A Picture A Day... does much more than "Keeps the Pounds and the Inches...

When I started my weight loss journey and at suggestion of my oldest sister Dr. Maria Carmela (RIP) who we lovingly always called MELA, I decided to capture my post weight loss journey in a digital empowerment journal titled "A Picture a Day Keeps the Pounds and the Inches Away" ... a totally goofy yet awesome tool that has been working for me for 6 years and 6 months since my gastric bypass .... I enjoy taking pictures both BEFORE and AFTER surgery but I never thought that capturing my post-op life not only the weight-loss portion of it .. .but life in general with all the newfound health and energy has been greatly rewarding.

My journal is not only about me but about my friends and family too ... and it does just more than 'keeps the pounds and the inches away' my journal is also an awesome memory keepsakes in which significant pieces of my life are recorded too and shared as 'snippets' of my journey...

Yesterday was such a day as we said goodbye to friends and co-workers who I have worked with in great camaraderie, team work, peer-ship and friendship for over 15 years.   While we ALL remain as part of the same big healthcare organization and will see each other again and again  as we traverse the different floors and buildings and departments and the like some of us with awesome promotional opportunities in different areas of the hospital ..we bid each other and the awesome building that we worked in  farewell yesterday ..

Goodbye's are bitter sweet ... so instead I said HASTA LUEGO! ... and in my journal I recorded SNIPPETS of my journey ... with my friends and co-workers ... more than a team we were like FAMILY ... these are the very same people who cared for me post RNY surgery.... who bought me their clothes as I lost the weight ... who took care of me and cleaned my ileostomy bag following my postop complication... the ones who did my dressing changes and also helped with my dressings when I developed hematomas and seromas post panniculectomy ... the ones who cheered me along and encouraged me EVERY.DAY to this day on my journey ... they are my friends ... SO HASTA LUEGO! I AM NOT SAYING GOODBYE....

My friends and peers from doctors, to nurses, to PCAs to universal workers, to contractors and all ALWAYS had kind words of encouragement along my journey ... my flare for hair and flamboyance both BEFORE AT MY BIGGEST and NOW at my NORMAL weight ALWAYS brought smiles and compliments ... and I KNOW that wherever I go IF I remain and present myself ALWAYS just the way I am I will be accepted by most just like I will accept them too ... so I will be okay....

This morning I also entered in my journal my EMPOWERMENT COLLAGE ... A picture a Day Keeps The Pounds and the Inches Away.... 

and today Friday I wore this XS Ralph Lauren dress which I am pretty sure was not meant for an old fart like me LOL but I love it!

I ALSO took a picture with my dollies .... TWO of them gifts from my son (the broken one with the fan and the one on the stand), the light blue one was a gift from DD and the one with the blue flowers a gift from DH.  My dogs have learned to stay away from the doll ... or so I thought until I sat on the floor this morning to take a picture next to my sitting doll ... and ALL three toy poodles made a rush for my lap and a picture too LOL ... ALMOST toppling the doll YIKES .... I would have had a fit....

Once again I share another goofy thread ... SNIPPETS OF MY JOURNEY ... while it saddens me a bit that this door in the workplace  is closing I am thankful for the wonderful people I met and the awesome experiences I had and I look forward to starting my new awesome position two weeks from now in the same organization where I will meet new awesome people too while saying Hasta Luego or See You Later to my friends that we will forever keep in touch with... ...

My journey has been made so much easier and so much fun despite all life's challenges with awesome friends, and peers and co-workers AND AN AWESOME CYBER-FAMILY on OBESITY HELP!!! I have always considered myself a sista on the journey .... partaking in so many shared experiences and being grateful for the space freely provided by OH to share mine.  

Hi Martitalinda,

Your posts and photos are so inspirational!! 

Love this:
"EMPOWERMENT COLLAGE ... A picture a Day Keeps The Pounds and the Inches Away.... "

Appreciate and agree with your this:
"AN AWESOME CYBER-FAMILY on OBESITY HELP!!! I have always considered myself a sista on the journey .... partaking in so many shared experiences and being grateful for the space freely provided by OH to share mine."

We are grateful for you and our other OH members that make up our wonderful OH community. 
 

Thank you OH!!! I AM grateful!!!

I so appreciate you, your posts and all your pictures.  I love how you share your life with all of us - and it's such a great life!  

I do appreciate you too Tracy and your kindness and support always!!!! 

As many others, I appreciate you and your posts every single time! Such an inspiration!

Good luck in your new position! :)

Thank you Dorkgirl... I am so happy to see you on the loser's bench since July and rocking your journey too... CONGRATS!!

My precious sistah--I know your MELA is smiling down upon you, this morning, as she does EVERY morning-and I, for one, am thanking her, for encouraging you to take charge of your health, those many years ago...

Our co-workers become such an important part of our lives. How can they NOT? We are with them WAY more waking hours than we are with our other friends, or with our family members. How wonderful that your co-workers have been supportive. For ME, my skinniest friends/co-workers were always the ones who were the MOST supportive-the ones who couldn't possibly have ANY idea what it was like to live in a 340 lb body-You and are blessed, indeed!

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE keep sharing your pictures. I know they are personal, to you, but I am being entirely SELFISH here, and will admit that your "empowerment journal" truly helps ME, and I find myself disappointmented, when I don't see a post from you, when I sign on to OH, and don't see a post from you...

You are one of the most inspirational peeps I know. I hope you know I am being sincere. It is all I know how to be...

My beautiful sista GINA!!! How blessed we are indeed ... with awesome peers/friends and co-workers that we have spent sooooooooo many waking hours with ... these were my best and most cherished source of unconditional support ... and like you the skinniest ones who had no idea of the struggles of the morbidly obese body of mine especially where health and mobility was concerned were the best and strongest supporters yet to this date.  I am going to really miss 15 years of waking hours spent in team work and camaraderie... together we shared births, deaths, marriages, divorces, illnesses, testimonies, bridal showers, baby showers, weddings, happy hours, birthday you name it ... our gifts and talents were shared unconditionally and I was ALWAYS treated like queen bee no matter my size and trust I really do not know why .. I am assuming because of my creativity and my 'flamboyance' and being an awesome team player LOL ... but they ALL always looked out for me and mine .. my children and husband were equally included in their love and kindness ... it was like a big family and we will remain in touch even as we go separate ways in the huge healthcare organization that we work for.

Thank you for your kindness and support always.  NIGHTINGALES ROCK!!!

Today I am unpacking one of my bins of porcelain dolls ... I can't believe that since our move in December half my stuff is STILL unpacked in the basement .... I am tackling it a bit at a time otherwise I get overwhelmed.  Today it is going to be a dolly day as I relax ... we worked so hard yesterday wrapping things up there was no space to breathe even.  I ran this morning... I will shower... and I will set up my dolls... I have this awesome Native American doll BUT a moccasin is missing and I am almost to the bottom of this bin and have to put this stuff away before even bothering with another.  One cabinet at a time that is what I am going to do LOL...

Again thanks for being YOU and thanks for allowing me to share...

Edited typos

I too enjoy  your posts Marta !  ((())) congratulations you look great !