Small steps, big steps

Yesterday I had my first post-surgery fill, which I wrote about in great detail over at Not a Diet (hint: it was an unpleasant experience). And I also found out that I've lost 25 pounds according to my surgeon's Official Weight Loss Records (by which I mean, my chart). So I'm feeling pretty good about that.

Actually, I'm feeling pretty good in general. Even though I've lost 25 pounds, I've only lost a couple inches from all the usual places (hips, waist, chest). But my clothes fit better, and my face is noticeably thinner. I seem to be losing weight from there first. Which is fine. Good, really. My face was very round and my double chin made me very upset. I mean, it's still there and I'm not exactly in love with it these days, but it's not AS bad as it was, and that makes me feel better.

So yeah. It's just the beginning, but I find that I feel so much better about myself, and I seem to project that. Yesterday while I was walking the dog this guy who was power-washing the street stopped to hit on me. And yes, I'm happily married, and no, I'm not looking for a hot fling with a Denver Water employee, but still. It felt good.

Here's the thing about being hit on by random guys: this has happened to me at every weight, and I've never been thin. It just goes to show, you don't have to look like a model to get hit on by strangers. I think they are more drawn to the way you carry yourself, and the attitude you project.

And that's the thing. I didn't really feel any different, and I was just wearing jeans and a casual tank top, and I wasn't strutting or anything--in fact, I was carrying a bag of dog poop, AND the bag was one of those clear newspaper bags, so you could clearly SEE the dog poop--but I'm just feeling good recently, and apparently it shows just in the way I walk down the street.

And, speaking of walking down the street, I've been walking at least an hour pretty much every day, and the distance that I travel during that hour has vastly increased. I'm walking faster. I'm feeling fitter. I have much more of a can-do attitude. I was excited about the hike we went on this weekend, even if I didn't love the steep part. And I'm excited to go on more hikes on future weekends, even if they involve steep parts too. And I'm actually LOOKING FORWARD to joining the gym, and taking water aerobics classes, and other classes too.

I still have a long way to go--I'm still nervous about the idea of riding a bike, for example--but this is a really fantastic start.