I wanna go into Victoria Secrets and find out just what she's been hiding all these years!!! I want to wear pretty panties and bras, look in the mirror and not want to throw up!! Can you imagine - a "no roll zone!"

11 hours ago, brightfaith said:

For me, it is all about mobility. I want to walk...and walk...and walk...and walk some more. I would love to travel to Yosemite National Park and hike in to see the waterfalls. I want to take a trip to Italy (made much more affordable if I don't need to purchase a second plane seat for myself) and walk all over Venice and florence. I want to enjoy a day out with family and friends and be able to keep up with everyone. I was thinking of creating something like a vision board with the places I want to travel and start a travel savings account.

I would also love to treat myself to adult swimming lessons. I love exercising in the Water, but I never really learned to swim. I do water walking and jogging and aerobics now. What I am realizing as I type this is that there is actually no reason I couldn't take lessons now...I just feel very uncoordinated and would get out of breath easily. Would be great to have a little more energy and stamina.

Brightfaith, one possibility would be to use Pinterest to save pictures of all the places and things you'd like to visit. Very inspirational! i was in Italy about ten years ago and walking around Florence nearly killed me--but I saw it. Another hike that wore me out was going through the Vatican to see the Sistine Chapel--people are led through a LOT of rooms on the way there (up and down stairs, too). I would be completely unable to do those walks now--knee pain too bad, never mind not enough stamina. But I'm hoping that will change and I'll travel again, too. Plenty of the world yet to see.

Well, I don't say stuff that I don't mean!! I am honest to a fault sometimes!! I will be looking for your posts so I can follow your journey!!! KEEP ON KEEPING ON!!!

You're awesome!! I LOVE a good cheerleader!!!!

Walking in the summer without being sweaty, shopping in a normal store, dancing, going to concerts, and swimming! I can not wait to swim again I miss it so much. I am too embarrassed to exercise that way right now and can't wait to loose enough to fit into a one piece.

10 hours ago, XYZXYZXYZ1955 said:

Brightfaith, one possibility would be to use Pinterest to save pictures of all the places and things you'd like to visit. Very inspirational! i was in Italy about ten years ago and walking around florence nearly killed me--but I saw it. Another hike that wore me out was going through the Vatican to see the Sistine Chapel--people are led through a LOT of rooms on the way there (up and down stairs, too). I would be completely unable to do those walks now--knee pain too bad, never mind not enough stamina. But I'm hoping that will change and I'll travel again, too. Plenty of the world yet to see.

This is a great idea, thank you! Pinterest would be fun.

I hear you on the travel. My knees are fine, but my back and stamina cannot hold up to the kind of sightseeing and activities I would like to do. I honestly haven't let myself dream of travel too much since I have been limited, but I think it could be healthy to start pulling together some ideas.

2 minutes ago, Karleena said:

Walking in the summer without being sweaty, shopping in a normal store, dancing, going to concerts, and swimming! I can not wait to swim again I miss it so much. I am too embarrassed to exercise that way right now and can't wait to loose enough to fit into a one piece.

Karleena, I didn't go into a pool or other body of water for about 16 years because I was uncomfortable being seen in a bathing suit. But I came to a point where I just said to hell with that! I love being in the water, and no one is going to stop me regardless of my size. I got a suit for a vacation one year and wore it, and I have gone to pools and the ocean ever since. Water walking is the main way I exercise, and I have just desensitized myself to wearing a suit at the gym pool and changing in the locker room.

I would very much appreciate being able to have a suit that fits me better -- past a certain size, you can mostly only get swimdresses, which are super annoying to exercise in.

2 minutes ago, brightfaith said:

Karleena, I didn't go into a pool or other body of Water for about 16 years because I was uncomfortable being seen in a bathing suit. But I came to a point where I just said to hell with that! I love being in the water, and no one is going to stop me regardless of my size. I got a suit for a vacation one year and wore it, and I have gone to pools and the ocean ever since. Water walking is the main way I exercise, and I have just desensitized myself to wearing a suit at the gym pool and changing in the locker room.

I would very much appreciate being able to have a suit that fits me better -- past a certain size, you can mostly only get swimdresses, which are super annoying to exercise in.

Someone actually told me there are plus size swim capris, shorts and leggings which got me so excited yesterday I have the local pool schedule in my phone now. Here's the set I want, in case you or anyone is interested https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N7PCASK/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I32XQSDI79QMOE&colid=O7HQW0BFBS8Q I will buy some and def try them out I've never thought of tops and bottoms as a suit option before. I will still be embarrassed but I just need to squash my fearlike you said! My medical condition makes swimming a perfect low impact workout.

I cant wait to shop in the non plus size section...

I want to be able to put on a pair of pantyhose or tights without ripping them or giving up lol ! I want to go to the yearly festival in my home town and people not know who I am and when I tell them I want cant wait to see their reaction ! I want to be confident when I walk into a room . I want to be able to walk on a plane and not ask for a seatbelt extender . I want to enjoy getting my picture taken of me and not crop the bottom half out I want my kids and husband to be proud to call me mom and wife and know the person inside me that is screaming to come out ! (I know they love me anyway but you know what I mean )

11 hours ago, RobinJoy said:

I want to go to the yearly festival in my home town and people not know who I am and when I tell them I want cant wait to see their reaction !

That might seem thrilling now, but it gets annoying AF really fast. Once you are over losing weight and feel normalized and people are still making a big deal about how different you look, it is boring, annoying and irritating. It ends up just being a constant reminder of who you used to be not who you are now.

yea i can see how that can be true.. still want that day to get here .. thanks for the heads up though

I want to wear a tight dress and high heels and go dancing at a downtown club that only 'cool' people go to. he he

Came on to read some inspirational stuff because I am only 4 days out from surgery and I am getting tired of chicken broth, protein drinks and jello....i just want something different. And be able to drive my own car...i think I am getting house sick.
My goals are a healthy life and nice clothes that are not plus size. I used to love clothes from the Gap and Chicos

Sent from my SM-N920V using BariatricPal mobile app

6 hours ago, OutsideMatchInside said:

Once you are over losing weight and feel normalized and people are still making a big deal about how different you look, it is boring, annoying and irritating. It ends up just being a constant reminder of who you used to be not who you are now.

That rings true from other anecdotes I've read or listened to.

There's one particular man in my town (there were two but the other one died last Sunday) that has fat shamed me and slagged off at me and other obese people for at least 20 years. He's dying a slow death at the moment from a mix of lifestyle illnesses taking over his body and slowly killing him. (The pace of slow is picking up for him.)

My joy will be to outlive him. If he makes it through the next 12-18 months and my WLS follows a typical path, I hope to enjoy saying to him, "Stop whingeing, princess."

6 hours ago, OutsideMatchInside said:

Once you are over losing weight and feel normalized and people are still making a big deal about how different you look, it is boring, annoying and irritating. It ends up just being a constant reminder of who you used to be not who you are now.

Yeah, one formerly morbidly obese criminal lawyer from North Carolina says in his YouTube series, "If you can't face the constant attention of comments glorifying your achievement in halving your body mass, you might need counselling."

He refers to empathising with celebrities who are stopped constantly by adoring fans. He says people mean well and most really want to express admiration for one's weight loss but that it grates by the third or fourth person every time you go to the shops or get to your employer's car-park.

I'll have to think about this and my eventual reaction to it, I guess.

Hmmmm.... what am I really looking forward to?

(1) Buying something to wear and liking the way that it looks on me (since I detest shopping for myself);

(2) Not worrying about flying or vacations where places might be a little tight;

(3) Feeling confident in myself;

(4) Believing my husband when he tells me that I'm beautiful (yes he does tell me all the time, but I don't find myself beautiful); and

(5) Most important for me, being able to spend quality time with my husband and kids, and knowing that I am healthy enough to continue caring for my disabled son for many years to come. We are all about making memories, and I don't want those memories marred by something concerning my weight.