Getting Closer to Goal

Nov 15, 2013

I'm seven months out now and down 89 lbs.  I still have 23 lbs. to go, but the journey is very different now than it was a few months ago.

My weight loss has obviously been slowing.  I went from the massive weight dumps of the first few weeks, to a steady three pound a week loss over several months, to a loss of one to two pounds weekly to long stretches of nothing followed by two to three pounds melting away in just a few days.  I feel like there's a kind of stutter-step rhythm to the process now.  It can be frustrating, but overall I'm pretty Zen about it.  If I do what I'm supposed to do, all will be well.

Knock on wood, I've had no hair loss, which I'm thrilled about (particularly as I'm bleaching my hair these days--I'd worried that would aggravate things).  But I've begun noticing the notorious extra skin becoming more and more evident.  I've got it on my inner arms (where it's really more crepe-like than bat-wing-y), my inner thighs (where it's kind of a mix of both crepe texture and droop) and my stomach (definite droop).  I'd already decided I would start saving for plastics after the holidays.  My goal is to do my initial consult when I come to the States in May, with the aim of having surgery over Christmas break 2014.  I'm hoping to reach goal by March, so I should be in good shape.  I don't know exactly what I'll have done, but I don't plan on doing anything to my arms.  They're not really all that bad and I saw my friend's arms when she had surgery on them after her weight loss.  I didn't like the scar line (it reminded me too much of suicide scars--weird, I know).  I'm guess I'll focus primarily on my torso (tummy tuck?  lower body lift?  breast lift?).  Now I just need to find a good surgeon in the Chicago area.

I'm reaching the stage where concerned friends are asking me how much weight I still hope to lose.  One kind soul asked last week how I was doing (his tone suggesting worry), saying, "You're skin and bones."  The following day, a female friend said (again, very sweetly), "I can see you've lost a lot of weight...maybe even too much."  These are two good people who are honestly concerned about me.  I don't have a problem with negative Nellies (thank God!) or people jealous of my success.  I think it's just a question of perception.  I've been big for a very long time.  These two friends have never seen me at a lower weight.  I imagine it must seem odd to them.  But the reality is I'm 5'4" and weigh 148 lbs.  My waist is 29".  I am most assuredly not skin and bones.  I weight 10 lbs. more than I did in college when everyone kept telling me that if I just lost 10 more pounds, I'd look amazing.  I know I have a ways to go.  I hope I continue to feel as good as I have to this point.

Fingers crossed.  :-)

0 Comments