Friday, February 4, 2011

Got a few things on my mind...

I don't know to express all that's moving around in this head of mine. So, I figure I'll just start...this might be kind of random, but so am I.

I feel good. I mean really good. It's nice to not have a lot of aches and pains each day when I get up in the morning and equally nice to go to bed at night with out feeling like I'm old. I know I need to exercise but I am having a real aversion to getting up early and actually doing anything but drink coffee at the moment. My hubby has been really good about going to the gym in the morning. I feel like his efforts are benefiting me through osmosis, since we do sleep together. That's my story, I'm sticking to it.


I cleaned out my car yesterday and I had a pair of jeans in it. The jeans had been there, because they fell out of my suitcase when I was digging for something back in October, I know I should have done this sooner. In any case. These jeans are a size 20. I wore them to Ohio when my husband and I went for his mini class reunion. I was down 45 pounds at the time and the pants were a little loose on me, but still wearable. I also had some 18's that fit me pretty good. Okay, since then 3 months have gone by and I have have barely lost any weight. I have lost 7 or 8 pounds, depending on what day it is. But this morning I put those pants on and I was blown away by how big they were on me. I am wearing a size 16 jeans right now and tops in a regular XL all the way to a 14 depending on the top. I can't believe that 7-8 pounds could make this kind of difference. I have heard bandsters say repeatedly that you may not be losing weight but things are changing and you're losing inches. I must say I've always thought that was horse shit, but I am a genuine recipient of that phenomenon right now, and who am I to question it. Either way, I'm telling you that in the last few days I have seen a real difference in the way I look to myself. It makes me feel good.

Tomorrow night my husband and I are going to a Mardi Gras ball. Last year when I was getting ready for this same ball, I did not feel so good about myself or the event. I had a new outfit, a size 3X skirt and a size 18 top that was so freaking tight I could barely breathe, the one saving grace was that there was a jacket that went with the top that was sort of flowing and it covered a lot. But this year, I have the outfit and I'm excited about wearing it. I can't remember the last time that I was really excited about wearing anything to any event. Clothes have for the last couple of decades been a source of stress for me, because I feel like when you're really heavy, people are judging you and that in order to look good you can't feel good too. So much girdling so much pushing and prodding, hell, it's exhausting. I'm so excited that I have an outfit that I think is pretty, that I feel good in and I feel comfortable in it too. That to me is a huge victory.

My husband has never said anything negative to me about my weight. The only thing he has ever said is that he loves me and wants me to be happy, that he hates to see me feeling bad about myself and that he wants me to lose weight if that's what I want. He fully supported me having weight loss surgery, he has always told me that he loves me and he thinks I'm beautiful. He fell in love with me fat, he married me fat, but I've always felt like he was lying when he said those things. I would never tell him how much I weighed, I would never tell him what size I wore, as if suddenly having proof that I was heavy was going to make him come to his senses and haul ass. I've been really unfair to him on many different occasions, because I have let my feelings for me cloud my judgement when it came to his feelings for me. He has never wavered, it's just been me doing the flopping around, one day feeling good, one day feeling bad. What torture we put our men through when we struggle with body image and self appreciation. As a woman, there are so many times when I have said the words, "I just want to be appreciated!" I have been asking those around me to give me something that I couldn't give myself, appreciation. I knew deep inside of me that I was the same person on the inside regardless of what my outside was like, but that was only a half truth. I'm not the same person on the inside anymore. Suddenly this exterior transformation, though it's not complete, has changed me on the inside. It has allowed me to appreciate myself now and as I was before. It has made me see just how much the man I love, has loved me. He has loved me in varying degrees of fat and fit and varying degrees of crazy and sane. He has done what I couldn't do for myself. I'm finally seeing what I couldn't see before. The changes have taken place, some small some big, some meaningful, some not so much. But the things that resonates with me today is that last year when he stood next to me in my outfit, he thought I was beautiful and he told me that, and because I felt badly and I wasn't happy with me, in my mind I labeled him a liar. So, today I'm going to make a real effort to appreciate the nice things he says to me. I'm going to be kinder to him and to me. And when he looks at me before the ball and tells me he thinks I'm beautiful, I'm going to say thank you and I'm going to take it for what it is. The man who loves me and thinks I'm beautiful, telling me so.

Told you there was a lot of stuff going on in this head of mine!
Have a wonderful weekend.
Big Hugs!
T

12 comments:

trishajo said...

I can relate with you very much on this one tess...

Anonymous said...

Gosh, I just love you! You and John were meant to be together. I can understand about only losing a small amount of weight and things fit so much better. Just last night at Zumba, 2 people told me I am looking so skinny! I think my body is changing all of the time.....for the better. I hope you have a great time tonight. Feel pretty, because you are pretty my friend!

Shannon said...

That is so awesome!!! I am so happy for you and how much you have grown! Hubbys can really amaze us sometimes :)

Amanda Kiska said...

I'm so glad you have such a great fella! Have a wonderful time. Don't forget to take a picture to share with the blogosphere.

Bonnie said...

Feeling good in my clothes and looking forward to getting ready to go out to special events is something I am really looking forward too. I have an awesome husband who married me when I was thin and has NEVER said a word about the weight I've gained. I want to lose weight for me, but I also want to be the sexy wife he deserves.

~Lisa~ said...

When he looks at you and tells you your beautiful - believe him!! You truly ARE!!

GREAT post!!

Tina said...

and what wonderful thoughts they were!! Have a great time at your Mardi Gras dance!

Cindylew said...

Tess, I am so happy for your happiness. I too have a hubby who loves me just the way I am...isn't it awesome?
Have a great time at your ball...of course we'll need a full pictorial.
Love you cupcake.

Unknown said...

My husband married me when I was fat too. He has always been skin and bones so we look like Jack Sprat and his wife...haha. He has never said a word about how I look because I think he knows I'll give him a verbal whoppin'. Anyways, glad you are feeling great! I think those NSV's are way better than the number on the scale. Gives me a much better "high". :)

catherine said...

Wow this is powerful, and a lesson to me. I have a hard time taking compliments right now because I don't believe these things about myself. I need to learn, like you have, to appreciate myself the way I am, and know that I am taking steps in the right direction. Thank you for sharing.

MLM said...

I loved this post...how amazing does your husband sound and what a special relationship....so glad you felt great about your outfit and hope the ball was great!! post pics for sure!

Erin said...

"he thought I was beautiful and he told me that, and because I felt badly and I wasn't happy with me, in my mind I labeled him a liar"

I have just sat here for about 2-3 hours reading ALL of your blog posts! I was going to wait until the most recent post to tell you this, but that quote up there was so right on the money with me it's not even funny! I haven't gotten WLS yet, but I constantly feel this way whenever my husband compliments me. Thank you for saying this. It has really made me realize I need to stop treating him like a liar just because I don't like what I see and he does.

I've enjoyed reading your blog thus far and can't wait to finish it! (which will be before the night is over!)