Dante and I were invited to go to a musical at the theatre the other night. Since I've lost well over 40 pounds already, and can wear my pretty evening clothes again, I was thrilled...and nervous.

I hadn't been in public much for the past several years, other than conventions where I was surrounded by other women similar to myself. Last time, I was nearly 300 pounds, brunette going gray, and in such poor health, I walked with a cane.

The other night I stepped out as an overweight but healthy blonde wearing a cool outfit, makeup, and had the ability to not just walk unaided, but step lively.

Imagine my surprise when, instead of being ignored or treated like an invalid, I was greeted and smiled at like a real person. Several folks complimented me on my clothes, hair, and jewelry. I was...suddenly human.

Weird. Hadn't I always been?

We fat people (no longer you) wear our self-image on our sleeves. It's like hanging a big sign around our necks that says "don't bother talking to me, I don't feel good about myself so why bother". I feel invisible in big crowd that doesn't already know me...probably because I try to be invisible. You got your groove back Girl! Too cool! -BG

I have slightly less than 100 pounds left to lose. I don't feel necessarily thin yet, but I do feel healthier. There are a whole lot more possibilities when you feel healthier. I didn't realize I felt so very bad until today.

Now I can bend over and tie my own shoes, cross my legs, put on my pants standing up and in a hurry, work out in the yard, and even walk over a mile to the store for a recipe ingredient. Suddenly, there are more possibilities.

Now I see how weight loss could become permanent, because the doors fling open wide. I feel like Dorothy when she beheld Oz for the first time. Every week I find I'm doing something I couldn't do before, and I'm feeling so much better because I did do that thing, whatever it was. Then the next activity comes along, and because I gained that smidgeon of confidence from the previous activity, I go for the gusto once more.

I'm still taken aback a bit at the way people treat me now that I'm out of the chrysalis. (Mixing my metaphors, aren't I?)

I might have said, "I haven't changed," but I suppose I did. Wow. The fat, sluggish catapillar that did nothing but eat and get fatter has suddenly become a social butterfly. How profound. I have a new self image: a butterfly.

Suddenly human..sounds like you were julia roberts in pretty woman..:wink_smile: I bet you looked fabulous!keep up to great work!!!!

Thanks, Olivia. We're all putting one foot in front of the other and holding hands with our LBT friends, aren't we? I don't feel fabulous yet but I do feel pretty darn good right now. I can't wait for my husband to come home and see the new me!

I am excited for you..I am losing weight too and I feel good..I am excited that i am sticking to this and not cheating!! :wink_smile:

Hey All, If you are like me you feel like you now have an option-before you had tried everything to lose weight and nothing worked and you had just given up and ate, ate, ate trying to make yourself feel better. I too am losing weight and since i started the Sugar Busters diet before the surgery I crave protein where i used to crave sugar(it is really weird) I will have my second fill tomorrow and i am almost tempted to tell them to just leave me the way i am. I am eating about 1,000 -1500 calories a day and losing about a pound a week-it ,might take me a little longer but i plan on keeping it off the rest of my life.