Karen R.
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. :-)