Only ten days...

Only ten days until I leave for Florida! I am so ready for this trip. A whole week without the family. Not that I won't miss them, because I will, but a whole week with no one yelling MOM, or "he did...", and the possibility of peeing without an audience! If you have children you understand what I'm saying. If you don't, have a child and you will be hoping for a trip without the kids.

Only ten days until I leave and I haven't done one thing to get ready. I know where we keep the suitcases though! My travel arrangements are all made, but I haven't done anything further than that. In the past when I have left the husband and the children home I have stocked the fridge and freezer, made plans so everyone is entertained, cleaned the house, etc. but not this time. My husband is a grown adult. He knows how to drive to the grocery store. In fact, there are two less than one mile from our house! I suggested that he and the kids make up a menu of sorts, meals they would like to eat so they don't call me asking for suggestions (this has happened before). The rule is no eating out more than two times. If they want to do lunch one day and dinner the next, great! Two dinners? Awesome! But only TWICE. I have left before and they have spent the food budget for a month in one week.

Only ten days until I leave on vacation. When I get home I only have two days before I go in for surgery. I'm having a tummy tuck with muscle repair. Being pregnant is hard on your body. Having 8 lb. babies when you are 5' 5.5" and short waisted is even harder on your body. Eating your way to a weight higher than you ever were when you were pregnant and swollen from pregnancy induced hypertension is even harder on your body! After losing 50 pounds I have skin that won't go away. I used to think I just needed to work on my core muscles harder than I was. Then I went in for a consultation for a breast reduction. The Dr. told me it was excess skin and it wasn't going away unless it was surgically removed. I wasn't thrilled with the idea of the huge scar that is left behind but the more I have thought about it I'm even less thrilled with the loose skin! I have worked really hard to lose weight and get into shape. I've never been an athletic girl (though I was always thin) so this has been a long road for me. But I've kept plugging along even when I didn't want to. I've kept going after injuring myself (which is often because I don't seem to have much coordination). I've kept going when I have been frustrated because the weight was no longer melting off. I have kept going even though counting calories was the last thing I've wanted to do. And now I'm almost at the end. It is funny though, the end moved. I used to have a set number I wanted to get to. Now I'm looking for the way my clothing fits and my body fat percentage. And after the tummy tuck has healed I'm going back for that reduction. It will be a whole new me! Or a sort of old me with a new attitude. Most definitely a me with new confidence and a new respect for myself. I finally decided to tackle my weight problem and I have won.

Heather