Monday 17 January 2011

Almost half the woman I was......

Well, here I am again after a long sojourn; too long for me and not long enough for others I suspect. But I come back a renewed woman some six stones, (84lbs), lighter than I have been of late. With himself’s magnificent weight loss of 3 stones, (42lbs), we are now officially one person lighter between us. There is no longer the equivalent of three people sharing a bed, just us two delighting in the extra room with no more narky spats over whom has more of the king size duvet that had its work cut out to cover our mammoth combined girth. If we’d expanded any further we’d have had to stitch two together for the sake of a peaceful night life. We’ve done our bit for the environment too, our reduced petrol consumption on car journeys reflects the loss of that ‘third’ person we used to drag everywhere with us; a great all-round result; easy on the ozone layer and even easier on our wallets.

I still have some weight to lose but that is a work in progress. I’m no longer sickened by looking at myself in mirrors; even the full length ones harbour no sheer horror for me anymore. My reflection astonishes me and please don’t consider me vain, I like what I see. Gone is the bloated face of the depressed woman that I was a year ago. My skin is glowing and my face radiates good health with few of the dreaded wrinkles I expected to be ravaged with. Skinny jeans show off my slimmed and toned legs that a year of exercise has helped to shape. Gravity has gone to town on my mammary glands and I am left with what only could be described as rats wriggling in hanging socks but the application of a jolly good over the shoulder boulder holder is a miracle worker. The muffin top has been drastically reduced and God what a revelation it is to feel my ribs once more. They’re not quite xylophone playing perfect yet but the torturous stomach crunches continue unabated in my quest for near perfection, hah!; dream on old girl.

It takes time to catch up with a new image of yourself. Those moments where I unintentionally catch a glimpse of myself in a mirror, a shop window or a photograph I was unaware had been taken still leave me in awe of how far I have come. They are even more revealing than the staged moments where still, I steel myself, before stepping in front of a mirror to critique my appearance and progress so far. Mrs P, my best friend of six years, whom has only ever known me overweight still marvels at my weight loss and complete change of appearance. She is unfailingly generous in her encouragement and compliments; those golden little nuggets that make all the effort worthwhile and keep you going when you might be just mad enough to quit. Other good friends and neighbours have been cheerleaders too; such goodwill makes me smile with utter joy that they care enough to care.

A year ago I needed an oxygen mask from the minor effort of climbing the stairs. I was desperately unfit and my blood pressure was 205 over 120. Today I am fitter than I have ever been thanks to daily hour long sprints with the dogs and interval training in our home gym. My blood pressure has returned to normal with Cholesterol levels following suit. I no longer ache and groan when I get out of a chair; so stiff that I used to shuffle like an octogenarian. And sometimes it is the simplest of things that non fatties take for granted such as putting on my own socks without the aid of a helper that drives home the distance I have come. That act alone used to leave me huffing and puffing with a red face like a smacked arse to boot. And speaking of boots, not only can I get my legs into normal sized welly boots but I can tuck my jeans in too with space to spare.

In so many ways my life has turned around, gone back to what it used to be. I no longer feel I am on the outside looking in, a witness to my life instead of a participant. Being morbidly obese seemed to give strangers the right to treat me with disdain by showing their disgust at my lack of self control. Others looked past me or ignored me as I became increasingly invisible. One particular incident sticks in my mind when a rather unpleasant woman made an offensive and clearly for my ears remark to her daughter then sat sniggering at her great wit. For just a moment I was banjaxed at her spectacular audacity and bad manners before a mixture of deep shame and anger overwhelmed me. No doubt the sight of me entering a cafe for lunch gave her the right to suggest that perhaps I should give this event a miss given I’d clearly eaten enough at some point already. As I digested my lunch and what had just happened, to say that I felt worthless, would be to understate the effect her remark had upon me.

As a result of moments like this I retreated to my lair to lick my wounds and remained deeply entrenched particularly as my depression intensified. But there is a wonderful upside to this; as I have re-emerged back into society, old acquaintances that haven’t seen me for a long time now take a double look when they realise it’s me but only half of the me that was there before. And I no longer shy away from the occasional treat of entering a cafe or an all-you-can-eat-restaurant because I assume people are thinking, “shite, we’d better get to the food before old lard arse does or there will be bugger all left to eat”; the sight of my once morbidly obese frame could start a stampede in an instant.

Before the combination of the menopause, ageing, the hedonistic lifestyle we led and finally depression contributed to my massive weight gain I had always been never more than a few pounds overweight and like the individual who insulted me publicly I could be judgemental about obese people. I think that now I’ve hobbled a mile or two in a truly fat person’s body I am certainly more understanding of the reasons people may just find themselves in such situations and how massive a challenge it can seem to extricate yourself from it. In the thick of it, it’s more than an uphill struggle, it’s an insurmountable mountain to climb. The support of himself, good friends and every single compliment and words of encouragement are the nuggets of success. I was in enormous pain in the early days of exercising, certain I needed hip replacements, convinced that my heart would give up if I broke out in a sweat. But I started slowly with walking the dogs daily and upped the pace as time and fitness levels allowed. I never believed that walking could make me as fit as I have become. It was only when some months later that I dared use the gym equipment I was astonished at how I could do 30 minutes rowing, followed by 30 minutes on the cross trainer. I tried to in the earliest of days only to be defeated after a torturous minute of effort that left me exhausted, deflated and wary of using them again until my confidence had grown.


So here I am, picking up with dearly missed old friends again and enjoying life to the full. My only real dilemma these days is what to wear. Who are my reference points for fashion when I’m in my early fifties and have emerged from a cocoon where my daily uniform consisted of shapeless sacks merely to cover my shameful shape?; when does something like skinny jeans become mutton dressed as lamb? Well, if it’s a choice between wearing cargo pants, or as my friend calls them baby elephant pants, old lady crimpolene type trousers and skinny jeans, I’ll stick with the jeans for the moment. I really couldn’t care less what the world thinks; if I can carry it off for a while yet if just to show I’ve lost all that weight then I will do. After all, aren’t the fifties the new forties? And let’s face it if you can get away with murder these days, (well almost), I certainly intend to make the most of what time I’ve got left as the new improved moi.

52 comments:

Dragonfly Dreams said...

Welcome back! So glad to see you online again and a thousand congratulations for what you have already accomplished!

Maggie May said...

It is great to see you back!
Six stone loss!!!!! My goodness, you've done well.
Glad to hear that you are feeling so much better. You really do need to blog because you've got a gift!
Maggie X

Nuts in May

auntiegwen said...

Mobsy - glad to have you back hen, much love from your auntie xxxx

DLM said...

Hello - I love your blog, it is very inspiring. I am making a programme for BBC Radio Scotland about the perimenopause and I think your story is really positive. Would you be interested in talking to me about the blog and how you have managed to come through it all? Well done for losing all that weight! I am working up to joining my local Rosemary Conelly class now that they do Zumba!

Kitt said...

Brava. That's awesome.

And inspiring. I think I'll go climb some stairs now.

willowtree said...

Well done!!

DJan said...

Lovely! MOB is back! And with such a story to tell, on top of it. Congratulations to you and big HUGS across the bandwidth. Yayy!

softinthehead said...

Well done you! and welcome back - you've been missed. A very inspiring post.

Teresa Ashby said...

Yay you're back! Congratulations on the weight loss and the New You. It's great to have you back x

Lane Mathias said...

Oh my word, well done. That's a stunning achievement!

Yes, jeans. Whatever makes you feel good.

Well done. I know I've just said that but this post deserves it:-)

menopausaloldbag (MOB) said...

Dragonfly Dreams – Thanks sweetie, I am chuffed to bits and it’s nice to be posting again.

Maggie May – as usual much too generous with your feedback. I think you probably mean the gift of the gab! I’m Glaswegian, it’s genetic! There are a lot of three legged donkeys out there!

Auntigwen – gone yersel’ Hen! Great to be back.

DLM – thanks for such nice feedback. Must admit, the Zumba seems fun but as I have the coordination of an old bloke at a wedding I give that class a miss! Go for it, you won’t regret joining, great fun and great support. Re having a chat by all means email me at Teri.Holtz@btopenworld.com. I’d be happy to see if there is anything from my experience that you can add to your piece.

Kitt – climb those stairs at least ten times! Once is not enough unless you’re just starting out of course!

Djan – Your blog on walking has always been inspirational to me. Kept me going when I felt like giving up.

Softinthehead – Are you in France yet? Must pop over to see how it’s all going for you.

Teresa Ashby – it’s great to be back. I needed that unplanned break as I rejoined the world and it sort of took over. A huge injection of life beyond the Internet Ether was exactly what I needed.

Working Mum said...

Hello again!!

What an amazing weight loss! Well done you and so glad that you are feeling better for it.

i beati said...

fashion from any era will look good on you How did you do it ?/did I miss that ??

aims said...

Hello my skinny friend!! I am completely gobsmacked (is that the word you use over there and is it appropriate here?) over what you have done and accomplished!!!!! Well done my friend. Well done.

The Man and I started on this journey two years ago and we both lost quite a bit of weight - but not near as much as you. He has put all of his and more back on - I put some on and took some off but I well remember the skinny days of my youth. I must turn myself around and start doing it no matter what the pain or silly excuse I come up with.

I'm proud of you my friend. Truly proud. That is an incredible life change.

Has it helped with the depression?

And yes - who cares what age you are - get in to those jeans and wiggle that ass all over the place my dear. At least you know they are not making those rude comments behind or in front of your face anymore. Be proud of who you are and what you have accomplished and get some of those leggings and a lovely longish top to cover your bum and put on some high heels. Don't forget the lippy(?) either!!
(Pardon me for trying some British slang here dear)

I know I for one would love a pic of the new you. You could email it to me if you didn't want to post it.

Gawds - I could just squeeze you and squeal with delight at the same time. I'm sooooo excited for you and proud too! What an accomplishment!

Much love -----and yes - welcome back!

menopausaloldbag (MOB) said...

Lane – Thanks for the endorsement, jeans it will be then! At least I haven’t gone down the track of showing off my cleavage – that really might be mutton.

Working Mum – I feel amazing, so very positive, no low moments. It was worth the effort.

I beati – Rosemary Conley – low cal, low fat, low GI and regular exercise. A great combination that works. Oh and red wine once a week on a Friday night! My guilty pleasure.

Mopsa said...

Fan-frigging-tastic. Clever old you - very impressed indeed. And I intend to wear jeans or whatever I want (if I can fit in them which isn't guaranteed) until I'm 90

The Vintage Kitten said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
menopausaloldbag (MOB) said...

Aims – hello yerself old pal! Gobsmacked is indeed a word that can be used in such a situation! And yes I have been applying lippy as well as foundation, mascara, blusher too! I got my hair cut in a very lovely bob and it looks sleek and modern and suits my much smaller face!

Re the depression. No sign of it since I started to come out of it around Christmas 2010. It got much much better in the early part of 2010 and just melted away throughout the year. Coming out of the menopause was clearly the start of my recovery. Mood swings and tears have gone. I am nice and centred, calm and laid back as I was before. But my energy levels have increased exponentially from the weight loss, diet and exercise. I am very very happy too.

Re the clothes, I have some great classic jackets, tops, dresses that fit the fashions in now. Just updated them with new buttons, scarves, classy boots, belts and so on. I think the skinny jeans with a tapered knee length jacket and fabulous ankle boots looks great so I can get away with them for now!

Thank you so much for such an uplifting comment. I always love hearing from you and will be over soon to read how life has been treating you. Much love to you too and thanks for all the funny emails you send – they are a hoot.

Mopsa – I’ll be damned if either of us could lift a leg up to get it into skinny jeans in our 90’s but hey, if you will I will too! Anyway, that’s what carers are for nest pah?!

The Vintage Kitten – makes a change to get a few positive posts instead of the misery I was posting during depression! Thanks for the welcome back.

beth said...

So glad to have you back. It was your words that were so bountiful to me, having never seen you in real life (whatever that is); but I am happy you feel better about yourself. Shame on those awful buggers who looked at you with disapproving eyes when your stone count was higher.

menopausaloldbag (MOB) said...

Beth – I guess some people just feel better about themselves when they can put someone else down. You have to feel sorry for them because they must agonise daily over feeling so utterly horrible. I’ve known a few people like that and they usually come a cropper sooner or later. What goes around comes around! Thanks for your nice comment, always makes it worthwhile to get nice feedback. X

Velveteen Rabbit said...

Feel utterly inspired!
I started 3 weeks ago and have just lost my first half a stone!
I recognise so many of your words...the need for oxygen....the knnes groaning in complaint....the beetroot shade of my face after a walk.....

The idea of wearing boots again makes me grin! Very very well done you! You are amazing! x

libby said...

Oh well done you!! what a wonderful post to read.....and inspiring too.. thank you...and wear whatever the hell you like and just look fabulous!

Heather said...

Love, love, love your writing. It's quite the journey you are on. I am excited to read what you post next and chuckle at your sense of humour. Keep the entries coming. I'm trying to get fitter myself and have started a blog about my journey too, here in Canada.
http://themoosepyjamachronicles.blogspot.com

menopausaloldbag (MOB) said...

Velveteen Rabbit – oh well done on that half a stone! That’s a fantastic loss. I can truly identify with your feelings of joy because getting started is the hardest part. I’ve lined up all my clothes in order of size and I know that every half stone is a dress size so I can more or less guess with my average weekly weight loss when I’m going to get into those smaller sizes – it makes for a good bit of inspiration if I feel like flagging. I’ll be over for a read and to get some inspiration from your journey. There’s nothing like a bit of mutual support to keep petrol in the weight loss engine! Oh and the boots thing, it seems so silly but I walked around in them for a couple of hours even though I was at home. I couldn’t believe that they fitted and with room to spare!

Libby – The feedback re the clothes is great – there are so many of us out there that struggle with that moronic term ‘age appropriate clothing’. I’ll confess seeing some oldies wearing pelmets instead of skirts and teetering along in eye wateringly high ‘feck me’ pumps is enough to make me dump my lunch but honestly if some more conservative commentators had their way we’d all be in nana type stay-press trousers trawling an old lady shopping trolley behind us!

Heather – thanks so much for your great comment. Glad to read that you are taking up running in a big way. You never see a fat runner! Well at least not those that have been running for a while. I’ll be over for a bit of inspiration as running is one of my more tolerable pass times.

mrsnesbitt said...

What an inspiring post. I have lost nearly 1 stone I attend Slimming World each Wednesday. I would like to lose another 2 stone

Tattieweasle said...

Go fo5r it girl skinny jeans and knee highs if you want. What a lift it was to read this and welcome back with a bang!

Mickle in NZ said...

Dear MOB - buy those skinny jeans and wear them with pride! You have given me huge encouragement for the 25 odd kilos (almost 4 stone) that I need to knock off. My own clinical depression has been there for many years, not helped by subsequent digestive and gynae disorders (the "no cure" sort).

I know I can walk and will start with tackling my 54 steep steps up to the street several times a day.

I can happily report that Aims and The Man are having a glorious holiday down in Louisianna (fonetic spelling here) - The Man has found an internet link that means Aims can phone me here for free. After a couple of conversations we learnt that it cuts out after 90 minutes!!! (I hope this has you laughing)

I'm delighted with your success for your self, and hope you are now back blogging more regularly - as dear Maggie has already written, you have a gift for writing and story telling.

Super well done to you and your dear Husband,

Michelle xxxx, on a wet and coldly soggy early Monday morning in Wellington, NZ (may we have our Summer back, please?), with a snoozling Zebby Cat behind me on "his" bed

menopausaloldbag (MOB) said...

Mrsnesbitt – congratulations on that 14lbs gone! You must be feeling great about losing so much. I love hearing about others doing so well too, like a fat club fraternity giving mutual inspiration!

Tattie Weasel – ta hen. Hope all is well with you.

Mickle in NZ – what a truly lovely comment – thank you. Glad to hear AIMS is having a great time. Please give her my love when you talk to her. Re the 4 stone – honestly one step at a time literally. And if you have been fit before then the advantage of muscle having memory is great because you’ll get fitter quicker. I hope you get cracking on it because it will truly make you feel so much better – hard at first and you may just curse the aching joints to hell and back but it gets better quicker than you think. 54 steep steps! My God, have an oxygen tank at the top! What a brilliant way to get yourself fitter. I’m rooting for you and would love to hear about your progress, you go girl!

Flowerpot said...

How lovely to see you back againand I am in awe of your tremendous achievements. Go for it MOB you are a credit to us all. As for clothes - well I wear what I want and I'm early 50s too. Jeans or cords in this weather....

Fat Grump said...

Oh welcome back MOB! How good to see you posting again!

Wow! Your efforts have paid off! Well done you on regaining your fitness and losing the blubber!

You mentioned being able to fit your calves (not your small cows)into Wellingtons! Now, every single fat woman knows exactly what you mean! That is a triumph - a real indicator that you are slim! How I'd love to be able to wear leather boots that came up to my knee instead of up to my ankle.

"A huge injection of life beyond the Internet Ether was exactly what I needed."

I think I need that too. I have stopped blogging about my weight loss efforts because my efforts have been pathetic, and there are only so many excuses one can make! I shall use your latest offering as my(latest) piece of inspiration. Alas, I get fired up to REALLY get a healthy eating and exercise regime going, only to fall at the first fence, mainly because I am too lazy to make the efforts on my behalf or grab and eat anything that doesn't need cooking. I am generally cheerful but there is a mountain to climb and I seem content to sit in base camp, at the foothills. I look up to see others climbing and reaching the summit! I shrug and tell myself I am not competitive..Who cares?

I am SO pleased for you. You described so well in other posts the events and feelings that keep us trapped in bodies we begin to despise. We despise our bodies and feel it's OK to give up on ourselves. I was at a young relative's party last weekend and a cousin (in her late forties)I hadn't seen for about two years showed up looking absolutely fantastic! She'd lost four stones in weight, looked trim, fashionable and her new found confidence was evident. I genuinely congratulated her..she's done so well, but inside I felt miserable and left behind. She can do it - why can't I? I remain convinced that it's a mind game. Once your mind decides for sure that you'll live a healthier lifestyle, every small change in our bodies and fitness keeps us on the straight and narrow. I despair of my ability to keep going for more than a few days at a time. My PC broke recently and I moved much more, occupying my time in various (active) ways. These machines are the spawn of the Devil I suspect!;)

You are starting this new year in a fit and healthy body. Like you, I am in my fifties and I know it can be done. You wanted it enough, kept going and succeeded! Many congratulations to you and your man!

Such a nice surprise to see a new post from you! Keep writing. You do it so well!

menopausaloldbag (MOB) said...

Fat Grump – dear lady, you haven’t blogged and yet you’ve almost written a whole post here! How I adore your writing, you are erudite and gifted in your posts. I know exactly what you mean about the false starts. I had so many that I was in total despair for a long time. You sound depressed, or at the least very low. It is so difficult to keep momentum going when the conditions don’t seem right. I wish I could encourage you, take you walking, give support nearby instead of on the net.

I can empathise with your feelings about your cousin. Us fatties can’t help but genuinely cheer on those that have run the race but at the same time feel that we have let ourselves down by not getting off the starting blocks. You should feel good that you are such a nice person to be able to feel good for her. I am not at my goal, so not skinny yet but I intend to keep going. You have had a lot to contend with so I am not surprised at your false starts. I wouldn’t dream of telling you how to go about it all because I know from your brilliant writing that you are more than knowledgeable about losing weight. Maybe addressing your low mood might be the starting point – the false starts may very well be the symptom of just not having the fortitude and the will to get going. I know it was with me but I didn’t realise it until I started to come out of the depression. I just thought I was lazy, without willpower and an also-ran in life.

Make yourself a huge pot of soup, freeze it and just stick it in the microwave when you want to eat the first thing you can lay your hands on! I hope you can find a bit of oomph soon to get you started. If you want to you can email me at Teri.holtz@btopenworld.com and we can keep in touch like that. I could do with the encouragement too to keep me on track. You’d be doing me a favour!

All the best Grumps, and hope to hear from you soon if you fancy that.

Dragonfly Dreams said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog! My legs and my soul BOTH felt the benefit, although one was much happier about it than the other!
Keep up the wonderful work and your blog writing!

Trish said...

Are you going to be in the paper, standing in the leg of your elephant trousers?!!

Seriously though, great to have you back feeling healthy and happy and ready to start entertaining us again with your writing.

menopausaloldbag (MOB) said...

Dragonfly Dreams – No pain no gain eh?! It’s all worth it in the end even if it does kill us bit by bit along the way!

Trish – I love those inspirational pictures of former fatties in their Elephant pants. I’ve given most of my stuff away to charity as a lot was in good nick and truthfully I couldn’t wait to get rid of them. I think they’ll be others more deserving than me but maybe I’ll have one taken for my blog when I feel the time comes!

Lorna F said...

I'm so delighted that you're back and that things are going so well for you - I was thinking of you just the other day and wondering why your blog had been so quiet. It's an inspiration to hear what you've come through, what you've dealt with - and it's an encouragement for me as I'm really starting to struggle with this whole MenoBlight thing - the negativity, the awful realisation you've become this dragged-down, greyed-out other person who isn't, or shouldn't be you. The muffin-top and the struggles with socks? Ah yes! I have a hip replacement which is showing signs of being on its last legs (hah!) and loads of aches, diminution of mobility - you story gives me hope that there will be Life Beyond Menopause. Keep up the good work! xx

Kathy's Klothesline said...

Wow! What an amazing accomplishment. I am shamelessly jealous as I sit here cramming the last of a donut in my mouth. It is good to have you back in the land of blog!

Helena said...

So good to see you back! And my word verification agrees, it's 'gootti'!

Ellen said...

Hi there, I've just found your blog thorough Sally's top ten. I'm glad I have.
Fantastic achievement on the weight.
Meantime, I'll be back.

Jean said...

Welcome back!! And what an amazing achievement - and all in one year? Incredible. *standing ovation*

I'm going to link to this post in my Big Momma blog post tomorrow - I'm trying to lose the excess weight too, not doing as well as you though. Would you consider doing a guest post on my blog?

LITTLE BROWN DOG said...

Aaahhh, hi, MOB - you're back! Fabulously well done for losing such a lot of weight - that's a real achievement. Great to see you posting again (can't say the same for me good self, I'm afraid...). You're an inspiration. xoxoxox

menopausaloldbag (MOB) said...

Lorna F – ah dear Lorna, lovely to hear from you. I have every sympathy for anyone just entering the MenoBlight as you call it. What a great name for it. I know some women sail through it but those of us who don’t can certainly find it challenging to say the least. There is life after it and I can guarantee that it is better than ever. I wish you all the best with it.

Kathy’s K – step away from the doughnut! My downfall is Camembert cheese – ripe, almost rancid and a solitary moment of indulgence as Himself cannot bear to sit in the same room as it due to the overwhelming pong that permeates from it. I steer myself away from buying it now because I’d snaffle a whole one in one sitting. A sad fact of life but one that keeps me on the straight and narrow. There are some foods that ‘portion control’ does not apply to and this is one of them for me!

Lena - Hello Hen, hope you are well.

Ellen A – welcome and thanks for the comment. Not sure there’s much worth coming back for but I’ll try!

notSupermum – welcome and thanks for your comment. It took me in reality two years to lose the weight. 1.5 stones in 2009 and then the rest in 2010. I have some more to lose now but compared to what I was it is not a huge amount. Good luck with your weight loss routine and yes I’d be happy to guest blog for you, it might be rubbish though!

Littlebrowndog – tis a joy to hear from you again, one of the best writers on the net. I’ll be over to check you out.

Humdrum Mum said...

Hopped over from NotSupermum - wow what a story and what an achievement. I am so impressed - and this was really due to daily hour walks? Making me think ... -HMx

lunarossa said...

Coming over from notSupermum too. What a fantastic achievement. I bow in admiration. I hate when peopke make comments on other people's appearance, especially in public. Overweight people need help and support, nopt sniggering and insults. Please never justify those people who used to snigger at you. Well done, again and all the best fot the future. Ciao. A.

menopausaloldbag (MOB) said...

Humdrum Mum – those hour long walks were a slow affair at the start. But through time I’ve upped my pace and without realising it have increased my fitness tenfold. I couldn’t believe how fit I became. I never believed that walking could make you fit but I have to eat my words over that one.

Lunarossa – never fear dear lass, the lady that was insulting has my sympathy and pity in equal measures! At the time of her public insult it was hurtful and embarrassing but mostly because I believed that I deserved it for ‘letting myself go’. I got slimmer, she remains obnoxious and ignorant. I won!

Keri said...

Hello MOB.. so happy to hear from you again. Congratulations to you and Himself on your new found health and weight loss.

I so love to read your writings. You always inspire me, make me laugh and leave me feeling like it was time well spent. You are a very talented and compelling writer. But then you knew that.

Stomach crunches? Really? Do I have to? Okay. If you can do it, I can too I suppose. LOL

Thanks for the kind words regarding found puppy. She was sweet as she could be. Now I live in fear that my two dogs were infected. Won't be able to tell for a while. Cross your fingers/

Have a fabulous weekend. Keri

Leave a Legacy said...

I just finished reading your last 2 posts and I am so impressed by your writing, your wit and most of all your will power and weight loss. Wow! You are such an inspiration. And it sounds like you've changed as much mentally. I'm so happy for you!

merry weather said...

I came to find you after a long time away - and - here you are, full of life as ever! And - a half-pint!

Congratulations MOB! Good for you :-)

Weight gain I think is our most visible human frailty - while those who mock may very well conceal far greater frailities that are less visible - initially!

All that matters is how you feel and I think from this post that you now feel GREAT. Hooray!!!

:-)))

Casdok said...

Am very impressed! So glad you are feeling so much better:)

Cheryl said...

Welcome back, I have missed you so much! I'm so happy to hear you have done so well with your weight loss and lifestyle change. You really are a true inspiration, I mean that with all my heart. I could not be happier for you. Enjoy it and wear whatever your heart's content.
Your post could not have come at a better time for me!
Love you bunches and bunches.
Cheryl

menopausaloldbag (MOB) said...

Keri – so sad about the puppy. I hope your other dogs are okay. Thanks for such a lovely comment. Yup get those stomach crunches going, they are worth it!

Grandma Nina - thanks for such a lovely comment. I’m in a good place right now and intend to stay there! It’s all worth it in the end.

Merry Weather – oh how lovely it is to hear from you. I love the half pint comment! Mines a gin!

Casdok – Thanks for popping by. I am truly very well thanks you!

Cheryl – so great to hear from you again. I’ll be over to see how you are doing. Hope life is easing up for you and the family.

Eddie Bluelights said...

Happy Christmas and hope you are OK ~ Love Eddie x

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