This is so wierd..

I just posted this in another forum, but thought maybe it belonged here..since Im 13 months out.. I just had a strange experience. I bought a size 14 very straight long Tommy Hilfiger denim skirt that laces up the front at the top.( I have always wanted to wear a designer) I have had it in my closet for months, (since February to be exact) and tried it on every week. At first it wouldnt even try, but now I have been wearing it for a few weeks, with a red ribbed Tommy Sweater (stylin', thats me!!) Well, yesterday I put it on,,and ITS WAY TOO BIG IN THE WAIST!" Now, ordinarily that would be a good thng,,,but it terrified me! I , who always for years wore a size 24-26, sometimes a 28-30 in later years, always thought a size 12 was perfect, am facing wearing that number,,and it scares me to death! Its like,,where do I go from here? Whats after "perfect"?And Im not even at goal yet! Im really panicking!! I know it sounds dumb, but is this one of those "mental issues" we were told about? Another issue is, the woman in the mirror. I dont recognise her,,and not sure I like her. How is she supposed to act now? I was always the clown, the life of the party, the jokester,,now I dont know what to joke about, the fat is gone! My kids toldme the other day Im not acting like myself, is something wrong. Im really having some issues here with identity, from the way I look to the way to act. Is anyone else suffering this? Its so strange. I always said I would not be the one with the mental thing going on, because I wanted the surgery so badly that I was ready for the changes. Apparently, I was wrong. Any advice, or any company in my misery??

I think it's just the fact that we are over a year out, and now what do we do with ourselves? We spent so very much time pre op thinking and picturing in our heads what we would concider where we would be or want to be , Then came the surgery and we spent the last year focused on where we were and now to get to the next stage, and hearing how we have to stay focused cus the first yr is the most important and all the changes take place and after 1 yr things slow down. When I was one yr out I went and bought some new undies cuz the ones I had were just too baggy to get by with or sew the seem just one more time, they fit well, felt good and looked good. In the last 2 weeks my body did this fat/shift thing and now yep i got droopy drawrs again, My but melted and my pani dropped again and now when I put on jeans the 20's are too big but the 18's arn't realy fitting yet so now i'm back in pants with elastic waists for now , I do my measurments tomarrow for the month and i am pretty sure there will be some good loss. I also noticed that some of the skin had tightened up in a few places, Like at my elbow the skin would drop way down and all but make a c shape at the bat wing and now it's just angled down, does that even make sence? and i have dipped curves in my armpits now instead of just hanging enpty skin to shave. Okay now i'm babbling, but no your not alone...lol Shel... 14 months out on Monday

what you are experiencing is normal. about goals. what ever number you had in mind, erase it from memory and replace it with "my body's comfortable weight" You will probably lose more. and after you hit a certain point you will sit there a while, then you will probably rebound a little (maybe 10% of your loss) because some people go below their body's comfortable weight for a short period. You will freak out again, but try to remember this is normal. as far as the woman in the mirror, well, I know exactly what you mean, but someday you will feel comfortable with her. You may go through many emotional changes, I know the issue of how to act has been one for me too. I always say the fat woman is still in there, and I am not comfortable with some situations that really, I should be fine with. I dont know how to respond most of the time when someone says something about the weight loss. I know they mean well and are (mostly) happy for me. but sometimes it sounds really strange (IE - "I always knew there was a pretty girl under all that") I am a strong advovcate of therapy to help get through all the changes and find out who you are and what you want. and also to deal with eating issues that may very well raise their ugly heads, especially when you are freaking out about not knowing yourself anymore, and at one point I really believed it was all easier emotionally and socially when I was fat because I could not cope with some of the issues that have arose after losing weight. I have to add that exercise has helped me a lot in getting to know my new body, and getting more comfortable in it, and with the changes. It is also an excellent coping mechanism when you are stressed. HUGS_ hang in there