surgery soon? nervous??

I was talking to someone who's surgery is coming up very soon and they asked for my advice.  So, I figured I would post it here!     No, it isn't about vitamins or protein or water or what equipment to buy.  That will all change a million times before you find your perfect fit.  It isn't about what to take to the hospital.  We never get that one right.  

My biggest advice is to make a list.  A long one.  Free form.  Put it on pretty paper.  Use a pen that you love.  Don't worry about punctuation or grammar or what other people think.  This is for YOU!.   Write down why you are doing this.  What was the pivotal moment that made you decide that THIS is the time to do it?  What do you like about yourself?  What do you want to change?  What do you hope this will do for you?  Write down the names of the people that love you the way you are.  Think of things you want to do to repay them for their kindness  and adoration when you love yourself as much as they love you.  What do you want to do when you are "skinny"?  What have you always wanted to be but never did?  Write down all of the health problems you have.  Write down the health problems you don't have.  This is to help you in the realization that it could always be worse.  Write a "thank you note" to yourself for saving your life.  

You will go through so much self-exploration in the next year or so.  What happens when the things that define you don't exist anymore?  Can you still be "Big Daddy"   or "the big, sassy redhead"  if you aren't anymore?  What does that mean to you?  

When you eat something you shouldn't and find your head in the toilet AGAIN or when you are lethargic as hell because you just can't figure out how to eat or stomach those protein shakes..... read this list.  Remind yourself why you are doing this and remember, it gets easier.  

Hi Miss Missy,

How ya doing Sunshine!!! Love the new do…. I would have rather seen it in person the other day with you Kenny and Ms. Denise but they locked me out at the security counter….

No,  they really didn’t lock me out, I had to work but I was there in thought and spirit…

This is really good advice… I made a list of things that I wanted to do when I was no longer morbidly obese.. But I really like your suggestion much better, 1) to write on pretty pink paper long hand (cause I like stuff like that) 2) I like the part about incorporating others in your list and taking the focus off ourselves.. There are those in my life that have loved me and stuck by me when I was not so loveable… Thinking of ways to repay them for their kindness is an awesome idea….

So these are just 5 things from my list of 100 Things I wanted to do when I was no longer morbidly obese:

1. Walk without pain in my feet, legs, hips, and back.. (now I can)

2. Watch my son in sports activities without constant fear of breaking through the seat of my lawn chair and humiliating my son and myself…. (now I can)

3. Eat without having everything drop on my chest.. (now I can)

4. See my toes while standing upright.. (now I can)

5. Not have to pull my shirt over my stomach every time I stand up… (now I don’t have to)