My repost about being "normal"

I posted this a little over a year ago. - July of 2011 I believe.
I haven't been back to this site for a while, and things are going pretty well.
I'm 2 years lap band post op and down 82 pounds. 2 years ago that was unimaginable!!
But I am still, "just outside of normal".


Hello and Happy Summer all.
It's been a while, I know.
I like to turn to this group, when I get tired of the "normal people".
I don't know if us "wls peeps" have a name for them but you all know who I am talking about.

Your friend who lost 30 pounds just by switching from dark meat to white meat. (Carrie)
Your friend who gave up regular soda and lost 25 pounds. (William)
Your dad who, every time he wants to loose weight just stops eating fast food. (My dad)
Your trainer who eats junk food (I know she's not going to admit it), and doesn't loose an ounce because she says all you need is strength training. (Kellie)
The nurse who is drinking Mona-vie and losing weight faster than I am with wls. (Amy)
I could probably think of a few more if it's wasn't so dang early in the a.m.

These are real people in my life. These "normal" people.
These are also the people that think that their lifestyle and diet changes are going to work for you.
Guess what?    They don't.
They have really great intentions, but are clueless when it comes to dealing with being obese.

I turn to this group because 95% of you know what I'm going through.
You've seen the breakdowns in support group meetings of the obese woman who just wants to be one of those normal people. (I was one of those women)
The man who is on so many meds, he's afraid of dying before he actually gets the surgery.
I've seen women in support group meetings that have lost a lot of weight but their body image of themselves hasn't changed. They still wear the plus size clothing, even though they don't have to.  They cannot comprehend the weight they have lost. They may never think of themselves as normal.

Guess what?  I'm not normal. I'm never going to be normal. I wasn't born normal.
I'm guessing if you've been obese your whole adult life, you're not normal either.

We are so much more than that!
We are so much stronger than normal!
We care about ourselves more than normal!

If there is or was something keeping you (genetics, eating habits, emotions, medical conditions) from being normal, you're not alone.
I've finally realized that it's ok to be just outside of "normal".

Thank you all for being here and your continued support.
You are all such a blessing in my life, especially the group leaders.

ah, the 'normal' people. I love them. I know they have good intentions, but it only reminds me of all the things I tried and failed. However, I find myself trying to 'help' others. I try to stop myself most times. Its hard to explain to other people that you know are struggling with their weight and not succeeding, what you are doing to lose weight. Because it might not work for them. But you want to help. You know their struggle.
I'm not normal. I figured that out a long time ago. All you I can do is take those people in stride as they tell me I should just eat less, exercise more. Because, you know, I haven't EVER tried that.