How have you changed as a person since your surgery?

Has you mood changed about things, do you have more patience now that your losing weight or have lost the weight?  Can you say NO more assertive now?  How had you relationship changed with your hubby and your children?

Just starting out with a few questions, doing my research..

Thanks in advance for all of those *****spond.

I am a LOT more assertive and confident now! I can give you an example just from today. My daughter has special needs and I had her IEP meeting today at school. In the past, these meetings have ended with me crying and the school getting their way. Today's meeting was SO much different. I did NOT cry and I stood my ground on all the issues. I even managed to stump the Director of Special Ed on one of the issues! I dreaded the meeting just like the others, but walked out of it feeling much better than I have in the past. Now let's hope the next one (9/29)goes even better or I may hit the fridge on that one. LOL

Mrs P...  I have changed...  I've lost just under a hundred pounds in about 2 months.  My tastes have changed...  although I can smell foods that smell like they always have, tasting them remains a bit "muted"....  meats make me sick  while before, I ate them like I was on a mission to eat anything "meat based" before everyone else could.

So i mainly stick to my Flax-z cereal, some tasty soups, and that's really about it.  I do still enjoy extremely hot foods...but I find myself dipping my finger in habenero sauce and just tasting it throughout the day.  Strange....but that's me...  I'm a bit odd...and I like it that way....

I also know that I see things through a "different set of eyes" .  I never used to seethe "biggie size" fun and cool advertising like I do now....  i never saw sugar everywhere like I do now....  I see so many people killing themselves by eating portions that are out of control.....  The SAME portions that I would eat.....  I mean let's get real....  ANYONE in the forums see the portion of a meal that Chilli's gives you if you order the chicken fried steak dinner?  I saw a lady eat one and she had dessert after it......  now, i eat a total of a half portion of a serving of flax-z and a quarter of a can of soup per day....that's all I have...  oh and my taste of "Hot sauce"...

Other than that, i'm still the same Thomas....ornery, rebellious, loving, kind, and a bit of my own perspective on how life could be versus how it really is.......  I don't live with the stress of the real world anymore, so once I moved here, my blood pressure dropped...and I became less tense about everything....  Just like Jimmy Buffet said I would.

I had a little "goodbye poem" that I wrote before I had my surgery...lemme paste it here ----->

"Goodbye my old friend"

Yes, it's almost that time...I've shared many a meal with you....you've given me some of the best times of my life....you've cost me a TON of cash with your indulgent needs. ....You've let me have too much rum on many occasions only to say you didn't like it later that evening....

You made me happy when I needed to be comforted....you've taken my pride and twisted it into something that I don't match up to....you've pushed the boundries of my coveted and wonderful timberland shorts. ....you made me look bad at the beach... .you made it ok to be included in fat jokes....

BUT... I want a divorce.. ..  it's not you, it's ME....I need some space...We can be friends, but soon, you won't be able to reach me and I won't know where you will be....When the goodtimes were good, they were awesome, when the bad times were around..they really stuck AROUND.... So I'll think fondly of our time together...but don't worry about me...i'll be fine... and hey....seriously....don't try to "google me" or try to find me later....i won't be there....

I've got "ALL MY FRIENDS" who have gone through the same hate-love relationship that you and I have... Goodbye belly of mine...   I'll always take a little piece of you with me...goodbye....

The final push is on for me...  I'm excited...  I have no reservations....  YOU GUYS AND GALS have made it possible to be calm about this stuff.... 

So Mrs. P, I hope this gives you a small glimpse of why I was ready to have my life change for the better.... Maybe it's your time now...find your own Jimmy Buffet and listen to the song that will brighten your life...

T.

WHAT A GREAT POEM. I LOVE IT!! IT HITS THE NAIL ON THE HEAD, DOESN'T IT?

How have I changed as a person since my WLS?  Oh wow I can't even begin to count the ways, but I'll sure try...

For starters, I'm a 4 year post op.  I've lost over 160 lbs.  I'm about to have my 2nd baby since I've had my RNY.  Am I more assertive?  You bet your butt I'm more assertive.  My confidence is 200x better than it ever was before I lost the weight.  I was in an abusive marriage at the time of my WLS.  I am no longer in that relationship.  I have the power to stand up for myself now and I have a great marriage with a wonderful husband now because of it.  Do I have more patience?  Probably about the same as before.  My moods are about the same, as well.  They shifted for awhile as I first was losing weight, but they even out again.  A lot has changed about me since the WLS.  I still love food.  I could sit and watch Food Network 24 hrs a day.  I tweak recipes all the time to make them more friendly for my tummy.  I am going back to college to get another degree in Nutrition because I want to work with WLS patients and people trying to lose weight.  Everything in me is nutrition-focused now.  I want to be a good example for my children.  Do I still have my slip ups?  You betcha~ We all will... I don't punish myself for it anymore, but simply do better the next day.  My life has changed for the better!  I don't want to just be a 4 year success story... I want to be one for the rest of my life!

I AM SO MUCH HAPPIER WITH MYSELF RIGHT NOW AND I CAN'T WAIT TIL IT REACH MY ULTIMATE GOAL. I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ASSERTIVE AND HAD TO BE PART OF THE CENTER OF ATTENTION AND THAT HASN'T CHANGED A BIT. I GET A LITTLE LOUD SOMETIMES BUT I THINK I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN THAT WAY. MY HUSBAND AND I HAVE ALWAYS GOTTEN ALONG BUT IT SEEMS LIKE SEX IS A LOT BETTER BECAUSE I FEEL BETTER ABOUT MYSELF. I'M NOT SO SELFCONCIOUS ABOUT HIM SEEING ME NAKED. I AM STILL OVERWEIGHT BUT NOT LIKE BEFORE. I THINK I HAVE CHANGED FOR THE BETTER. I STILL HAVE SOME DAYS THAT MY MOOD IS FUNKY BUT OVERALL I FEEL GOOD EVERYDAY.

FOR SURE!!!! But all for the better!!!!  I have more confidence and dont walk around looking at the ground now!  I am more assertive and more agressive as well! It is amazing how much better I feel about myself and life.  All the changes I feel are positive changes.  Every day you find something new that you like about yourself or your surroundings that you didnt notice before because we are too busy trying to camoflauge in to something.  If that makes any sense.  So yes defiantely I have changed for the bette.... Ohhh and also I dont meet a stranger!!!!

I'm so thankful for the weight I've lost.  I feel normal now and don't feel like people are staring at me saying "OMG!!!!" anymore.  I think I'm less depressed but I'm not sure I have any more patience.  I think I'm a little more assertive.  My hubby is really happy that I've lost weight and that I've increased my life expectancy and decreased the potential health problems. 

I am less self conscious.  I am no longer the biggest person in the room.  I don't feel people are staring at me because at almost 300 pounds and 5'2" I was not a pretty sight to see.

I do not have more patience, unfortunately.  The biggest change is that I now want a relationship.  I had been content to be alone for many years.  That is no longer true.