Healthy Dose Friday

Do ya'll have any idea how easy it is to fall in and out of habits?

My life has been a bit of a roller coaster of late and it has caused some good habits in the way of exercise to cease to exist.  My gall bladder surgery left me unable to do any lifting for 6 weeks, so I stayed clear of the gym other than kickboxing and my other cardio would be walking around the park.  Then between April weather (there is truth to that whole April showers thing) and going to England, my walking fell by the wayside. 

Enter in some stress munching and what I discovered last night at kickboxing is that my energy level suddenly stinks!  I mean, wow.  I could barely keep up last night and this was the easier of the two instructors!  So this weekend, I am working on getting my head back on straight.  I need to get back to some basics of WLS eating.  I'm not gaining but I haven't lost much since before the holidays.  Don't get me wrong; I am thrilled to be maintaining a 107 pound weight loss, but I'm not yet where I want to be.  I would like to lose close to another 50 pounds to be really happy with myself.

I've been reading "Joining the Thin Club" and so far I have found it very interesting.  I differ from the author in one way so far.  In the beginning she talks about about that after losing weight, finally being accepted by people; strangers who once would assume we were simply invisible.  She remarks on feeling happy but also angry about that, which I get.  We are so much more than our bodies!  But then she remarks that shamefully, at times, she will see an obese person and pass judgment.  That is so not me.  I will never forget where I came from or what it felt like.  The whole reason I'm reading this book is because I so often still feel like the fat girl because my head refuses to catch up to my body.  When I see people of size, I feel immense sadness, because I know what it feels like and unfortunately, the answer for everyone is not "go have surgery".

Lisa asked me to comment a bit on my surgery.  She asks:

Tell me more about the surgery you had for weight loss...where did you have it and who was your surgeon? What type of surgery was it and are you happy with it?

Hi Lisa, whose blog I have just started reading!  I love WLS blogs because from all the WLS bloggers I've read, we are mostly a bunch of kindred spirits floating around the internets, trying to find our way in our new lives and our new bodies and we are very supportive of one another!

Anyway, I had my gastric bypass done at Johns Hopkins hospital in Baltimore, MD.  Hopkins is supposed to be one of the best in the world and Dr. Schweitzer came VERY well recommended to me and living in Maryland, it was definitely an option for me! 

I am amazingly happy with the results of my surgery.  Having been obese all my life, finally knowing something different has been...well, I'm not sure there are really words to describe it.  It's like a whole new world has been opened to me.  The only real complication I had was losing my gall bladder in February, and some pesky burping that comes and goes, which I can live with.  But I feel great!

Lastly, I want to thank all of you who read here and post comments.  Though I rarely reply directly to the comments, I read and treasure every single one.  It's always nice to know what you all think and to know you're out there!

Enjoy your weekend!  It's supposed to be a good one!