Almost 4 months Post Op

Hello Buddies!  It's been quite awhile since I posted an update.  I hope in all this time you all have been doing well, taking great self-care, and moving in the direction of your goals!  :)  Next week will be 4 months for me since surgery.  It has gone by in a heartbeat.  In part, the speed has been due to the wonderful fact that I have been virtually complication free since the surgery, something for which I am very grateful, and have been losing weight at a very good pace.  Well, I had one frustrating plateau last month, but hopefully I am back on track now.  All in all, I have lost almost 80 pounds, including the weight lost the month before surgery.  I just can't believe that I was carrying all that excess fat.  No wonder it was hard for me to get around, and when I did, it was always with some pain or discomfort!  I am just loving experiencing all the ways my body can move now, knowing that it will get more and more limber and flexible as I continue to lose weight.  I am excited for all the wonderful new experiences (well, old really, just not had in a long time!) that I know are to come.

This week, I had some wonderful non-scale victories.  Yesterday, I wore what I have always considered to by my skinny jeans to work.  Now, they are size 20, but for me, that is pretty skinny!  I was wearing a size 20 way back in the 80's for the first time, and then whenever I lost weight in the past, I would consider the weight loss to be a success if I returned to a size 20.  Usually, after that, I would gain again.  The real success if going to be if I get into a size 18, but that is something I know will happen sometime in the not-too-distant future.  For now, I will just revel in wearing my size 20 skinny jeans.  :)

I also rejoined Curves.  Our local Curves opened in 2004, and I immediately joined.  I rally enjoyed going and found it was the only exercise plan I had ever stuck with.  Then, due to work stressors and other excuses, I quit in 2007.  And of course, the weight really piled on after that.  But, this week, I decided that despite the distance I have to travel to get to Curves, I would rejoin and am committed to not letting myself talk me out of going after a long day at work.  Cool thing was that when I weighed in and had my measurements taken, I weighed less than when I joined in 2004.  Yippee!!

So, all in all, this has been a very good week and I am doing really, really well.  I am finding myself to be happier than I have in a long time and more positive about myself.  That is the best non-scale victory of all!  :)

Oh, I guess i should also mention that here in the mountains of Garrett County, we have been hit by one major snow storm after the other for the past 4 weeks.  Our average snow fall each winter is about 100 inches.  This year, we have already broken the record with more than 260 inches of snow, most of it falling this month.  Last night, we had 24 inches of snow fall and tonight may get another foot and a half.  It is crazy!  I have never seen this much snow before.  I usually love the snow we get....right now, I am pretty darn tired of it.  But, I keep telling myself, this is going to be the most spectacular, beautiful spring ever...by sheer virtue of the vast difference the green will be to all this white we have now!!  Can't wait!

It really is ridiculous how much snow we have.  But, my husband and I have decided that, since we can't do anything about it, all we can do is laugh.  :)

Hope all of you are doing well and laughing, too, wherever you are and however much snow you have!


Guayas  

PS/  I just posted some before and after pictures finally!!!   

It is so awesome to hear from you! And your positive and happy attitude is inspiring! It came in good timing for me, as i sat here stewing. Pouting like a little kid really. Why???? Well i took some pictures of my plastic surgery results. I am SO SO SO swollen, I look horrible! I am holding about 8 to 10 lbs of water weight right now, and my abdomen is so swollen I look so fat! I about cried. lol. Oh well life goes on, and they say the swelling will decrease with time. (It better!) lol.

Sounds like you are doing so well with your wls journey!  am going to check out your before and after pics when i am done posting here. Congrats on getting into your skinny jeans! Doesn't that just feel wonderful! I know I was in a tight 24 when i had wls and the day I fit back into my 20's I was amazed, it had been a couple of years since they had fit.  Then when I dropped to the "teens" I was all kinds of happy! (Now here I am in a 10, but have to wear my 12's, because of the swelling and feeling fat.. go figure!) Just one of those bad days for emotions. thats common after surgery of any kind, but don't like it at all.

better break out the sleds or snowmobiles or something! If you have to put up with that much snow, you really ought to find a way to enjoy it! Snowball fight maybe??? lol.

Keep taking good care! Hugs!

Hang in there, Patrece!  As they say, slow and steady wins the race, right??  I imagine it is so frustrating that the swelling is taking its sweet time to go down.  It must be a lttle bit like wanting the number of the scale to go down....it will and it does, it just requires us to be patient.  Patience is certainly not one of MY strong suits.  Ugh!!  Maybe it would help to mark a time on the calrendar in the future, a couple of weeks from now, that you know is a time when the swelling should be almost gone.  Then tell yourself you will give it until then and will just let it be for now.  Sometimes that works for me with the weight loss...don't know if it would work for you with the swelling, but it might!  :D

This is so huge, Patrece, and you have waited so long and invested so much!!  It will be so totally worth it....down the line, later, in the very near future!! 

Take good care of YOU!!! 


Guayas

Yep..it can be very much like that indeed.
The funny part is that the day after my lastic surgery, before all the swelling kicked in, I was able to look in the mirror and see things. My tummy was nice and flat, none of the poofy stuff was there yet, my hips were nice and rounded, handlebars were all gone. Then with the swelling, bam poofy tummy poofy handlebar area.. But I am told it is all swelling and will go away. It can take as long as 6 months to see what your final results will be.  I just hope that image i saw the day after surgery returns to me... I could hardly believe it was me.lol.

You are doing great and you too are a tremendous source of inspiration to me!

Patrece, I looked at your pictures and I think they look amazing!!  It's all about perception, isn't it?  And we're always our own worst critic.  But you have nothing to be ashamed of, and if you look that good now I can't wait to see how good you look when the swelling is gone!!!

And I whined about our couple of feet of snow this winter.  Take care with all the snow about.  Work hard at curves.  I am checking out your pics next.  Hugs

you sound like you are doing great!! i am so happy for you.  getting into thoses skinny jeans is really a miracle.

260 inches of snow, wowwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!!  we have gotten a lot of snow for us, 22 inches.  believe it or not, that will make a great spring for us also. we usually get  an average of 19 inches of participation for the whole year, that includes snow, rain, fog lol. 

so glad you are doing well. take care of your wonderful positive attitude. vick

Thank you so much, Patrece, Kathy and Vick!  I really apprecite your support and encouragement.  I have realized that taking this journey with others walking beside me is much more rewarding, successful and fun.  But I guess that's true about just about anything in life....journeying in community is the best!!

You all keep up the good work, too!  The three of you are a source of motivation for so many of us.   :)


Guayas   

Your post is so inspiring, you are doing great and your non-scale victories are great to. Good for you for committing to Curves. I can only hope and pray to do as well as you have done -almost 80 lbs is awesome!

In my part of the country, everything would come to a complete halt with that kind of snow. Most winters we get none, this winter we have had about 11 inches - stays for 2-3 days and then gone. We are possibly getting a big snowstorm here in a few days, just have to wait and see what actually comes this way.

Keep doing what you are doing, because it sure is working!

Rhonda

Rhonda, thank you sooooooo, so much for your encouragement.  :)  I am always so energized by the support that I get here on BB, even after having been away for awhile.  Such good people!!!

Oh, I wish I could send some of this snow to other parts of the country....spread the joy, so to speak!  LOL!!!  Today, we held our annual Deep Creek Dunk, a fund raiser for Special Olympics, where people actually collect sponsorships for the pleasure of jumping into a huge hole cut out of the frozen lake.  It was 23 degrees and more snow started to fall just as the dunkers started their plunges.  No!!!  I did not dunk.  But, it was crazy watching others do it.  I think the snow here leads to some insanity!  LOL!  Heck, maybe I will do it next year when I am not so self-conscious of my body. :)

Anyway, please keep us posted on your progress, Rhonda.  With being one month post op, you have some fantastic and wonderful changes ahead of you.


Guayas