I’m leaving for a week in Hawaii shortly and I am so looking forward to it. Even when I weighed 424 pounds I looked forward to vacations. So, what’s different today, almost 15 years later, about vacations? Let me quickly compare and see what you think:
Before Weight Loss Surgery
- Had to figure out what actually fit me to pack and take with me, or shop for new, larger sizes;
- Planned to eat all three meals out every day with no regard to health or cost;
- Planned activities that didn’t require me doing much more than a little swimming, a little snorkeling, and a lot of sitting in the car or on a beach chair -- if I didn’t break it;
- Was physically uncomfortable and tired out most of the time
- Took risks but had to pay the price with the embarrassment of buying 2 seats on a helicopter, or not being able to get back onto the boat or catamaran if I went into the water, or even struggling to walk out of the water back onto the beach.
After Weight Loss Surgery
- Rummage through my closet and toss things in my suitcase knowing they will all fit;
- Planning: Get a fridge in the room; stop at a market on the way to the hotel to get yogurt for breakfasts, lunch meat, cheese, and poke (sounds like ‘Poh-keh’ - one of the main dishes of Native Hawaiian cuisine) for lunches. I easily control those two meals, so I stay feeling good and not bloated with restaurant food;
- I start each day of vacation with either some elliptical time in the gym or a swim in the pool or the ocean regardless of the rest of the day. I go hiking, biking, snorkeling, diving, and exploring and go back to my room at night tired and happy;
I feel good, physically able, and energized most of the day. At 70 when tired hits, it hits hard in the evening and I listen to it;- I fly on planes with no seat belt extender, helicopters needing only one seat for my butt; I am in and out of the water with ease -- whether at the beach or on a boat.
This is my new normal. How many years of enjoying my life did I miss before having surgery? It’s not worth worrying about since those years are over -- and today I celebrate LIFE.