Well, I have written this two times previously and lost it before I could post it, so am praying that the third time is a charm! I am sure it is something that I am doing wrong, but I get SO frustrated when I spend 20 minutes writing this out and then losing it before I can get it to post. I guess I am just not computer savy enough!

Today is Friday, the 9th of September, and tomorrow is my 12 week surgiversary! I will be 12 weeks out tomorrow. I have lost a total of 74 pounds. I lost 20 pounds prior to the surgery, on the pre-op diet, and have lost 54 pounds since the surgery. The fatigue that plagued me for weeks after the surgery is finallly gone for the most part. And the nausea that I struggled with off and on for several weeks is also a thing of the past. I am just SO happy to have my old energy back, and feel good!

None of my old clothes fit me at all. I sent four huge boxes of clothes home with my husband when he came to visit me the first part of August. (I live in California, am a travel nurse and am working here on contract. Have been living and working in CA this time, since last October. My contract runs through the end of November. But my husband and I make our home in north central Iowa.) He stayed two or three weeks, and I sent all these clothes back to a friend who is about the size I was prior to my surgery. Some of them were practically new, a couple still had price tags on them! She was thrilled to get them and I was thrilled to get them out of my closet.

While he was here, I went out and bought a few new things, as I had to hold my pants up when I walked, so they didn't slide down and off completely! Now I have lost enough that I have to do it again! So yesterday I made a trip to the local Lane Bryant and Dress Barn and picked up a few new things. I was looking for shorts, since it is still in the upper 90's and occasionally 100's here in the Central California Valley. Since it is the end of the season, the pickings were few. But when I was at Dress Barn, the sales clerk found three pair of Size 16 Misses shorts! I mean I haven't worn Misses sizes in at least 30+ years! What a thrill! Also had to purchase a couple new bras, since the majority of my 74 lb weight loss seems to have been off my bust line. All that is left in that area are two empty sacks of skin! But when I roll them up and put them in the bra cup, I have a very modest bust line!

In the past when I was trying to loose weight, my mother would always try to encourage me by saying "nothing tastes as good as thin feels". Well, I got to the point that it drove me crazy when she said that, cause I LOVED to eat, and nothing could beat how good some things tasted to me. But I am finally at the point where I can see that what she was saying was right. I seem to have lost my sweet tooth since the surgery, don't even like the taste of sweet things now. And I have to admit, being thin (well thinner anyway) does feel SO VERY GOOD!

I want to get down to 150 pounds, so have a little over 30 pounds left to loose. But am thrilled with my progress so far. I would never have worn shorts in public before. I didn't want anyone to look at my fat thighs! Now I wear them to work! (Have to change into scrubs when I get to work.) I am still hesitant to wear anything sleeveless, as my upper arms are SO flabby! So often I wear a sleeveless top and a little sweater shrug over it to hide my upper arms. Would give anything if the skin on those upper arms would shrink and tighten up, but am not expecting miracles!

I tried something else yesterday that is new to me. I have always wanted to be nice and brown for summer. But I just don't tan. I seem to have two colors, white, which I am most of the time, and red, which I turn when I am out in the sun for very long. Then I peel, and am white again. So yesterday I went to the beauty salon for my monthly cut and color and noticed they had a sign saying that they do spray tanning now. So I asked my operator if there were any openings and they had one. So I got naked (!?!) and they sprayed me! Before my weight loss, I would NEVER have gotten naked to be spray tanned. Not for anything in the world!!! And guess what? I love being tan! I think this is something that could become addictive! My roommate (who tans beautifully!) was stunned when I came home. But I definitly think it is worth $35.00 to feel so good about myself.

Well, enough of my ramblings. Hope everyone reading this has good plans for the weeken. I have to work Friday night, Saturday night and Sunday night. So kknow what I am doing this weekend, work and sleep. Have a GREAT weekend!