weight loss changes: part one.

Gastric Bypass surgery was a funny thing for me.  I was so nervous to do it; terrified in fact.  Even though I wrote about it and talked about it, I still had no idea how it would change my life.  So I figured today, for those of you who read and follow this blog and have gone through the surgery process or are getting ready to go through the process, I would list out some of the ways having gastric bypass surgery changed my life.

PART ONE

#1.  IT IS EXHILARATING AND TERRIFYING ALL AT THE SAME TIME:  We went to the beach this past weekend and I wore a legit two piece for the first time since middle school.  Not shorts and a tankini from the maternity section of Target-  a real bikini bottom and a real bandeau top.  I was terrified to take off my bathing suit cover, but amazed and proud at the fact that I could actually fit into this bathing suit.

#2. THINGS ARE GOING TO FALL OUT OF PLACE:  Let's just get real for a second... when you lose 100 pounds in eight months, your boobs are not going to hold themselves up.  This is just nature people.  There is always surgery for that.  My legs are jiggly and my stomach is not flat.  You are going to look better and feel better, but that doesn't mean everything will still be in it's tight and rightful place.

#3.  NUMBER TWO IS TRUE EVEN WHEN YOU WORK OUT:  I worked out with Gene The Personal Trainer for several months and things did tighten up a good bit.  However, when you are as overweight as I was for as long as I was, that skin doesn't just tighten up super tight when you start dropping weight really fast.  Your main focus should be on working out, building muscle, losing fat and figuring out what to do with all that skin later.  I repeat-  it's nature, people.

#4.  RANDOM PEOPLE WHO NEVER NOTICED YOU BEFORE WILL START GIVING YOU A LOT OF ATTENTION:  This is sad but true.  I have people at work who talk to me, wave to me, smile at me, chat with me, tell me how great I look, compliment my hair, etc... etc... etc... ALL.THE.TIME.  I've seen these people for years at my job and they never gave me a second glance until I started losing weight.  Do I care if they ever talk to me or not?  No, not really.  It's nice to be complimented, but if you would have gotten to know me when I was 300 pounds you'd see that I'm still the same person, just smaller. [side lesson:  some people just really are that superficial.  you'll see.]

#5.  YOU WILL TEST YOURSELF:  Emotionally, physically, mentally-  you name it, you will be tested.  Gene The Personal Trainer used to tell me all the time, "you're so much stronger than you think."  Those were words I didn't know I needed to hear.  Those were also words that were shockingly true.  He would plan out these hard workouts for me and I would just kill them.  He'd be shocked and I would be shocked.  YOU CAN DO IT.

stay tuned for part two...