There are a few things that I have had to get used to (and still am working on getting used to) since having my surgery. One of the biggest things is my self-image. I still see myself with this pooch that I had had for so many years previously. Sometimes I still feel like the girl who thought she looked good until she looked in the mirror but then I look in the mirror and go, “whoa!” or I try on/put on clothes and I go, “is this really me? Am I seeing me with my eyes or with my mind?” It is a wonderful but surreal feeling.

Another thing I have had to get used to is rebuilding muscles that you never realized you used so much. haha I mean, I’m a lifter! I KNOW that I use my core. But to rebuild these lower ab muscles, holy moly. My doctor has me doing leg lift bends and…let’s just say that I am not bouncing back to that as quickly as I hoped or would like. Dr. Grenga wants me to be able to do 10 in a row with ease…I am up to 3 with a slight break between 2 and 3. I’m working, though! Patience, maybe I need to add that to my list of “things I have had to get used to”, huh? haha

Once more thing I will touch on, eating meals. Not that I can’t do it, I can and do! However, I can not eat as much as I used to and I didn’t eat much then! For instance, one day last week I had a meatloaf sandwich for lunch. Yum! One of my favorites! I was so hungry and only ate half of that sandwich before I felt that I had stuffed myself. It happens quite frequently these days. Now, I’m not complaining but it is something that I have had to get used to. I like to eat so I make the best of it. haha I mean, after all, this is the lifters perfect diet, right? Small meals and snacks (healthy, of course). Yep, works for me. haha

**Let me just throw this disclaimer in here right now because my doctor would probably get me if he were to ever find this, haha, this surgery is NOT a weight loss surgery but now that everything is back in place and where it is supposed to be my stomach is more constricted and it is easier to tell when I am actually satisfied as opposed to waiting until I am full (though as you have seen earlier in this post, I am still getting used to not eating as much as I normally would at one time. haha).**

#FattyGetHott

Let’s talk form for a moment. Form matters!!! And I don’t just mean because if you don’t have correct for you are not working out what you think you are or as effectively as you think you are. When you do not use correct form when you are working out you can seriously hurt yourself. I was reminded of this yesterday when my husband and I were at the gym. I have been cleared to get back to lifting (yay!!) so we went and while we were there a trainer came in just checking on everyone and she made mention that since someone broke their leg they have to make more frequent rounds. My husband and I and another couple started talking to the trainer trying to figure out what was going on and who it was and as soon as she described the guy I knew who it was. You see, this guy is a big ego lifter. Meaning he lifts heavy so he can say he lifts heavy but his form is shotty. For instance, he will put an insane amount of weight on a bar to bench press but he will only lower it not even half way. Well, that particular day that he broke his leg he was doing squats. Yeah, you can guess what happened, I am sure. Let me preface here and say that the last time that my husband and I were at the gym before my surgery this guy was doing squats and he was putting crazy heavy weight on there but he was squatting really shallow and his knees were kind of going in. My husband made the comment, “he’s going to hurt himself.” This guy always worked out with his wife but she was about the same and, really, if anything happened with as much weight as he put on there, there was nothing that she was going to be able to do. Back to the accident. He was apparently squatting and he put 585 pounds on the bar, went to squat, and his femur snapped. Ouch! They said it was lucky that he put the guards there to catch the bar if it is dropped because otherwise he could have been killed.

So why do I say all of this again? FORM MATTERS!! Don’t worry so much about what people think about you and/or how much you can lift, perfect your form and from there you will not only be able to lift much heavier weight, you will be able to lift it properly and, most importantly, safely.

#FattyGetHott

I had the follow-up for my stitch abscesses on Friday the 5th and it went well. During the week I had found a stitch that my body was rejecting. I actually went to pull it when I was trying to figure out what it was and quickly realized it was a stitch. I called my doctor on Tuesday to let him know that there were a few places that were still open and all and he called me right back to go over everything with me, told me to keep up my cleaning, and what I was seeing might just be new skin growing but we would take a look at it on Friday. Friday came and turns out there were about 3 spots that still had stitches in them. The stitch that I found he pulled right out like nothing. I mean, a slight tug and the whole thing came out. I thought that it was just a little portion left, no, it was a complete stitch and it was longer than I would have thought! Nonetheless, they are all out and I am only going up from here!!! I go back in 12 days to recheck everything. I know I haven’t posted pictures but I really don’t want to gross you out. haha I have them but I’m not so sure about posting them. We’ll see.

That was pretty much the event of my doctors’ visit. Nothing too exciting but my husband was able to be there to see Dr. Grenga digging into my incision and cleaning it out and all. He was excited for that. haha I wasn’t hoping that I would have to have him dig into me again but I was a bit happy that Lover got to see. haha

I’ll keep you posted but as of now, despite the set backs, I am healing wonderfully!

#FattyGetHott