Vital statistics, "wow" moments, and welcoming new friends on the path
Today is my 14-month surg-i-versary and as of this morning I have lost a total of 136 pounds. I guess that is "wow" moment number 1! Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that this much weight would be gone at this point...or ever, actually. It was more than I could conceive or wrap my head around when this whole process began, and I am grateful beyond measure for the gift of feeling better.
The past month since my last update here has held several "wow" moments. Most people would not place wearing heels in that category, but I do. A couple of weekends ago, I met up with my dear, longtime friend Mary K. for our annual girlfriend getaway. We worked on scrapbook and Christmas card projects, visited and caught up on each other's lives, work, families and whatnot. And there was shopping! (Last year's getaway for us was much different. I was less than a month out from surgery and still feeling pretty rough around the edges, so it was a very quiet weekend.) Anyway, back to the shopping. There is a huge outlet mall where we were staying and we did a little damage there. We went to a shoe place and I found, and bought, 2 pairs of shoes with heels. As a heavy woman with very small feet and weak/injured ankles, I have worn nothing but flats for a very long time. Imagine my surprise and delight when I tried on some cute heels that were also fairly comfortable, and that I could walk in without looking or sounding like a herd of cattle! And they were on sale at a ridiculous discount! Epic win. I wore the taller pair to work one day last week and made it through the whole day with them. I could tell that my leg muscles were working, which is a good thing, and I think I burned extra calories as well. Since my working day is basically 12 hours from leaving to coming home, heels for church should be no problem, Lord willing and knock wood. I also scored a killer denim jacket that I wore the same day with the killer heels. It's the first denim jacket I've owned that really fits well and looks good. Another epic win.
A couple of people at work who had not seen me in a while had some really nice things to say about the changes in my appearance and improved well-being. One lady said she almost didn't recognize me. A fellow who comes in to do maintenance on some of our systems commented that it looked like I had taken off a lot of weight, and I explained that I'd undergone weight loss surgery last summer. He said, "Well, you must feel so much better, and you look fantastic! If it's OK for me to say that..." I laughed and told him that yes, it is totally OK to say that. And I may have blushed a little. It's kind of funny, and kind of sad, that people feel so paranoid about paying a compliment anymore, for fear of harrassment complaints. Mostly sad. The most interesting of these encounters was when a guy I see every day remarked that I was looking thin, asked if I was feeling well and healthy, and said he wouldn't want me shrinking too much. Excuse me? I could not possibly have heard that right! (This was the day I wore the heels and killer jacket, by the way.)
I am always open now about having had surgery. Some people have the surgery and never tell anyone. I certainly appreciate and respect the right to keep these matters private. I didn't tell a lot of people what I was planning until shortly before the surgery actually happened, after all. Once surgery was completed, I knew that I'd rather tell people how the weight loss was happening than to have them speculate about what I might or might not have done. Last week, two lady friends of mine underwent their own weight loss procedures. Their procedures were different from the one I had. I don't know how private they are going to be about their respective journeys with recovery, weight loss and all that goes along with this process. I admire, respect and support them in whatever way they choose to proceed. I empathize with them for the guts needed to take the step toward well-being, the discomfort they will endure as they heal from surgery and the many changes they will experience in the coming months, positive and negative alike. I pray for them on their journeys. A third lady friend is planning her procedure for the fall, and she is in my prayers while she continues the preparation phase. For each of these brave ladies, I pray most of all that they will realize that they are already beautiful! I pray that they each will be glad they did it, that they will recover well, that they will feel wonderful and bloom into the vibrant, healthy, strong women they are meant to be.
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