The Moment...

Hey fellas,

This is for you guys that are post op. Have you experienced the MOMENT when you yourself said... I'm not the fat guy anymore. I have had a decent amount of self esteem, but it hasnt been stellar by any stretch of the word.

I'm excited... I'm still at 384, but that's still pretty good, I wont complain. I'm just looking forward to that "moment".

I got a glimpse of it at the mall on New Years Day. I  went shopping with a couple size 2 and 6 young women and they called themselves fat...

So clearly I was confused... I have not been able to buy anything from the mall in years. I went in the store saw a few nice shirts but immediately stated oh thats nice,  maybe i can find something at big and tall. They suggested that I try them on. I did and to my shock and awe I could fit a 3x down from a 6x or 7x... WOW

crazy as it sounds, many days i still feel like the fat guy mentally, i'm not sure if that feeling will ever go away completely.  it was pretty amazing when i could say good by to the big-and-tall store for good and simply buy clothes from target however!

I'm literally the fat guy (for the time being). But I appreciate the process.

Every time I tried on smaller clothes as I was losing I'd ask myself how I was going to get my fat ass in them?  Have not gotten really comfortable yet with the new "normal".  Not saying I don't like it!  Just that sometimes I still see the fat man in the mirror.  Never figured I'd be in medium shirts and 34 pants.  

you skinny punk! lol

The answer is not cut and dry.  Sometimes there have been things that happened that were absolutely awesome moments and I would say, wow, I have arrived.  However, it takes a while for your head to catch up with the actual weight loss.  There will be a point when you think that being average size is awesome.

I went for a 1-2X shirt down to a medium...I'm now at in an X-XL.  You will find the mental side of WLS to be harder than the physical side.  It can really play with your mind if you don't get a handle on it.  Beautiful women will make eye contact with you and start flirting in a few weeks.  You're thinking "I'm the same guy inside...what gives??"  You will get treated better in business situations...since you are a very diciplined guy...since you can control your eating habits...You won't be that obese man (if only they knew).  I and others have said that WLS is like an amusement park ride...You don't know what is around the next corner.  All I can say is hang on for the ride of your life.  Brian

This is really good stuff... Eye opening, so it turns out this life after WLS has numerous "Moments". I guess I have never really thought about the ups and downs. I have already experienced the "you have changed " speech. I think we change, more physically of course. I have already been treated differently at work. Those mind games that I use to play with myself, thinking that  I didnt get the promotion I deserved because of my weight... Sooo not a game but it was my reality. I think thats why this forum is so  beneficial. We give each other hings to think about to make us truly grateful that we were able to make this life change. I'm still at he beginning but its already becoming a roller coaster of emotions.  thank you for the input.

Just a reminder on the emotions...Stored in your fat cells is estrogen.  When the fat gets released it also releases the estrogen.  Esp for men who have never really been emotional, they all of a sudden go flying with their emotions.  They will start crying or weeping for no reason.  Just keep that one in the back of your mind.  Brian

 I needed concrete proof to realize I wasn't the fat guy anymore. The scale was not proof at all.  Thats why I chose to run a race and chose a fast time that I wanted to complete it in.  I knew a fat guy couldn't do it.  Same reason I am now training for a triathlon.  I couldn't do that 80-whatever pounds ago.