I'm Almost 1 Year Out- When does your self image change?

I had surgery 8/6/02 starting weight 283.5 I now weigh 152. According to the "charts" I am still considered overweight, but I have had people tell me that they thought I was about 120-130 lbs. (are they looking at the same person I am!!!?) When does this get better. I thought that if I ever made it into a size 14 again, that I would be happy. Well, I am now in size 8 pants and medium shirts and I feel fat. (I know, those of you starting out are reading this and saying that you will never complain, but this truley is a mental thing) My question is: What steps do I take to get over this? At a support group meeting last night a newbie said to me that if she saw me on the street she would assume that I had been thin my whole life. What a compliment, but why does it feel un-true? Don't get me wrong, I am so happy I had this surgery, but the mental image thing is really hard for me to shake. Are there any good books that tackle this sort of thing? If I choose counseling, should I find someone specialized in WLS or can I see anyone? Again, I remember being new and reading on here about someone who was a size 6, and she was having a terrible time with her excess skin as insurance would not pay for TT, and my thought at the time was - get over it, YOU ARE A SIZE 6! Now I wish I knew her name to see how she is doing. My husband says that he is just fine with the skin (he's so good!) I am in the process of starting a support group and want to start gathering info on this and trying it so I can let everyone know. Thanks in advance for any advice!!! You guys are all great!

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