Observations...(Please contribute)
UNEXPECTED CHANGES:
- I have bones in places I didn't realize bones were. I mean, I guess I knew I had bones there (like, from the song I knew "the hip bone's connected to the...thigh bone" but never have actually FELT my thigh bone. I noticed it today. My hip bone is getting super-pronounced. And I'm even noticing my pelvic bone. My forearms are taking the shape of the bone without much more (if only the top bit would do the same...)
- My body will only give me as much energy as I need. Meaning, if I have a full day, I will have enough energy to run first, then do all kinds of crazy stuff. But the minute I know I could possibly be done, the body's done! It just shuts down. There is no second wind.
- My hair isn't falling out in clumps, but it does seem... loose. I find shed hair all over the place - a strand on my collar, a strand on the sink, lots of strands in my comb, etc. I have the thickest hair ever (hairdressers always say that I have more strands of hair per square inch than anyone they've ever seen) and that's a blessing, because I'm shedding much more than usual. On the other hand, my hair is far more manageable than usual (it's so much easier to blow dry now!) so I'm not really complaining...
- I STILL struggle to remember to drink enough water. I think I'm dehydrated a bit - I get little depressions in my skin when I lean on things (like when I wake up in the morning) which I recall reading is a telltale sign of dehydration. And then, often, I will drink the prescribed amount, but only after crazy workouts when I gulp down tons of water at once, and, of course I know that I should have drunk more to compensate for the water I lost in the exercise...
- My balance is off! I run into things a lot less than I did early after the surgery, but in my dance classes I keep doing things like over-rotating a pirouette because I think I have more heft to wield than I actually do...
- My tailbone is almost constantly bruised, especially if I'm doing something like Pilates where I spend time on my back.
- Exercise really works for me. Any day I do a hard workout, I lose at least 1 lb by the next morning. (I wonder when this will change?)
- Red grapes are too sweet for me, but green grapes are perfect. I eat a handful every night before bed.
- I can tell the difference if I forget to take my iron or my D3 supplements. (Both are prescription-level).
- I can wear stilletos much more comfortably now, and for much longer than before. It's not unusual for me to wear them all day long and not even notice it. This is totally new - I practically always wore flip flops or some other expansive flats (like Uggs) before.
- No matter what I do, I don't sweat that much anymore. And I rarely get smelly anymore, either. Wonder what that's about...
- I've never had a food addiction (or any addictions, really) but I have a new addiction now: exercise. It's just too rewarding not to do all of the time. I don't mind this addiction at all, even if it does make me a bit crazy.
- Unfortunately, I still gag on pills. Every single time I take them. Violently, sometimes. But I take them anyway.
- I find myself getting annoyed with people who feel the need to remind me that I was beautiful before I lost the weight. Then I get mad at myself for being so ungracious.
- It's harder for me to get away with my wry humor now, since I've become the "pretty normal girl" instead of the "jolly plump lady".
- I have bones in places I didn't realize bones were. I mean, I guess I knew I had bones there (like, from the song I knew "the hip bone's connected to the...thigh bone" but never have actually FELT my thigh bone. I noticed it today. My hip bone is getting super-pronounced. And I'm even noticing my pelvic bone. My forearms are taking the shape of the bone without much more (if only the top bit would do the same...)
- My body will only give me as much energy as I need. Meaning, if I have a full day, I will have enough energy to run first, then do all kinds of crazy stuff. But the minute I know I could possibly be done, the body's done! It just shuts down. There is no second wind.
- My hair isn't falling out in clumps, but it does seem... loose. I find shed hair all over the place - a strand on my collar, a strand on the sink, lots of strands in my comb, etc. I have the thickest hair ever (hairdressers always say that I have more strands of hair per square inch than anyone they've ever seen) and that's a blessing, because I'm shedding much more than usual. On the other hand, my hair is far more manageable than usual (it's so much easier to blow dry now!) so I'm not really complaining...
- I STILL struggle to remember to drink enough water. I think I'm dehydrated a bit - I get little depressions in my skin when I lean on things (like when I wake up in the morning) which I recall reading is a telltale sign of dehydration. And then, often, I will drink the prescribed amount, but only after crazy workouts when I gulp down tons of water at once, and, of course I know that I should have drunk more to compensate for the water I lost in the exercise...
- My balance is off! I run into things a lot less than I did early after the surgery, but in my dance classes I keep doing things like over-rotating a pirouette because I think I have more heft to wield than I actually do...
- My tailbone is almost constantly bruised, especially if I'm doing something like Pilates where I spend time on my back.
- Exercise really works for me. Any day I do a hard workout, I lose at least 1 lb by the next morning. (I wonder when this will change?)
- Red grapes are too sweet for me, but green grapes are perfect. I eat a handful every night before bed.
- I can tell the difference if I forget to take my iron or my D3 supplements. (Both are prescription-level).
- I can wear stilletos much more comfortably now, and for much longer than before. It's not unusual for me to wear them all day long and not even notice it. This is totally new - I practically always wore flip flops or some other expansive flats (like Uggs) before.
- No matter what I do, I don't sweat that much anymore. And I rarely get smelly anymore, either. Wonder what that's about...
- I've never had a food addiction (or any addictions, really) but I have a new addiction now: exercise. It's just too rewarding not to do all of the time. I don't mind this addiction at all, even if it does make me a bit crazy.
- Unfortunately, I still gag on pills. Every single time I take them. Violently, sometimes. But I take them anyway.
- I find myself getting annoyed with people who feel the need to remind me that I was beautiful before I lost the weight. Then I get mad at myself for being so ungracious.
- It's harder for me to get away with my wry humor now, since I've become the "pretty normal girl" instead of the "jolly plump lady".
I just got around to checking this board, and I am glad I did. I love this thread! I am pre-op, but one thing I worry about corresponds with the last thing on your list. I have a pretty big personality with a bit of a twisted sense of humor. Being the fat girl, it took being very assertive to get heard. I worry that when I am not the fat girl anymore it will rub people the wrong way.
Tonia
Tonia
RNY 11/15/2010
HW 280ish
SW (after 6 month diet) 247
Lowest post-surgery 183
Current 241
Considering revision to DS - have appointment 8/15/2017
I feel you on every one of these...but the last one,oye!!! When you've always been the sarcastic, dry sense of humor one, who laughed at themselves...where does that leave us...making a joke about being the fat girl doesn't have near the impact...sadly though, they don't realize that's where we still see ourselves. Wow, we really are all still just a work in progress!!!!
♥
Julie
♥
Julie
Julie Extended Abdominalplasty & Breast Lift 6/22/11
fitby40something HW 240/CONSULT 238/SW 225/CW 170/GW 138
"Get busy living or get busy dying." --Shawshank Redemption