When did you feel proud/accomplished re the loss?

[pandykorn]

Was it at a certain point , like you lost x amount of pounds, or a certain time frame went by?
Was it because people noticed? was it your health etc? What made you feel like "WOW LOOK AT ME I ACCOMPLISHED THIS AMAZING WEIGHT LOSS"



i know it is in my head but i look at 75lb lost and i dont think anything of it still. I know it is an accomplishment b/c other people tell me that, not because i FEEL IT. SO when did you FEEL it?

[Deleted]

I was at the gym working with my trainer. I had just recently hit my 75 pound mark (like you) when I walked over to the free weights and tried to pick up a 75-pound weight. I couldn't even budge it off the rack with two hands. At that moment I thought - OMG I did it. I was so proud of myself and I still am -- almost 9 years later have maintained a 150+ pound weight loss (including a 20 pound rebound from my lowest in the last few years).

It will happen and you should be very proud of yourself.

[paige]

eh, like you I am down 73lbs and still am not feeling it. I THINK I will feel more accomplished when I get to onderland, but who knows.

[Lee]

First, are VSG folks allowed to respond in the DS threads? I'm new around here so not sure. Thanx!

For me, my weight loss didn't sync until after I got my plastics. I was such a slow loser that I had difficulty not comparing myself to others and feeling like a failure. After my plastics last month, with the skin removal, I could really see the difference in my body. I did feel great along the way as my physical ability picked up. I was thrilled to be able to keep up in Pilates class. I was thrilled each time my jean size went down. But for me the real sense of accomplishment and self pride didn't come until I hit that "normal" BMI. Maybe it's because I'm 61 and have battled this for so many decades that I really needed to feel like maybe, just maybe this time the weight wouldn't come back with bonus pounds.

[So Blessed]

For me it was one day I went into a Talbot's plus size department to buy some clothes. The sales lady was puzzled as why I was there, because there would be nothing there to fit me. I was so shocked when she sent me to the other side of the store.

It had not occurred to me that I looked "average" and not "big" anymore.

[sherbearmama]

I'm a lightweight and I assumed that would take me longer to really feel that sense of accomplishment because the differences would be subtle and it would take me longer to reach my goal weight. So, I'm 8 weeks out and have lost 36 pounds thus fa and I'm now 193) (high weight was 255 but surgery weight was 229)--I went from a size 18/20 (pants) and XXX top---down to a large size top and size 14 /15 pants (I can actually fit my 13s but it's not comfortable). I think I've come a LONG way since surgery. I felt accomplished even before I'd had my 2 week check up because EVERYTHING was falling off of me. Getting to onederland was a big one but not nearly as big as fitting some of the clothes I am wearing these days. I set 5 and 10 pound goals for myself and so each time I reach them I feel FANTASTIC. I'm just counting baby steps and enjoying watching the changes come as they may.

BUT, one thing sticks out in my head that just happened a few days ago that gave me a huge sense of accomplishment. I was walking into temple (for a parent education thing) and one of the teenagers there stopped me and said, "Cute shirt. I have one just like it at home." Not really taking her seriously, I said, "Well, I bought this like 3 or 4 years ago so it must not be the same." And she said, "I got mine second hand. It's exactly like that." The thought that I'm wearing the same shirt as this teenager who actually thought it looked good enough to compliment, gave me a new sense of self. Clearly, I'm no longer the fat one in the room--I just sort of melt in with the rest and who would have thought that I was wearing something that a teenager would wear! Now that's a non-scale victory.

[California Poppy]

Jan 31, 2012 13:11:27 GMT -5 pandykorn said:

Was it at a certain point , like you lost x amount of pounds, or a certain time frame went by?
Was it because people noticed? was it your health etc? What made you feel like "WOW LOOK AT ME I ACCOMPLISHED THIS AMAZING WEIGHT LOSS"

i know it is in my head but i look at 75lb lost and i dont think anything of it still. I know it is an accomplishment b/c other people tell me that, not because i FEEL IT. SO when did you FEEL it?

The short answer for me is: I don't yet feel proud of or accomplished because of my weight loss. While I have lost a good part of my total excess weight, I still have quite a way to go. This morning I was thinking that I might feel well on my way to success once I have less than 100 pounds to lose to reach goal.

It's funny though, just writing this reply has made me realize how ungenerous my perspective is. I certainly wouldn't feel that way about anyone else's significant weight loss.

Thanks, PandyKorn, for a thought provoking post.

[bb212]

It was onederland for me.

I knew that there was always a chance that WLS might fail, or that I'd loose enough of the EWL to be a technical success but not enough for personal goals. These were always the fears in the back of my head.

But once the scale read 199, I was thrilled. I hadn't been that light in decades! And I still had several months of the "honeymoon" period to go where it was expected for my weight loss to continue, and I knew I wasn't done losing yet.

[mark540]

I purchased an old physicians balance scale that only weighed up to 300 lbs. When I was finally able to use it I felt successful.

[shann_ds]

A couple of different points: 1) I could never diet below 250 as an adult. It seemed to be my set point, so getting below it was a huge feeling of satisfaction. 2) Seeing a 1 at the beginning of my weight (onederland) was a huge feeling.

Strangely enough, those were the major ones. Even though I have since lost a lot more and I wear a size 8/10 now, nothing else has given me the feeling that those two did.

[pktwatch]

At 4 months and 70 pounds, not yet for me. I do feel better and can tell by looking at the pictures that I have lost weight.....however i am putting in new flooring and getting up and dow is still a big chore. I guess I should have waited until I lost 100 pounds or more!

[joanlaptods]

Making it to onederland and now I am looking forward to losing 100 lbs another 6 lbs to go.

[reinventingangela]

Cool thread....

California Poppy, think about this for a second....youve lost more than Shannds weighs....youve lost a WHOLE PERSON already!! Youre more than halfway there....WOOOOHOOOOOOO!

[annaleigh]

I've had short bursts of proudness, but they never stick. I feel more like I held on for the ride, than that I accomplished something big. Typing all of that out makes me rethink my feelings, though. I should be proud - all of us should!

[shann_ds]

Jan 31, 2012 18:49:30 GMT -5 reinventingangela said:

Cool thread....

California Poppy, think about this for a second....youve lost more than Shannds weighs....youve lost a WHOLE PERSON already!! Youre more than halfway there....WOOOOHOOOOOOO!

Hee!! Exalt!

[vanishingmom]

I've lost 149lbs. I still have about 80more lbs to go. What makes me feel like I'm doing great is all this extra skin! lol Although I see a difference in the mirror I don't at the same time (does that even make sense?). I've lost what my son weighs. Thats crazy to me. I have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that I am still obese and I don't feel like I'm accomplished much when I look in the mirror. When I take off my clothes and feel my body (my legs, my collar bone, my hip bones), when I bend over naked and can see the skin just swaying in the wind or when lift my arms up and half of them flap right back down, I finally feel like I've accomplished something. As anxious as I am to get rid of my skin I also think I'm going to miss it more than I'd like to admit.

[Deleted]

I've had MANY such moments. The early ones were health related--getting off insulin, getting off the killer medication for pulmonary hypertension, getting off oxygen (which happened in stages), etc.

Others were related to changing clothing sizes. I am a clothes horse of epic status, and was even at 400 pounds. It was INCREDIBLE to see myself shrink out of various outfits.

Only two scale numbers did it for me, getting under 300 and getting under 200. The normal BMI number was great, too, but it was all gravy, so I didn't really celebrate that quite so much.

The moment that really stands out, though, was when I saw my BIL for the first time since my DS. I was at a normal weight by then. He is 6-6, wears a 36-inch inseam and weighs between 230 and 240. I looked at him and suddenly the light went on: O.M.G. I carried HIM around 24/7!!!!!!!

[Girlrocker]

I think this is wonderful keeper thread, kudos for posting; really appreciate what others have posted.

I'm 50, and lived a lifetime of yo-yo diets, starting in my 20s so I learned a lot about myself over the years. My first big life reset point was my RNY, and I found myself becoming more tuned in to what was happening off the scale. I'm looking forward to new ones as a DS revisionista, and will share them when they happen.

No question - getting to the 1s. It was short-lived because I struggled to stay under what seemed to be my setpoint of 200. I can't wait to get far beyond that number this time for GOOD, now that I have a tool that will work with me, not against me.

Here's some non-scale-victories I remember:

1. I felt proud that I finally thought enough of myself to take such a proactive step to really get well, healthy.

2. I took the train to go downtown (in Chicago where I lived at the time) to shop for something to wear during the holiday party season. I had one of the few empty seats on the train next to me - for the first time no one cringed to sit next to me, looked around for another option, they beelined for the seat beside me! Then, I got off the train, and like a homing pigeon, headed toward Lane Bryant...when it hit me, omg, I'm a size 10-12, I can shop anywhere...!

3. I was late getting to the airport for my Southwest flight, so there were only middle seats. Not only did no one cringe here either, I wound up between a father and son, who leaped up to help me with my overnight bag, made jokes how they were crowding me :-)

4. I genuinely liked eating protein, and foods that were good for me, like complex carbs. That I literally could feel the difference in how my body felt, the energy I had.

5. The first time I wore a pair of jeans with belt, AND a shirt tucked in, AND sat down and crossed my legs.

6. The first time I saw a full-length body shot of myself (I always tried to make people photograph me from neck/shoulders up only) from behind...and I could not believe it was me. I'm posting it below

[sherbearmama]

Feb 1, 2012 12:40:49 GMT -5 Girlrocker said:

I think this is wonderful keeper thread, kudos for posting; really appreciate what others have posted.

I'm 50, and lived a lifetime of yo-yo diets, starting in my 20s so I learned a lot about myself over the years. My first big life reset point was my RNY, and I found myself becoming more tuned in to what was happening off the scale. I'm looking forward to new ones as a DS revisionista, and will share them when they happen.

No question - getting to the 1s. It was short-lived because I struggled to stay under what seemed to be my setpoint of 200. I can't wait to get far beyond that number this time for GOOD, now that I have a tool that will work with me, not against me.

Here's some non-scale-victories I remember:

1. I felt proud that I finally thought enough of myself to take such a proactive step to really get well, healthy.

2. I took the train to go downtown (in Chicago where I lived at the time) to shop for something to wear during the holiday party season. I had one of the few empty seats on the train next to me - for the first time no one cringed to sit next to me, looked around for another option, they beelined for the seat beside me! Then, I got off the train, and like a homing pigeon, headed toward Lane Bryant...when it hit me, omg, I'm a size 10-12, I can shop anywhere...!

3. I was late getting to the airport for my Southwest flight, so there were only middle seats. Not only did no one cringe here either, I wound up between a father and son, who leaped up to help me with my overnight bag, made jokes how they were crowding me :-)

4. I genuinely liked eating protein, and foods that were good for me, like complex carbs. That I literally could feel the difference in how my body felt, the energy I had.

5. The first time I wore a pair of jeans with belt, AND a shirt tucked in, AND sat down and crossed my legs.

6. The first time I saw a full-length body shot of myself (I always tried to make people photograph me from neck/shoulders up only) from behind...and I could not believe it was me. I'm posting it below

S, is your current weight correct in your signature? YOU LOOK AMAZING!!!

[Deleted]

Jan 31, 2012 13:11:27 GMT -5 pandykorn said:

Was it at a certain point , like you lost x amount of pounds, or a certain time frame went by?
Was it because people noticed? was it your health etc? What made you feel like "WOW LOOK AT ME I ACCOMPLISHED THIS AMAZING WEIGHT LOSS"



i know it is in my head but i look at 75lb lost and i dont think anything of it still. I know it is an accomplishment b/c other people tell me that, not because i FEEL IT. SO when did you FEEL it?

For me, it's right about now.. I'm within a couple lbs of the lowest weight I maintained for a while. It's because I FEEL it- physically. I finally feel more flexible and strong. I can put my hands on my hips and feel the hipbones, yes- belly is still out front, but my hips are as wide across as my bones are- that feels nice. I can grab my arm or leg and feel the muscles under the loose skin.. they are still puny, but I can feel them. My ankle that hurt 24/7 is letting up finally. I'm comfortably in a size 16/tight 14. That is normal to me, I never got below a 14 in my adult life.. so from this point on it's gravy.

[bldeck]

1) When the lady at Lane Bryant said they had nothing there that would fit me. She was right, though I was only going in for a bra, I love there bras.

2) When I hit onderland.

3) When my family/friends don't recognize me in a crowd even though they are looking right at me.

Betty

[Gail R]

For me, it was at 10 month out when I took a trip with my family. I have been to Europe many times before and always felt that I stood out as a stereotype of American over eating. I was always self conscious. This trip I felt comfortable in my own skin (even as loose as it was LOL). I was able to keep up with my family on the many miles of walking and even hiking that we did. I could tolerate the horrible heat wave that we all suffered through. It bothered me the least. I was able to go to the beach and swim at the French and Italian Riviera. It was quite a reward for what I had gone through. I was at my target weight and still losing.

[meredith123]

I was so proud when I hit wonderland on my birthday, at about 3 1/2 months out.
I've also been posting monthly updated pics on my facebook page. Every month when I post those on the 12th, I'm overwhelmed at how many people comment on my pics. Also I look back at the progress and it helps me see what I've accomplished so far.
I still have a way to go, but I've already lost 89 pounds and have gone from a 22 to a 14 pants. Oh yeah, when I finally fit into my 14's last week, that was a very proud day.

[Girlrocker]

Feb 1, 2012 14:11:45 GMT -5 sherbearmama said:

S, is your current weight correct in your signature? YOU LOOK AMAZING!!!

I love reading what you are all posting!

S, awww, thanks Well, yep, my CW is in my signature; but the photo is from 2006, from my post-RNY days, when I hit 185 for that nano-second. I hope to get below 185. Dr. K says 160, I say 140-150 :-) At 185 I was just starting to feel 'normal' at last.

[sherbearmama]

Feb 1, 2012 19:10:08 GMT -5 Girlrocker said:

Feb 1, 2012 14:11:45 GMT -5 sherbearmama said:

S, is your current weight correct in your signature? YOU LOOK AMAZING!!!

I love reading what you are all posting!

S, awww, thanks Well, yep, my CW is in my signature; but the photo is from 2006, from my post-RNY days, when I hit 185 for that nano-second. I hope to get below 185. Dr. K says 160, I say 140-150 :-) At 185 I was just starting to feel 'normal' at last.

S, I feel the same as you--my doc and I never discussed a goal weight because I think he just figured my body will settle where it settles. But from having years of being skinny (after being heavy) I know what each weight feels like--at 120 I LOVED my boney body. But I know realistically, that's just not going to happen. At 135 everyone said I look amazing--again, unrealistic goal at 37 years old. But I know that at 180 I really feel pretty normal--and at 160 I feel darn good--but I want to be 150-155 so that I have some room to spare. In any case, I have even more skin now (since having 2 babies) and so I guess we'll see how that affects the numbers. Honestly though, at 192 (today, yeah!) I feel really great. I'm wearing a size 13-14, my face is totally skinny, and I can buy clothes in the regular sections at the store. It's funny how much I appreciate each little climb down the scale.