Observations...(Please contribute)

 I love this thread....
Im  sorta new here .....thanks to Lee for recommending the LW boards.!  < thanks Lee>

I've noticed that cold weather is FREAKIN' COLD.  
I am a native Californian so cold is really a relative term for me....but I now carry a cardigan just about everywhere even if its 80 degrees outside.  Restaurants can freeze me out now.  I look at the ceiling vents before they seat us, lol.

Things have changed drastically for me, bone wise, feeling my hip bones when I lay in bed and seeing my toes as toes and not just little stubs.
Sitting in the bathtub taking a bubble bath used to be more enjoyable.  Now it takes effort to hold my body under the water and my tail bone hits hard every time I take a bath. But I do like that I can actually wrap in a towel and tuck that end in and wear the darn thing like a terry cloth dress, lol.

....but also perceptions I've noticed around the weight loss..... not so much in who I am but how I presented myself to the world prior to WLS.  Not directly 'body' related but sort of.....
I am the same person I was inside as others posted,  however the person I was presenting presurgery was (for me personally) a frumpy, oversized sweatshirt wearing gal that generally kept quiet unless I really knew you. In reality I was different inside than what I presented... I felt  hidden.  Some people preferred that frumpy gal and some were put off by it.
When I presented myself that way, people reacted within their own presuppositions of how they saw frumpy sweatshirt wearing Deb.  Now that I feel confident in my own skin again and am able to present myself to the public according to my mood for the day (in fashion specifically - classic, sporty,  edgy)  people are and will continue to project on me their own interpretations of how they 'see' me being presented.  I've had to really try and tailor my wardrobe for the venue so as to not put anyone off and I'm noticing that sometimes it doesn't matter what you wear...I can't control others perceptions and level of comfort with me anymore.  
(And Im not talking about walking around town in lingerie and wonder why people treat me differently then before....that's not me..... I have a pic of me in a slip dress on my profile that I would never wear anywhere because 1) I never get that dressed up 2) I wouldn't feel comfortable wearing it out)
at any rate I've noticed.....
If I dress more classy....some people perceive me as stuck up or snobby but in reality I'm still a bit on the shy side if I dont know them.  I'm trying to work on breaking the ice with people so I can blast their perceptions.  But it's work.
I hate the notion that I should continue to dress in sweatshirts and tennis shoes so some people wont think i've changed.  I haven't changed, but my body has and that changes how others see me.  People ignore me who have spoken to fat Deb without hesitation  in the past..........and people who treated fat Deb like I was an unimportant intrusion on their day now treat me like I'm their favorite customer all because of how I look............ I've noticed........and it irritates me.  
I'm the same Deb....not after your hubby, often with a sarcastic sense of humor and quite conservative, Deb.....  But how you look is perceived very differently depending on the 'perceiver's' own bent.
Anyone else bothered by that?

I did appreciate one gal who fat Deb kind of put in her place once a while back pointing out a bit of hypocracy on her end that she didn't really appreciate ....... once I had lost 112 lbs I asked her a question relating to my daughters class and she responded  'Oh, I didn't recognize you with your new hair so short"......lol  It made me smile that old quarrels are still in place and she doesn't treat me differently now that I am 100+ lbs lighter. She still doesn't like me, lol.  Guess she's stripped that hyporcracy I called her on way back then lol.   

I know these aren't body changes like the thread intended..... sorry for the hijack at the end.
Deb

Deb!  That's no hijack at all!  Mine about the humor was totally a social change, too.  Any change is welcome.

What a fascinating set of experiences - perceptions are really complex, aren't they?  And yes, we're taught that people's reactions come from where they are in any situation, but it seems especially acute when we notice it around our weights.  I totally feel you!

I'm glad Lee introduced you to us, too!  Welcome!

Notice that the girls kind of lay in their cups now. Getting a little wrinkly and deflated.

Pilates class is getting a little easier.

I can see my feet now without having to lean forward.

I can paint my toenails with ease.

I can work 12 hours without the pain and fatigue.

I, too, am always cold!

Nice, Maria!

Those are amazing changes.

I went to my first pilates class in a while yesterday, and I was just incredulous, wondering why people would want to (and how could they possibly) do those moves. We did this thing laying on our sides, hugging ourselves with the arm closest to the floor and pushing off the ground with the other arm, working the triceps as we pushed up to the side? Know what I'm talking about?

OUCH!!!

I SUCK AT PILATES.

I'm so proud of you, though!

Edited to say that your new avy just showed up, and I LOVE IT! You look like a totally different person! Can you see that?

I know what you are talking about, and some of the other moves are still a little beyond my abilities but my instructor finds modifications for me to do.
Pilates takes practice, just like ballet.
Thanks for the compliment, sometimes I see the changes, but sometimes I dont.

Changes in my Body:
-  Now that I am slimmer, I don't mind being tall nearly as much
-  I have basically the same shape only smaller... grrrr to my tummy and hips
-  I love and am addicted to walking my 4 miles a day on the sandy streets and beaches of Caye Caulker...
-  I often feel I want to tell ladies I meet, that I was once fat, so that they will accept me more readily... I am always afraid they will think I was born this way, and hate me for it
-  I love food more than ever now, and savour each and every bite I put in my mouth
-  I love being healthy and knowing I am doing my body good
-  I love the way clothes look and fit now
-  I am proud fo myself for accepting myself the way I am now, and deciding against lypo and Breast Augmentation... I don't have to be perfect, I look pretty damn good just the way I am
-  For the first time in my life I am done losing, and I am trying to figure out how to help hubby continue to lose, when I am now in maintenance...  We have always dieted together...
-  Even though I am done losing, my fat is redistributing, and my skin continues to tighten up and re-absorb, how fair is that!!  Even my boobs don't seem so droopy, and I am loosing the 2nd crease under my butt :)
-  I have more confidence than I think I have ever had, I am not as shy and it is so much easier for me now in social situations
-  Now that I am done losing, I can't wait for my hair to grow, get some new clothes, and perhaps touch up my make up routine, how fun is that all going to be?
-  I have absolutely no idea what size I am... I live in Belize, and sizing here is different, and I don't know if they have vanity sizing or not... I bought some one size fits all sun dresses, and I just keep taking in my clothes...  I think it will be neat to see what size I am, next time I go to Canada or the USA...
-  I could go on and on, but I will stop...

I LOVE my Sleeve and I am so thankful I was given this opportunity to improve my health and appearance.

All the best everyone!

These are really amazing observations, Cindy!  And it's great to hear from you - I always love to hear how people are doing once they reach goal.  

Judging from your pictures, I would guess that you're pretty darned small!  

Incidentally, a friend of mine is down there in the Peace Corps.  She is having an incredible experience.  

I'm all for creating new looks (weight loss or not).  Keep us posted on whatever you try!  :)