Ever since I posted my swimsuit pictures this month, I have really been thinking about a particular blog and how much it has meant to me. Amy's blog over at Once Upon a Time...in the Land of Cheese and Sunkist was one of the very first weight loss surgery blogs I discovered when I was thinking about surgery for myself.
Man, I devoured every word of her (extensive) blog! Here was a woman who had been incredibly successful with WLS (in this case, the lap-band instead of my own gastric sleeve). She had started blogging early, and had kept it up regularly throughout her whole journey. And she is funnier than hell!
Amy had the guts to post her swimsuit pictures, and to talk candidly about all the trials and tribulations of her process. And best yet, lots and lots of pictures! As I was starting my own journey, pictures really did tell the story - it is amazing to watch someone's body changing as the numbers on the scale start to come down.
When I started my own blog, I knew I wanted it to be a lot like Amy's. Lots of pictures, lots of truths - shared with humor and humility. I wanted my blog to be an honest depiction of my experience - it would not all be easy, it wouldn't be the magic wand I was secretly seeking, but it would be real and it would be me.
I have shared pictures and bits from Amy's blogs with friends I don't know how many times! She reminds me a lot of myself - happy at her highest weight, happy at her lowest. Fun and funny and full of life. I'm writing this today because, ugh, seeing those swimsuit photos of me come up on my own page makes my skin crawl. :) But I think about the people out there who are starting the same journey I did, who feel both hopeless about their situation and so hopeful about the future. Who want to know what it's *really* like to have WLS and experience this incredible rebirth and rediscovery of all that life has to offer.
Thank you, Amy! You're the best! To all bloggers, I would say, there are people reading, and your tales and photos and anecdotes are impacting a lot of people in many positive ways. Keep it up! I'm reading!
Awww, I feel the same way about Amy! Found her when she was still dating Tracey (a man and now it's Heather a girl!) and read all of her posts! I was thinking of doing a band but switched to the VSG because I knew it was right for me. But I STILL follow Amy...I do love that girl!
ReplyDeleteAw thank you so much. I can't tell you how much that means to me right now, when in my whacked out mental state I feel rather non-important lately. You almost made me cry. And now I have to go take pictures of myself nearly naked or something!!!! Actually I have been meaning to do so for awhile!
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