2nd Anniversay Thoughts (re-post from Main MB)

LisaMarie, Thank you for your well wishes! I don't think of myself as an "inspiration" to anyone, but I do try to keep it real & honest when people ask what my journey has been like. Thanks again for the compliment! Vickie J.

Well said Vickie! I so agree with you 100%. We have to change inside and out. changing the way we think about food is the first step. Changing the way we feel about ourselves as a whole is the big one! My self-esteem is so much better now. Hugs, Jane

You've got it! Changing how we feel about our selves IS the big one. And the hardest one I'm finding. I guess I've just had that "happy fat chick" image for so long that it will take a while for her to be replaced with the "happy thin chick"!! I don't think my self-esteem was ever low - just ask anyone that knows me well. LOL. I may not have liked the way I looked and I liked the way I felt even less, but I had/have a great life, wonderful family and good friends so I never lacked self-esteem. But I do find that I am now a little less accomodating than I used to be. I'm not afraid to say "no" to people I don't want to be with or things I don't want to do. Of course, some of that is a perk of being retrired - I can pick and choose what I do and who I do it with. When you work, you don't always have that option. Hugs! Vickie J.

Congratulations, Vickie, on your second surgiversay. You said many things so well. I noticed one thing in particular, the fact that your weight is stable. My biggest fear, regain. It's that maintainance thing that we were so bad at pre-op. It sounds like for this year you've done really well. Also, that our struggles now are like normal thin people, watching what we eat, exercising, dealing with food desires. Thank you for saying so much so well. Debra M.

Debra, My weight has been fairly stable but I have had my ups & downs. During a family crisis I was so upset that I was unable to eat and dropped 4.5 lbs in 2 days. That was a first for me - being too upset to eat. However, I had a 9 lb. gain during the following 3 weeks. After I returned home and saw how much I'd gained - the 4.5 lbs I'd lost plus an extra 5 lbs - I got very strict with myself. I really went back to the basics, severely limiting my carbs & fats. I lost those extra 5 lbs. in less than 10 days. And of course, over the holidays I put on a few pounds. So I've been working on getting them off since the first of the year. I guess at this point I am like "normal" thin people. I weigh daily but don't worry until the scale shows at least a 3-5 lb. jump. I do have to be careful what I eat and I still record everything I eat in FitDay.com. When the scale shows a significant increase I can usually look at my FitDay record and see that I over indulged in carbs or fats. So I just cut back on them and within a week I'm back down in my normal weight range. (I allow myself + or - 4 lbs. from my goal weight). I guess what I'm trying to say is that maintaining my weight is still a struggle but with my "tool" it is easier to be successful than ever before! Hugs! Vickie J.

Wow Vickie, doesn't seem possible our 2 yr anniversary is actaully happening so soon. Congrats on accomplishing so much just this past year as well. Enough time working to put ourselves back together now we should be doing lunch, right? I hope you are feeling as healthy and happy and mentally stable as I am since I look in the mirror and now longer get angry... sending you a huge hug surgey buddy...,my anniversary is Feb 8...its a comming. You were an inspiriation to me.

Mirabelle, You're right, it is hard to believe it has been 2 years already! I can't get over how much better I feel in every respect. I knew I would feel physically better, but I still can't get over how MUCH better I feel!! I tell people that 2005 was my year for internal remodeling, and 2006 was my year for external renovations. So 2007 is going to be my year to kick back, enjoy all my hard work and to PLAY!!! Congrats on your success! I hope we can both keep it up!! Vickie J.