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A letter of love to my body



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Dear body-

As I sit here just a little more than 48 hours from my surgery day, I am thinking about you...there have been so many times over the years when I looked upon you in disdain, and, body, I am sorry for that. It wasn't you...it was me. It was the emotional part of me that found food as a comfort for the times I was lonely, the times I was sad, the times I was rewarding myself for any number of things...the disdain I had was for me, not you. Truly, body, you deserve my praise and appreciation...I appreciate that over the last 15 years, as the numbers have crept up on the scale and now top 300 pounds, that you have taken it all in stride and not (yet) succumbed to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes or any of the other weight-related issues that I know would have come had I not taken steps to have this surgery. I am sorry that I am choosing to remove a large portion of a perfectly good stomach in order to having a fighting chance of overcoming obesity, but I truly believe this is the best course for us. I'm sure you remember last year when I got the tattoo of the cover of The Giving Tree on my hip...and you know that one of the reasons that was special to me was that I viewed you as the tree, and me as the little boy...up to this point in my life, I have acted just like the little boy, taking from you without regard for what you needed...but I knew I needed to be better than the little boy in the story, and take better care of you so that you would be able to keep me strong for as long as possible. That starts Wednesday. Promise. I'm not saying I will be perfect, but I do promise to be emotionally "present" from here on out, and not automatically self-soothe with food.

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This is awesome, good luck with your journey

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Thank you...appreciate the well wishes...my surgery is in less than 12 hours :-)

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Good luck, hon!! It's rough the first few days, but that's what drugs are for! ;)

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I believe sometimes we forget that our bodies are temples. We abuse them in so many ways. We stuff our faces and gain weight not taking in consideration how our bodies feel about this. It takes alot for an obese person to stand up and say I cant do this to my body anymore. That is why I see everyone of us as a hero to ourselves. We are saving the life of our bodies. We need to stand up and be proud that we are doing something that even skinny people cant do. I wish everyone great success. I am proud of myself and each and everyone who took a stand to protect one of their greatest assets( your temple)

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Touching post. Thank you for that important reminder. Best wishes for a quick recovery from surgery. You will do great. The sleeve has changed mylife for the better and I marvel at my new body everyday, so conscious of every drink and morsel of food. Even more than food, I'm more conscious of life. Even the change in seasons was different this Spring... The flowers seem more beautiful and the smells of the blooms are incredible. In my bigger body I suppose I didn't take time to smell the roses, now I do. :)

Sent from my iPhone using VST

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Amazing way to look at our bodies to find peace with what we have done to it for whatever reasons. Thanks for sharing this its à great idea because recovery teaches to do amends but I hadnt thought about this when it came to my weight...

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Amazing, youll be fine many prayers goin your way

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Yay!!! First NSV...got back into a pair of jeans I haven't worn in 2 years...should I have waited another week or so to actually wear them...yes...did I?...nope :-) just put on some sassy high heels so I looked even slimmer

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I LOVE being able to wear some of the clothes that have been pushed to the back of my closet for many years...down just about 63 pounds this morning and feeling good wearing this dress to work today :-)

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    • Doughgurl

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    • Doughgurl

      Hey everyone. I'm new here so I thought I should introduce myself. I am 53y/o and am scheduled for Gastric Bypass on June 25th, 2025. I'm located in San Antonio, Texas. I will be having my surgery in Tiajuana Mexico. I've wanted this for years, but I always had insurance where bariatric procedures were excluded. Finally I am able to afford to pay out of pocket.  I can't wait to get started, and I hope I'm prepared for the initial period of "hell". I know what I have signed up for, but I'm sure the good to come will out way the temporary period of discomfort and feelings of regret. I'd love to find people to talk to who have been through the same procedure or experience before. So I look forward to meeting you all. Hope you have a great week!
      · 2 replies
      1. Selina333

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      2. Doughgurl

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    • 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. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • 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

        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.

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