Thursday, October 18, 2012

My Body: Now.

I can do it.  I can do it.

That is my inner voice, psyching myself up to do this!

Okay, it has been one year minus a day since I had bariatric surgery (I am a day off doing this after spending all day yesterday thinking it was the 18th).  It has been the best decision I have ever made regarding my health.  I have zero regrets.

Now that doesn't mean this has been easy.  It has been one of the hardest years of my life.  Not just the physical effort of losing weight, but the mental effort.  When food is where you turn for comfort and then that is gone?!  It is hard.  So incredibly hard.  And while it has gotten a little bit easier, I still struggle with how to deal with the emotions that threaten to take over.

What have I done to re-direct myself from eating?  Get outside, exercise, reading, wasting time on the computer, house cleaning, visiting....  anything I can!

And I thank God every single day for the support system I have around me.  My friends, family, blog readers, and community members have been encouraging me since the start.  I draw so much of my strength from all of these people and wish there was more I could do instead of just saying thank you.

Well, here we go.  Pictures.  Of me.  Nearly naked.  From today.  Here is what my body looks like one year later and down 118.5lbs.

And today I weigh 200.5lbs.  That is a loss of 118.5lbs in just over a year (my total includes 11lbs lost in the couple of weeks leading up to my weight loss surgery.

I have lost the weight it seems from the top down. 

I can still see my capri tan lines!

My amazing bat wings that I am going to fly with!

The part that bothers me the most, yes I am going to share it all, is the stomach flap.  I will be looking into surgery since it is so bothersome.

This really shows the change, eh?

So different.
So along with the weight loss of 118.5lbs, there are some other numbers I want to share.

I have lost 17" off my hips.

I have lost 12" off my chest.

I have lost 12" off my waist.

I have lost 7.5" off of each thigh.

My BMI has gone from 53.1 to 33.4.



I am now just 30lbs away from my goal of losing 150lbs and I hope to hit that by late next spring or very early next summer.  My weight loss has slowed to about five pounds a month, which is still pretty amazing.

I am excited to see what year two brings and feel ready to meet the challenge.

Again, thank you to everyone for your support!  It means the world to me.

16 comments:

Megan said...

Kara, you are doing so well! We are so proud of you!

Morena said...

Holy Crap Kara!! Does that ever put things in to perspective. And I'm so proud of you for having the resolve to post those. When you think about it 17 inches... that's a FOOT AND A HALF!!!!

I hope you can let yourself be as proud of you as the rest of us are. I know that has to be hard but I hope your head can get there.

Good job.

Tina said...

I love you. In your last picture you should have been making a silly face st the "old " you. Actually go do that. Strip off again and make a funny face and repost. Go ahead, I will wait.

Lesley said...

You are a freaking rock star! Sending you lots of love and happy thoughts for the rest of your journey. You have done SO much! XoxoL

Megan said...

Kara, you are looking awesome! Way to go for not only the weightloss but the courage to be so upfront and honest about the harder times.
Hugs!

Carole said...

I agree with Megan. Thank you for sharing such a personal part of yourself. You are amazing! Oh, and I have the batwings too! lol I used to not wear sleeveless shirts. Now it is what it is. lol

Taaaaaaasha said...

And look how much cuter your underwear has gotten! :)

this is amazing, as are you. thanks for sharing.

Nancy said...

Ha, I was thinking the same thing as Tasha, I think you must have gone underwear shopping for this photo shoot to celebrate. These are amazing photos! You have come so far, AND you are a just a half pound from your next milestone! Wow! Your bat wings don't look as bad as you had described them as being. You've kept up your momentum the whole year. Thanks for posting the pics, you are looking great!

Unknown said...

The look on your face in the side-by-side says it all. There are not enough "like" buttons for this post!!! Way to go, Kara!!

Fawn said...

But nothing more than a thank you is necessary for anyone, because it is YOUR victory to celebrate, and we're all just happy for you! And YEAH, awesome bra! Tina made me laugh out loud. But you don't want to be mean to the old you, do you? ;) LOL

Shelagh said...

I think the most amazing part of these pictures isn't the weight loss but the weight that looks like it has been lifted off your shoulders. You are absolutely glowing now and are overflowing with self confidence. That is the most amazing transformation. Choked me up...

Ann said...

I'm so proud of you. You are an inspiration to me. Thanks for having the courage to share. Good luck with the remaining weight loss.

In Iqaluit said...

Amazing accomplishment! Well done, Kara! And thank you for sharing!

Keep up the fabulous work. I am simply in awe of you.

xo

Anonymous said...

What an amazing change, Kara. You are very brave for doing this.

Allmycke said...

I can only agree with everyone who has already written here. You've done amazing things in this year.

As for batwings, I'll let you know that those come naturally as you get older... or mine did, at least!

J Dowell-Irvine said...

OMG Kara you are so brave and real; I really love this about you. The pictures are an amazing testimonial, no words needed!