BrandNewLisa

I just wanted to stop by and say hi to all of my fellow Shrinking Shamrocks. I still read on a semi-regular basis, and am always excited to see all of the new developments in everyone's lives. Welcome back to the old faithful's, this board has missed you, more than you know. I hit my two-year mark on 3/31, I was the caboose on our little train. I must say that the last two years have been the most amazing of my life. I am still me, but so not me. Every day is brand new, and I look forward to every one of them, the good and the bad. I bought 4 pairs of size 10 jeans the other day, from a clothing store that I have never been able to shop in. No Lane Bryant or Avenue, go figure! I don't think I have been in a 10 since I WAS 10. I have a social life that does not involve an internet connection, and I am saying and doing things that continue to take my breath away. Despite the fact that my weight loss has led me into and out of the most passionate yet soul-crushing relationship of my life, I still thank God every day for how fortunate I am to have been granted this amazing opportunity at a second chance. I lived, I loved, I learned, and am a better person for all of it. What I gained from that experience is worth so much more than what I lost. Two years ago, I would have been in front of the computer, with a glass of wine, instead of out in the world meeting him. Feeling the pain is so much better than, well, feeling nothing. I spent years feeling nothing, and it is so very good to just FEEL! Sorry for my random drive-by emotional dump postings, but it is so freeing in a way to speak to those that truly understand the baggage that we carry into our new, thinner lives. I wish you all the very best, enjoy the new you's.......you've earned it.

Thanks guys for the comments. I am still soldiering on, trying to not think about all the flab beneath the clothes. In clothes, I look hot. Naked, not so much, lol! Hope, I agree with you, to a point. Invisible is easy, no work. But I have found that I rather like being noticed, being seen. I feed on it actually, it gives my spirit sustinance. I pay attention to my hair, make-up, clothes, to how I am perceived every single minute of every single day. It has been ages since I even CARED how others saw me, prolly because no one actually did, and I am honestly grateful for that. I think about ME all the time, right now, me is what it is all about. For so much of my life it has been about everyone and everything else, I like it being about me for once. Yay me! And yay us! Damn, I can't wait until I get some PS poppin off, I will really be trouble, lol!

Hey strangers, rarely posting, always lurking, and still so proud of all of you! Potatie, I can so FEEL you on this. Right now my head is a mess, an absolute mess I tell you! For the first time in my life, I feel like I am being seen, you know? I am a Recruiter, and I work in a plant that produces nutritional product (PediaSure, Ensure, EAS, Similac, Isomil, Alimentum, and the like). So, suffice it to say, I work around 85% men. And they are big time noticing the changes. I get compliments, people who have not talked to me in 2 years go out of their way to say good morning. A few female friends that work in other locations of the same company have heard about the 'HR girl who is totally hot'. They claim that they are referring to me, but I can't yet accept that. There are also at least two guys who have an obvious crush on me. Ok, it feels funny to even say that, crush on me? No way, exactly what parallel universe would we be in if that actually happened? The attention is hard to deal with, mind-bending really, but moving on with an actual relationship has been even harder. There is a guy that works where I work, that I have been crushing on for well over a year, hard! Trust me when I say that the man is hotter than the surface of the sun, lol! One day, I must have been smelling myself something fierce (well, I DID look cute that day!), and after flirting for months, I gave him my number. Yeah, you heard me, I put it out there, yay me! Huge step considering I have the self confidence of a pre-pubescent teenager. Well, he called, go figure! We are dating, nothing serious, just having an amazing time, lots of fun. But I am in my head so much of the time that I can't even enjoy it. Every time he doesn't call or text when I think he should, I am convinced that he has opened his eyes and wondered wtf he was thinking, I mean sheesh, this girl used to weigh almost 360 pounds! And ummmm, female sidebar, I am PETRIFIED of how he feels about the skin. We, well, have obviously went there, and he came back for seconds, and thirds, and thirteenths, sooo.....lol. But I keep thinking that one day he will touch the wrong thing and go 'ewwww, wtf, am I sleeping with a shar-pei?'. It keeps me from fully enjoying the entire experience, and I am so pissed about it! I know, intellectually, that it is in my head, but dam it, my rather ample flap-tastic gut refuses to listen to logic! I am sorry for the amazingly long post, but no one in this world could understand like you ladies can, and I just needed to vent to people that can feel what I am going through. My friends keep saying 'He is there, so duh!', but it is so much bigger than that for me. This man, literally, was my Mt. Everest, and I don't know how to accept the fact that I, Ms. Super-Obese, have reached the peak. If any of you are dating, how in the hell do you do it and remain sane???

I am SOOO right there with you April! Although I don't post much, I try to read regularly, and the fab stories about all of the skin removal going on made me feel like a loser, lol. I still have a good 50 lbs or so to go (not sure what my goal weight should be, as I have always been overweight and I have no concept of what normal for my body is!). I attended the PS seminar given by my practice, and I know that at bare minimum my arms need done. But sheesh, I swear I would lose 20 lbs. tomorrow with skin removal alone! I got a fill this morning, trying to jump-start the loss. I have been stuck at about 220 for a month or two, losing and gaining the same 3 lbs. And can I tell ya, what a difference .3 cc's make! I am on liquids for the day, but I can tell the difference already. Here's hoping that this breaks the plateau! I just wanted to take a moment and say Congrats to those of you who have achieved this lofty goal. You guys are my inspiration, every. single. day. I am proud of all of you and your hard work!

I just wanted to say hi to everybody! I haven't posted in a long while, but I have been lurking in the background. I am with Kathy, it amazes me that the posts have turned towards the ps reconstructive phase, we have come so very far!!!! Personally, the stuff that I can dress does not worry me much. However, my arms.... Sheesh, my arms! I swear that if I catch a strong breeze that I will go airborne! The skin is bad, so very bad on my arms, the PS estimated that I had 7-10 pounds of skin there alone.... I have been avoiding posting, as I am hitting a plateau at 230ish, and I can not seem to move. I am attempting to push myself out of my comfort zone right now by posting and reading, which I tend to avoid when things are not going as I planned. I am just so happy for all of you, everyone seems to be moving forward. You guys inspire me every single day, keep it up!

K, evidently the skill of posting pics is eluding me right now, so I shall try again tomorrow. Sorry!

Of course that didn't work. Let me try again. First two are me before surgery, the second two are me last week, attending the swearing in of my bff. Way to go Judge Beatty!!!!

I have been lurking for a week or so, just reading. I want to post comments to everyone, but I need to post these pics before I chicken out. I have been a cameraphobe for most of my life, fat repels cameras if you didn't know. I hope this works.

Hmmmm, agreed SugarBean, I have noticed that a few of us have been much MIA the last few weeks.... Where are you guys?????

Scrappy, that is absolutely AMAZING!!! I am sooo very proud of u, and I can't wait until I am where you are!!! I actually attended a Plastics seminar last night, on Bariatric Reconstuction. It was defintely informative, and I am looking into several options, even tho I am nowhere near goal. Again, you go girl!!!

Amen Sistah, preach it!!!! lol

I am an Onsite Recruiter for a temporary staffing agency. I recruit specifically for one client, and I keep offices at each one of their sites. So basically I give people jobs!!!!

Amazing Teri, you look fabulous! I have plenty of before pictures, unfortunately. I am totally going to take some new during pictures soon, so that I can share.