Hey everyone!! Been awhile..... :) But I am still here! :)

I was thinking about a friend of mine who talks about the non-existent brochure on WLS. today... One of the things it is missing is how hard it would be to find peace in my body. Yeah, I knew this journey would be hard head work. Maybe not HOW HARD till I got here, but I knew it would be work. And I was not disappointed. What I didn't know was that learning to focus on the positive changes, vs the things I don't like about my body, would be so hard after the initial fun. As summer approaches, and the idea of shorts and sleeveless tops becomes real... I am hit with how much work I still have to do in the area of self acceptance. Sure, I still have pounds to lose, and that will help with some of it. Nothing but a change of attitude will help with the saggy thighs, arms, boobs, chin... etc. I won't be having nip tucks. Just cannot afford it. End of story. So, I am learning to focus on the wonderful changes, and less on the things I cannot change. "Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can..." Yesterday (I missed it!) was my 8 month post op.... I am down a total of 113 lbs. I am still eating more (calories and carbs) since my 6 week stall awhile back and the scale is still moving downwards... I weigh 1 lbs less than my fella now (whoooo hoooo!) at 209 since my last weigh in. ONEderland is approaching and seems real and reachable... My health is stellar and shocked my PCP the other day... I look at these two photos, and still, I want to grimace a bit at me in shorts and short sleeves, but I decided not to. I decided to focus on the wonderful, healthy changes that have taken place from photo 1 to photo 2. As I said to another friend, we are greater than the sum of our parts.... I am so much more than a saggy thigh or arm.... and damn it, I am going to love me, all of me... Till it hurts!

I posted a pic of me in my new shorts... Eeeek! :) :)