the happiness and health this decision has brought you - many blessings.

hugs
Deb