Red is for Springtime – awhhhhhhh – by far my favorite season! On the way to work today, I was thinking about a favorite childhood memory.  I was about ten or eleven years old; it was springtime. I came home from school and my mother had all the windows open in the house.  There was an unforgettable aroma that I can almost smell as I write.  It was the fragrance of new life – freedom – the ability to just breathe.  Today coming to work, I realized that is how I feel, one year and six months post gastric bypass surgery - shedding one hundred and three pounds and counting. 

 2012 has started off with a BANG! Sorry it has been so long since I last blogged.. I have been busy living this new exciting life that has emerged. I feel like a Phoenix or better yet as my boyfriend likes to refer to me… a Butterfly.

My, my ... how time does FLY when you are having FUN! It is hard to believe that just one year ago today I was having my gastric by-pass.

When I began this journey, I was aware that I was an emotional eater. It was my hope that bariatric surgery would prove to be the tool that would help physically stop me long enough for a spiritual solution to take hold and move me to a higher ground. This month that hope became a reality. I believe I am now ready to lay out in detail the events that lead to my NEED to emotionally eat and the victory that I am now experiencing as a result of not being able to physically do so.

My last three months have been filled with varying emotions ranging from overwhelming excitement to utter discouragement, but the one thing that has remained constant is my determination to succeed at losing ALL this excess weight! No matter how long it takes!  Being a life-long dieter, there are a few “truths” I have experienced along the way. One is the last few pounds are ALWAYS the hardest to lose. Another is the number on the scale is NOT always a good indicator of success.

How I stay motivated when...I am physically sick and don't feel like working out; when I step on the scales and the number is the same as the two weeks before;  when I am having a "fat day". Until now I have blogged about all the COOL exciting stuff going on in my life. I figured it was time to let you in on a little secret - Sometimes it is VERY difficult to stay on the path and stay motivated.

The thought came to me .. why don't you just try them to SEE how far you have to go before you can wear them. I almost started crying when I got them on and zipped them! What a blessing it is to have a friend walking this journey with me. We are "out-shrinking" clothes so fast it is nice to have someone to share clothes.

Everyone was so complimentary at the wedding. I was on cloud nine and one would have thought I was the bride with the smile I was sporting. Loving the gift of a new life!

I still remember when I bought this shirt. It was June of 2010. I was shopping for an upcomingtrip to TX and wanted something pretty that "traveled nicely." I LOVED it.. the colors - the pattern and at the time it "hid" or "masked" my size well, so I thought.

What an exciting time the last two months have been on my weight loss journey!  I bought my first bathing suit while at the beach during Easter and it was a size smaller than what I expected to be able to wear! I bought four really cute dresses and feel like a million bucks when I wear them. I am finally allowing pictures to be taken of me and I actually like them and don't mind them being posted (and tagged) on Face Book! These are some of the satisfying events that have happened over the last 2 months.