Who IS that????!!!!

My son just got married a couple of weeks ago.
Another son graduated from college just before that.
We had a family reunion in Idaho/Montana/Wyoming with oodles of FUN outside stuff!

Finally reviewed pictures this weekend  for all 3 big events!  Oh my gosh!  I didn't even recognize my face (not in a good way)......my body is smaller than my 21 year old daughter who is an itty bitty thing!  My legs are toothpicks (used to have shapely legs)...........and many other puzzling thoughts are spinning in my smaller brain!!!! 

I like the way I looked after my first Rny but having dipped over 25 pounds lower with my Revision than at my lowest goal weight before:  I feel "unnatural"!!!  I'm not at any alarmingly LOW weight.  I"m 5'4" and go between 115 and 118.  I'll admit to thinking I should lose "just a few more" for the safety net "regain bounce back"......which is probably a little twisted in nature .....but, yet I do everything healthy.  My routine includes exercise, lots of water, 4 protein drinks or protein shots a day, healthy food choices, supplements, etc.  I follow the  Vitalady plan for Distal's.

"Happy" is not ALWAYS at the other end of the weight loss rainbow!!!! 

How do I learn to maintain?  (never been good at maintaining....just good at losing!)
How do I get used to this "look" on me?
Basically----How do I get comfortable in my new "loose" skin????  And like ME again?

PlZ be genlle with your responses!  I'm feeling misconbobulated today! 

Joyce

My 1st response was " When did you start smoking Crack ????? "

My 2nd response  was Are you  in Crisis? 

 I feed the need to tell you and the rest of the WORLD  again  what a wonderful person you  are !! Truely.  You have been around to mentor to quite a few of us, You have led us in our struggles and been our cheerleader. You never gave up hope - even when we wanted to ! 
 You  know the "Foot Prints" prayer ?  I am not sure if you know how many times you carried me through ... 

So to you I say  1. You look great ! & Yes  Iam a wee bit jelous I admit !  2. Enjoy your sucess - no matter how long or short it is .. 3. I dont see or hear anything of anyone noticing your loose skin & if they do   well ---  everyone has battle  scars.

You need not like yourself  U need to love yourself for who you are !! &  just accept  your unique  qualities .  

Dear Sweet Joyce - after just speaking to you once on the phone (not knowing it was you) and reading your different upbeat responses on this forum you post to everyone - I know what a special person you are!!  I hate to see you "unhappy or uncomfortable".   Perhaps it's just hard to see yourself look different in those photos - looking at photos can be different than looking at ourselves in the mirror.  Maybe you look different but you are different now, right, in many respects - a healthy different.  I too have so much loose skin.  I had a facelift 3 years ago but I know after I have my revision I know it will sag again and the rest of my body will be even worse than it is now (ugh!).  I think I will have a hard time dealing with it.  With clothes on you see the new you and with clothes off you see the loose skin which can distort the perception of ourselves (can't see the weight loss anymore - just the loose, sagging skin).  Maintain just by what you're doing now - you seem to have the regiment down!  Perhaps see a nutritionist or a personal trainer to build muscle and tone some area.  But in our mind we have to keep reassuring ourselves that sure we look different but in a healthy way.  And you will get use to the new you!  You're a beautiful person so please don't see the negative things about the weight loss - but just the positive - a healthy, happier you!!  Take care!!  Carolyn

Okey Dokey sweet friends!  I gathered up the cyber hugs sent my way and took the bull by the horns!!!!  I figured if I didn't like all those pictures then I need a better photographer!  LOL! ......I will still soak up any cheerleading and help anyone can send me as I learn to maintain and "deal".....BUT.....I ended my pitty party and am taking action!!!!  ......  I need lots of current photos for a new project I'm going to be embarking on and surely if I hire a professional to take a few thousand (doctor them up a bit) then there will be at least a few decent ones!!!!

I'm a "kick booty" kind of girlfriend soooooo  I'll tackle this hurdle with gusto and get on with life!  There's soooooo many wonderful things out there just around the corner for all of us!  SEIZE THE DAY!!!!


Woooooooooo Hooooooooooo and High Fives to each of us willing to "take a chance and make a difference"!!!! 

I will definitely be at the O.H. Arizona Extravaganza party weekend (19th & 20th) and intend on embracing every second of it!!!! .......and each of you! Hope many of you can make it!  It will be a "mental health" cup filler upper for me!

LOSER'S ROCK!!!!

Who IS that?  Joyce, it's just you sweetie.  The new and improved you that you have WORKED so HARD to be!  Like I said over in the Arizona forum.........we love YOU.

Like Jeanna said...and so many OTHERS....*YOU* have been there...day in and day out, cheering US all on and now you just need a little cheering on!   Maybe....you have forgotten all your sweet support you have given to so many of us??  

I am NOT making light (no pun intended!) of your issues......I understand how devasting our "thoughts and feelings" can be inside of each of us!  Trust me on that.....cuz YOU know me and mine.....................................but, I'd say........try to FOCUS on what you HAVE ACHIEVED in your HEALTH!!  Do you FEEL healthy??  Don't let the visuals of a camera tell you who you are!  Sometimes photo's make us feel GREAT....and sometimes not!!   But, it's just a SNAP SHOT in time for only a second!!  It isn't what we ARE!!  

You have too many great qualities to list here!! Great mom, great friend.......great wife!!  Come on, give yourself some TIME and CREDIT and be HAPPY that you *are* a NEW YOU!!  A better, HEALTHIER version of you!!   Grab it ALL!!   Don't feel bad about being everything you ARE!   Encompass it, HUG IT!!  JUST BE!!

You ARE maintaining.....you are running with the ball....just keep goin!!
WALK PROUD!  You DESERVE it!!  There will always be people who won't understand.......but then there will always be the ones who DO!!  And those are the ones we want in our lives anyway

Love & hugzzzz,

Gwynn ...who admires you for putting yourself out there for everyone to SEE!

Joyce, you are the epitome of the other side of the coin...remember when you had your first surgery and everyone was responding to the person you had become then? Didn't you want to scream that you hadn't changed, you were still the woman you used to be just a few pounds lighter?  Can I get you to think back to that and recall how you dealt with it then? Did you take a good hard look at yourself and decide to see what others saw and love it? Did you decide that you were going to embrace this gift given to you by God and learn to work with it?  Did you have to learn that although the packaging may have change the goodness of the product did not? 

Honey answer those questions and then re-read today's post.  None of us can convince you to embrace and accept you until you are ready; and I have faith that you are more than ready.  Although not many of us on this board have been where you are presently, we have all had to learn to live with a new person in the mirror, camera lens, other people's eyes so I tell you as having gone through at least one period of adjustment...buck up soldier, look yourself straight in the eye (please use a mirror, any other method may cause I strain ) and tell that woman in the mirror how much you love and admire her.....then go do some calf-raises.

Shay!
How come you live in TEXAS???  Dang!!!  I want YOU as my new best friend!!!!  I feel so refreshingly slapped around by you girlfriend that I am going to run as fast as I can to do some calf-raises!!!!  I AM a soldier!!!!  ........
Gheesh!  You've gotta love the support on this site

Aww shucks, you are already my hero, wanna be my new BFF? My being in TX just means that you have some place "cool" to come to for a visit.

You know I am calling on you when I get ready to have Dr. S. take me on right? So we are already there .

On a side note, should I feel pride at having slapped you around?  I think that is something I am going to have to think about later, maybe while I am doing my own calf raises.

Woman!  You are BEAUTIFUL!  Unfortunately sometimes our "head" picture does not match the person we see in the mirror or the photo.  In most cases I think we are harder on ourselves then anyone could ever possibly be and it usually turns out that it is that picture or the mirror that is reality...  In other words.....everyone else here thinks your beautiful inside and out.  It's probably time you realize just how beautiful you really are!  This is the hard part, changing the way we see ourselves.  

Yes, it's true, I don't know you personally, but I follow your posts, the few I have posted, you have always replied with encouragement.  I love your upbeat, cheerful 'tude and the wonderful support you give.  You are an inspiration and I am going out on a limb here, I will bet not only to me....  

I think Joyce suffers from the Body Dismorphia like the rest of us !!  mkaes us all crazzy at one time or another..

Joyce has Beautiful skin,  a cute figure and just needs flaunt it a little more!   ignore the imperfections - we all do at one time or another .