I was a "super healthy" fat person until surgery changed my life. Was it worth it?

[DarbiMolly 188]

I loved the pics of you doing that mud run. Your face is hilarious! You are thoroughly enjoying yourself!

[Patricia Tate Johnson 43]

One word--INSPIRATION!!! Thanks for sharing your journey; I get sleeved August 4th and I am so ready to begin this journey. Again, thank you for shining a light to the pathway for an active, healthy lifestyle!

[nelly628 2]

You are beautiful and so very inspiring. I'm just starting my journey with a seminar in a couple of weeks. I feel like I could have written the first few paragraphs of your post. I AM that fat mom that other kids have teased my kids about. I am ashamed and sad BUT I am determined to change myself for the better.

[LindafromFlorida 1,542]

When I started this journey I was 5.3 and 264 pounds. I had no health issues. I did martial arts, I went to the gym regularly, I loved to swim laps for exercise, and I didn't have any aches or pains. My blood counts were good and I *thought* I was very happy with myself. I had friends, a successful business, a happy husband and kids, an overall great life.

I decided to have surgery because I didn't want my body to start breaking down and I knew it would. While I could do all those things above, I was starting to get very tired and increasingly lazy. After an hour of laps, I just wanted to sit in my pool chair and read. After a three hour martial arts day, I wanted to sleep on the sofa. I was finding myself watching my family do fun stuff more than participating and I was getting increasingly nervous about going places like the park because I was wondering how I was going to cover up the huffing and puffing and the excessive sweating.

Looking back, I was truly fooling myself into believing that my life was normal except for my clothing size. My biggest dread was going to school events and being the fat mom. I hated that not only for myself, but for my kids. I knew they would never say so, but what child wants to have the super obese fat mom in the room? I was very self conscious about going out in public, never wanting a hair out of place, or my hair and outfit less than perfect. (By God, I may have been a fat person, but I was going to be a perfectly groomed fat person 'cuz that would fool people! Just like wearing all black would fool them or not actually eating in public would fool them.)

My mental armor against my obesity was a louder laugh, a bigger smile, a heartier personality, and I was always told that I was a bit intimidating because I oooooozed self confidence. (I am thrilled to say that I have maintained these characteristics, so I did gain something from my time as an obese person.)

Here I am, 1 year later, 111 pounds thinner (but still 5.3. HA!). I hit my original goal of 159, and am now about 3 pounds away from my stretch goal of 149. I really think I want to get to 139, but really, if I never lose another pound, so be it.

I still swim, do martial arts, I TEACH kickboxing, and I zumba my heart out several days a week. I no longer sweat excessively, I can not only keep up with the family, but I am most often the one who WANTS to go out and do physical things. After a great exercise session, I have MORE energy as opposed to flopping my happy arse on the couch for the rest of the day. I am down from a size 20 to a size 6 and I was able to squeeze into a size 4 the other day. (I turned blue, I couldn't breathe, bend or sit, but I buttoned those b!tches!)

I have done several mud runs and am always looking for more opportunities. I am looking into becoming a certified Zumba instructor and am attending a 3 day martial arts camp without fear of not being able to keep up. I can go into public looking like a wreck from the gym and no longer feel like people are looking at me as the sloppy fat woman, and if I buy a cup of fro-yo or have junk food in my cart, I no longer feel the judgmental stares. (And the meat heads at the GNC actually WANT to help me instead of just ringing me up without eye contact.)

As I start this summer as a thinner person for the first time in 15-20ish years, every day is a wonderment. I am wearing shorts. I am buying sleeveless dresses. I have floppy skin, but I don't care!! I can buy clothes anywhere I want and I have the freedom to spend my day without focusing on how I look, what I am going to eat, who is looking at me judgmentally, if I am going to be able to fit in a space, if I am going to crowd someone. I can be so much more spontaneous in my schedule and I am always looking forward to trying new things. (A super cool perk? If I get something on my clothes or need a quick change of outfit because something comes up, I can run into the store, buy something off the rack without trying it on and I KNOW it's going to fit!!! WHAT!?!?!)

Life was good before. Life is freaking AWESOME now.

YOU ARE FREAKING GORGEOUS LIPSTICK LADY!!!!! Loved the post too!

[dcnh03848 1]

wow, you look amazing. i am going to my first seminar Friday. I like everyone have been yo yo dieting forever and very tired, i too am the fun out going always smiling room mom. It kills me everytime i have to even think about going out. This is probably one of the toughest decisions that i have ever had to make, one day I'm all for bypass then the possible side effects scare the heck out of me,non reversible, flatuence, gallstones, kidney stones, ulcers. smells bothering you, and my sis in law loves that she had her gastric bypass but she has had her gall bladder out kidnry stones twice and something going on with her diet that her kidney doctor wants her on an all carb diet which she refuses. the few people that i have talked too that have had it done reccommend it and then I am all for it again. Then i think i would rather have the band " less evasive right"? so I get all excited then i read that its horrible and many wouldnt reccommend. so now I'm thinking maybe the sleeve? but also worrying about leakage or even having staples forever in me? i am a big mess right now. anything positve would be very helpful

[LindafromFlorida 1,542]

DCN, my husband and I researched every WLS for 15 years and until the sleeve came along we would not consider any other. I wish you the best with your decision. The sleeve has changed our lives and we are happy and healthier. Linda (60 and 90 lbs down for each of us since 11/18 and 12/2)

[thenerdie 4]

So inspiring thank you so much for this post!!! I am new and this is the boost I needed!

[SWEETTEA43 9]

Thank you for the inspiration. I'm five weeks out from surgery and been at a stall for almost two weeks. I Will remember that this is not a sprint, it's a marathon! And one with the happiest of endings!

[JSC2014 48]

awesome!!! I'm inspired!!!!!

[patrice1 81]

Your post made me totally jazzed! Congrats. You are beautiful and I could relate to everything you said. Your post is the last one I read tonight ... And I will carry it with me in mind as I go for my surgery tomorrow morning! Yay!!!!

[BrownsBacker39 17]

Love seeing posts like these just a few days post surgery....totally inspirational!

[capiccirillo 3]

Truly an amazing story....You are an inspiration and made me think about where my lifr will be at this time next year...Getting sleeved in Nov and cannot wait to start this journey to the new me ....The happier me

[LipstickLady 25,682]

You are all amazing. Thank you for the kind words. I can't tell you how much they all mean to me. My post wasn't about fishing for compliments but as what this journey is really about. You all made me feel so freaking good.

[mysleeveid13 100]

You look incredible, but more importantly, you feel incredible. That's so awesome. Very happy for you. Thanks for sharing your story and your photos.

[sleevedup 46]

WOW!!!! You look AMAZING!!! Congratulations:)