Landy and 'nette ~
Thank you, thank you, thank you
for filling up my tank!
It is scary putting one's photo on the site. It's that old insecurity thang showing up...believe me, I totally understand how you all feel when you work up enough courage to post your photo.
I worry that when people meet me or see me in the skin that they will be disappointed in how I look. All those years of negatory self talk, running from cameras, feeling lousy about myself, loathing my bod, etc. It takes a while to lose those negative self thoughts and for the brain to catch up with the weight loss.
Yup, layer by layer, we emerge. It is really weird at times - looking at my pictures now, seeing my reflection in a mirror or window as I walk by, I still can't believe it.
My friend Bon-Bon was looking at my "Before" pictures this weekend (there are very few...) and she said she can't remember when I was that large. I'm glad. But then again, I never want to forget it either.
I love being smaller. Our bed seems so much roomier now. When Terry or Unca walks by our bedroom and I have gone to bed before they do, they say they have a hard time knowing if I am in there or not because there isn't a very big LUMP under the covers!
I still walk into the women's dept. at times, forgetting that I don't need to go there any more. If I didn't have long arms, I would be wearing a petite. Weird. Just can't believe it!
Bummer: I STILL wear a size 11 shoe!! I thought maybe my shoe size might shrink, too! My foot is much narrower than it used to be BM and often my shoes flop in the heel area because they are smaller but they are still LONG. In some ways, it's good that God made 'em long, when I weighed 265, I'd have tipped over if they were smaller, eh?!
"Layer by layer" is certainly right - physcially, emotionally, mentally! Prepare now 'cuz you're never gonna be the same again IF ya do it right - go ALL the way to your goal before you start cheatin' and eatin', go ALL the way through transition where you begin to add back food groups properly and then work on maintenance - weighing every day, eating on time, drinking water, exercising most every day, etc.