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Mirror shock... the blinders are off!!!

Amberley

By Amberley, in LAP-BAND Surgery Forums

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Amberley    97

Amberley
Posted

Ok, I don't know it is for everyone else but I have avoided mirrors for the last four years. I moved to the UK in 2008 at a nice 'normal' size. Started avoiding mirrors when I started to put on weight. Not to say I haven't looked at myself in the 4 years just have looked in sections.... my face when I am putting on make up or fixing my hair, from the waist up when I am trying on an outfit... Never naked and never all at once since I started to pack on the pounds. I had my lapband surgery on the 29th of June. This morning I got up and weighed and I have lost 40 pounds in total. Was very excited and so my very supportive and beloved hubby offered to take me shopping for some new clothes. Now with 40 pounds gone I would have thought I would have dropped some clothes sizes and so with credit card in hand headed to the shopping centre. I was wearing a 28/30 before surgery. I tried on 26s and they were to big... 24... a little loose.... 22 way to tight. Very excited about getting the 24s however when trying on clothes in the changing room horror of horrors... I was confronted with THE FULL WALL MIRROR. Mirror Mirror on the wall - what did I see??? Me in all my naked glory. Nowhere to hide and every lump and bump showing!!! Okay I know I am overweight and I should have expected to see what was showing in the mirror. That is the rational answer. Me, rational. not on the same page!! Shock and horror. What have I done to my poor body? Stood in the changing room and tried to come to grips. Strange that I was so upset. I know that my body has changed. I see lumps and bumps when I shower or change clothes. I think it was seeing it all at once that got me. It was an upsetting experience but a positive out of it. I and my hubby went to BHS and bought a full length mirror which is now installed in the bathroom. I have vowed to go into the bathroom and look at myself fully naked at least once a week. It is so easy to hide away from what I am doing to my body and what it looks like by simply avoiding mirrors. No more. I want to face it head on. I want to see the weekly changes that good food choices make in my body. I want to see how my band is helping me get back to where I was. I know it is going to be a long journey but I am going to face it with the blinders off. No more hiding the truth from myself.

NWgirl, kll724, dylanmiles23 and 6 others reacted to this

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DELETE THIS ACCOUNT!    12,703

DELETE THIS ACCOUNT!
Posted

Wow, you had a very emotional yet "moment of growth" morning!

I avoided mirrors for not years but decades. Heck I even stopped wearing make-up so I only saw the mirror to brush my teeth or put my hair in a pony tail. It was just too horrible to face what I'd done to my body (I was originally over 400 pounds)

I think not only facing the mirror in the store, but going so far as to buy one for your home, screams volumes. You are SO "ready" for the changes the Lap Band and losing weight will bring to your life. You accept who are today which is so important mentally. Honestly, I wish I'd have had that level of introspective clarity when I was still at the beginning of my journey. I have a lot of admiration for you.

Best wishes for continued success!

dylanmiles23, dawalsh, chasingadream and 6 others reacted to this

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Amberley    97

Amberley
Posted

Missy Thank you much appreciated for the support. Wednesdays are now mirror day. For me that it. My westie is thrilled with the new addition to the bathroom and keeps running in to look at herself in the mirror and back to where ever I am to bark and let me know there is another dog in the house. Really cute... until 3am this morning when she ran into the bedroom barking and woke me and the hubby up!! Bathroom door now being closed before bedtime....

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rmalikone    108

rmalikone
Posted

I looked from time to time and was always was disappointed with myself! It was hard to believe that I looked like that and I had let myself get that way and felt powerless to change.

Until WLS that is.

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kll724    3,055

kll724
Posted

It will get better, but congrats on the NSV of downsized clothes!

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Go To Topic Listing LAP-BAND Surgery Forums

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    • Alisa_S

      Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • Alisa_S

      Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • KimBaxleyWilson

      KimBaxleyWilson

      Three months and four days ago... I was in Costa Rica having a life changing surgery! Yesterday we had a followup visit with Dr. Esmeral via video chat and this morning my middle number changed.  I'm down 47lbs and two pants sizes. I can wear a Large tshirt for the first time in like... 14 years! Woot!! Everything is going great. I have zero regrets. I went down to the riverwalk with a friend and walked 2 miles on Monday without even getting fatigued. And no more snoring or chugging pickle juice for crazy leg cramps! I need to go to the gym more... I'm making new shirts next week so that will motivate me. LOL But I'm also just not as TIRED all the time! I have a LONG way to go...but seeing the progress on the scales and in the mirror is a huge motivator!! Thank you all for cheering me on and supporting me!!
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • bellaamey

      bellaamey

      https://alluniqueguide.com/java-burn-coffee-reviews/
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      1. This update has no replies.

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