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I want to offer a special thanks to Sonia
Pearson. Here is her story:
You might remember that I've written before,
about the joys of trying on new clothes as we lose weight. I made
the observation that not only did clothes fit me better, but the
fitting room fit me better as well!
I am now 11 months and 1 day post op. Yes,
happy anniversary! On Surgery Day, I weighed 235 pounds and was a
size 24/26 and 5'4". Nothing was easy for me, including getting out
of bed. I lost 33 pounds prior to surgery because my surgeon
required all patients to lose a minimum of 10 pounds and to keep it
off to prove we could handle a diet.
Eleven months (and 1 day!) later, I weigh 142
pounds. I am a size 4/6 for shirts and size 8 for jeans. I can wear
some size 6 slacks. I wonder why are slacks cut differently than
jeans! I am 2 pounds from meeting my self-imposed weight goal of
140. I plateaued at 153 pounds, but I lost the last 11 pounds in
less than 3 weeks with the greatest of ease. I really thought these
last few pounds would be the hardest, but they have been the easiest
for me.
I am dating a wonderful man who thought I was
beautiful when I was a size 26/28. Last night, we were looking at a
photo album and he came to my “Before Surgery” section with photos
showing me at various high ends of my weight scale. He commented
that I have always been beautiful, and then observed that now that
he was looking at the photos, he realized he had never realized how
big I was. He had always seen me, not just my weight. He enjoys my
smaller size, but tells me that losing weight has not made me any
more beautiful, but that the difference is that I finally feel good
about me. We go for long walks (3 to
5 miles), hiking through a favorite local park. He loves to cook and
prepares our evening meals. He took it upon himself to learn what
foods were best for meeting my needs and prepares those for us. We
each have custody of our daughters, so the four of us often enjoy
dinners together. His daughter needs to lose weight and looks to me
for encouragement and support. We take the girls biking, boating,
horseback riding and ATV riding. We encourage them to lead an active
lifestyle.
I am looking forward to plastic surgery next
year to remove excess skin from my abdomen, chest and legs. I have
been surprised by how much excess skin I have, but it is well worth
it to have to deal with excess skin. I love having a smaller body
size and relish the praise I receive from others.
My parents and brother are overweight. They
never faced their weight problems until I began losing my weight.
Now that I am so close to achieving my goal, they are now facing
their weight problems and taking steps to take off their excess
weight. They see me running, jumping, and generally playing like a
little kid and they want to have the same energy.
My friends have always been supportive of my
efforts, but occasionally they are envious of my success. I have
lost a couple of friends because they could not adjust to the new
me, but I believe that if they can't handle my being healthy, then
they weren't truly friends.
I stop short of recommending gastric bypass
surgery to others, but I do suggest they look into it and make a
decision for themselves about whether or not this is the right tool
for them. Weight loss surgery is not a miracle. We must put forth
the effort in terms of diet and exercise in order to achieve
success. Nevertheless, it is a tool that can help us to achieve our
dreams.
I have included the painful before picture and
the joyful after picture. I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoy
the new ones. The suit in my after picture was purchased 3 weeks
ago. It was already too big by the time this picture was taken last
Friday. It's going to be altered soon.
I've found great delight in trying on any style
of clothing that I like in stores, always knowing I can find what I
like in my size. It's wonderful. Would you believe the ladies at the
fitting rooms in several local stores are aware of my weight loss
and have been cheering me on as I shrink? I seem to have my own
little fan club!
Whenever anyone talks to me about possibly
having weight loss surgery, I recommend that they read your book.
Your book did so much to encourage me as I awaited surgery, and I've
reviewed it several times post-op. It has been an invaluable guide
that has assisted me on this health odyssey.
Thanks,
Sonia Pearson
St. Joseph, MO
I love good news. If you have good news, a
success story to share, or inspiration,
please send it to me at
Barbara@wlscenter.com so that I can
include it in future issues. |
